“One Life” is a 2023 biographical drama directed by James Hawes, portraying the remarkable story of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton. The film interweaves two timelines, with Anthony Hopkins portraying an elderly Winton reflecting on his past, while Johnny Flynn depicts a younger Winton aiding Jewish children in German-occupied Czechoslovakia in 1938–39, just before World War II. Helena Bonham Carter, Lena Olin, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp, and Jonathan Pryce feature in supporting roles.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2023, followed by its European debut at the 2023 London Film Festival. It was first released in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2024, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and later in the United States on March 15, 2024, by Bleecker Street. Critically acclaimed, the film garnered praise for its stellar performances, notably Hopkins and Bonham Carter.”
CHARACTERS
- Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn portray Nicholas Winton, a British stockbroker and son of German-born parents, who plays a pivotal role in the Kindertransport initiative aimed at rescuing children from Nazi-occupied territory before World War II.
- Hopkins depicts Winton as a 79-year-old reflecting on his past, while Flynn portrays him as a 29-year-old on the brink of the war.
- Helena Bonham Carter stars as Babi Winton, Nicholas’s British mother of German descent, actively involved in supporting his humanitarian endeavors.
- Lena Olin appears as Grete Winton, the wife of the elderly Nicholas Winton.
- Jonathan Pryce portrays Martin Blake, another Kindertransport advocate who maintains a friendship with the elderly Winton, marking the third collaboration between Pryce and Hopkins.
- Ziggy Heath plays the role of a young Martin Blake in the film.
- Romola Garai portrays Doreen Warriner, an English Kindertransport volunteer working on-site in Czechoslovakia.
- Alex Sharp takes on the role of Trevor Chadwick, a British Kindertransport activist who accompanies children during their escapes by train.
- Samantha Spiro appears as Esther Rantzen, the British presenter of the BBC TV show That’s Life!, which features a segment on Winton’s efforts.
- Other cast members include Juliana Moska, Ella Novakova, Samuel Finzi, Henrietta Garden, Frantiska Polakova, Alzbeta Cerna, Jolana Jirotkova, Anna Darvas, Marthe Keller, Michael Gould, Adrian Rawlins, and Antonie Formanová in various roles.
STORYLINE
In 1938, Nicholas Winton, a 29-year-old London stockbroker, visits Czechoslovakia shortly after the signing of the Munich Agreement. Witnessing the dire conditions faced by families who fled Nazi persecution in Germany and Austria, he meets Doreen Warriner, head of the Prague office of the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia (BCRC). Shocked by the refugee camps’ plight, Winton, with support from his mother Babette, resolves to rescue Jewish children. Despite bureaucratic obstacles, he mobilizes donations, secures foster families in England, and rushes to evacuate children facing imminent deportation, racing against the uncertainty of open borders amidst looming Nazi invasion.
Fifty years later, in 1988, a 79-year-old Winton sifts through old documents in his cluttered office, reflecting on his past efforts for the BCRC. Despite saving many lives, he grapples with guilt for those he couldn’t rescue. While contemplating donating the documents to a Holocaust museum, he also considers raising awareness about contemporary refugee crises. The documents eventually catch the attention of the BBC’s That’s Life! team, who invite Winton as a surprise guest and reunite him with some of the children he saved, showcasing his enduring legacy of compassion.
