Story

One Life is based on the true story of Nicholas Winton, a British humanitarian who helped several hundred Jewish children escape from the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Through a series of flashbacks, Nicholas (Anthony Hopkins) remembers how, as a young man in 1938, he travelled to Prague to work with a British refugee aid organisation. Younger Nicholas (Johnny Flynn) is shocked by the number of children living on the streets with little hope of surviving the winter, let alone the invading Nazis. He persuades Doreen Warriner (Romola Garai), the British aid worker in charge, to help him draw up a list of children to take to Britain. He then returns to Britain to arrange the difficult task of visas, funds and willing adoptive families.

Nicholas’s extraordinary achievement became known as the Kindertransport. During the war, around 18,000 Czechoslovakian children were sent to concentration camps with less than 200 surviving. Nicholas managed to save 669 children.

After the war, Nicholas returned to civilian life and his achievements went largely unnoticed. In 1988, however, Nicholas was reunited with many of the children he saved through a TV program called That’s Life, which featured his story. Many of the children, who by then were adults, were in the audience that night and were overjoyed to meet the man who saved their lives.

Themes

WWII; Nazis; refugees; racism; charity

Violence

One Life has some violence. For example:

• There are war scenes of people being shoved onto trains at gunpoint.
• A father tells how 2 of his sons, aged 12 and 14, were beaten, thrown down the stairs and hit with clubs.
• German tanks roll into the streets of Prague, draped in Nazi flags and armed by soldiers.

Sexual references

There are no sexual references in One Life.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

One Life shows some use of substances. For example:

• People drink at home, clubs and restaurants.
• Several people smoke.

Nudity and sexual activity

One Life has some nudity and sexual activity. For example, there are some bare-chested men on a TV show.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in One Life.

Coarse language

One Life has some coarse language, including ‘Oh God’, ‘damn’ and ‘bloody’.

Ideas to discuss with your children

One Life is based on the true story of Nicholas Winton, a brave and determined man who, along with his equally determined mother and British aid workers, saved 669 children from certain death following the German invasion of Czechoslovakia.

The story is very well told and emotionally moving. The graphic depictions of war are kept to a minimum, but the movie’s themes and slow-paced style mean it isn’t suitable for children under 8 years. We also recommend parental guidance for children aged 8-10 years.

The main messages from One Life are that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things if they truly believe in what they do; and that good can still prevail in times of darkness.

Values in One Life that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include bravery, courage, determination, charity, kindness and teamwork.

One Life could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of standing up for good and resisting evil when times are bad. You could also talk about World War II history as a reminder of what happens when evil takes over.