The World Will Tremble doesn’t pull back from the depraved darkness of the Holocaust, forcing us to observe unimaginable horror alongside the suffering characters.
Writer and Director: Lior Geller
Genre: War Drama
Run Time: 109′
World Premiere: January 16, 2025 at the Miami Jewish Film Festival
U.S. Release: March 14, 2025
U.K. Release: TBA
Where to Watch: In theaters
Over the past decade, it has become increasingly apparent that we’ll never reach a limit for cinematic depictions of the Holocaust. Social media has routinely presented evidence that society, or social attitudes rather, are regressing; boundless information can be accessed at our fingertips, and yet it’s led to the rise of deniers and conspiracy theorists, while instantaneous communication has created a hotbed for hatred and senseless provocation.
It’s been almost 80 years since World War II came to an end, but antisemitism remains a widespread problem with no end in sight.
The World Will Tremble is a reminder of our past, and as terrible and tragic as it is to admit, we need those reminders. The film reaffirms humanity’s capacity for unspeakable evil, represented through the horrific and utterly heart-wrenching experience of two brave men, during a time of unprecedented torment and racial hardship.
Directed by Israeli filmmaker Lior Geller and based on true events, The World Will Tremble tells the story of Solomon Wiener (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Michael Podchlebnik (Jeremy Neumark Jones), two Polish Jews interned at Chelmno extermination camp. In 1942, the war crimes committed by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland had not yet come to light. Determined to spread the word and protect their people, the duo risk their lives escaping from the death camp, intent on passing on a message that would eventually change the world.
Naturally, The World Will Tremble is an extraordinarily bleak film that’s often difficult to watch. Wiener and Podchlebnik begin as enslaved grave diggers, forced to stand by as droves of Jews are murdered using gas vans, then instructed to remove and bury their bodies in a mass grave. Geller makes an early decision not to let the camera linger on the deceased, instead focusing on the individual experiences of those in the burial detail. We hear the victims’ screams and we witness the terrible acts being perpetrated, but the visual representation of their colossal pain is only etched across the faces of the men forced to watch and suffer silently. It’s a simple yet effective tactic that both spares us a modicum of traumatic imagery and draws additional emotion out of the characters.
Jackson-Cohen, perhaps best known for Mike Flanagan‘s The Haunting of Hill House and Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man, is exceptional as a man who tries to repress his emotions while being barely able to keep himself together. Wiener is surrounded by men who can’t contain their emotional outbursts, or hide the telltale signs of their sadness and unbridled fury, but Jackson-Cohen says much more with so much less. He cuts a haunted figure, plagued by a crushing emotional weight that he simply can’t afford to lift in the presence of vindictive, masochistic men who delight in the power they wield.
Geller forces us to sit with the excruciating realities of Nazi-occupied Poland just long enough to drive home the horrifying point before the movie transitions into the escape story it was billed as. Granted, the second half is no more uplifting than the first, but it pales in comparison to an opening act that’s entirely void of light. There’s perhaps one sole moment of catharsis in the first hour, if you could even describe it as such, and that arrives in the form of a dishevelled young woman, bloodied and barely dressed, being accidentally shot dead. It’s another tragic and infuriating moment to add to the many others, but we can at least take some solace in knowing her unimaginable suffering had been inexplicably cut short.
Following the characters’ daring escape from Chelmno, the movie notably loses momentum, not enough to stagnate but enough for the tension to slightly plateau. The World Will Tremble does offer more than one sequence of nail-biting suspense on the road, and they aren’t nearly as soul-crushing as those that dominate the preceding hour, though they are tinged with an unshakeable sadness that permeates from the opening on-screen text to the closing credits. It’s during these latter stages that the decision to shoot in Bulgaria bears fruit, with cinematographer Ivan Vatsov getting the very best out of the environment at his disposal. Erez Koskas’ score also begins to shine, offering triumphant notes that are seeped in sorrow.
The World Will Tremble was conceived to communicate the bravery of two ordinary men and broaden the knowledge of their story, and to that end, it accomplishes what it set out to achieve. That their courage wasn’t able to curtail the widespread murder of millions makes their suffering all the more tragic. This certainly doesn’t diminish their sacrifice, neither does it lessen the impact the film ultimately delivers. The World Will Tremble is an undeniably effective addition to the pantheon of media that preserves our memory of the Holocaust — a time and an event that cannot ever be forgotten.
The World Will Tremble: Movie Plot & Recap
Synopsis:
Set in Poland in 1942, The World Will Tremble follows Solomon Wiener and Michael Podchlebnik, two Jews interned at Chelmno extermination camp. Desperate to educate the world on the true nature of German “labour camps”, the duo launch an escape, leading to a tense journey across Nazi-occupied countryside where danger searches for them around every corner.
Pros:
- Horrifying realities of Holocaust are laid stark and are extremely effective.
- The performances are exceptional, particularly when emotions must be suppressed.
- Stunning cinematography and period production design.
- Sombre musical score that helps to establish the already incredibly morose tone.
- The film serves a purpose as an educational piece, telling a true life story that more of us should be made aware of.
Cons:
- It loses momentum in the final act, and the sequences of suspense aren’t quite as gripping as anything in the first half.
- There’s no brightness at all, which obviously feels appropriate given the subject matter, but such incessant darkness can feel overwhelming.
The World Will Tremble will be released in US theatres on March 14, 2025.
