Son of Saul

In October 1944, Saul Ausländer works as a Sonderkommando in Auschwitz, witnessing the horrifying reality of the gas chambers. He endures the relentless atrocities committed against his fellow prisoners, demonstrating a facade of stoicism amidst despair.

Saul discovers a boy among the dead who is alive but being suffocated by a Nazi doctor. Determined to give the child a dignified burial, he finds himself facing the moral quandary of what can be done amidst the horror.

Saul approaches Miklós Nyiszli, a fellow prisoner, requesting that the boy's body not be disfigured for an autopsy. Miklós, unable to fulfill Saul's wishes, permits him five minutes alone with the boy before the cremation.

Desperate to honor the boy's memory, Saul turns to Rabbi Frankel for assistance but is dismissed. Encouraged to perform the burial ritual himself, Saul grapples with his sorrow and isolation as he contemplates his next steps.

Saul overhears discussions about a potential uprising led by Sonderkommando Abraham and Oberkapo Biederman. Motivated by the possibility of change, Saul feigns compliance to join their cause, even as he works on capturing evidence of the camp's atrocities.

Saul sneaks into another Sonderkommando unit to find assistance from the Renegade. After a confrontation at the riverbank where ashes are discarded, both are caught and questioned, leading to the execution of the Renegade.

Later, Saul searches Miklós's office for the boy's body but faces ridicule from Nazi officers. After confronting Miklós, he learns that the body remains safe, and he manages to retrieve it, carrying it back to his barrack.

As fear escalates among the prisoners, SS-commandant Moll orders Biederman to compile a list of seventy names, causing distress that his unit may be executed. This precarious situation intensifies Saul's urgency to act.

Abraham tasks Saul with procuring gunpowder from a female prisoner named Ella. While she recognizes him and attempts to connect, Saul remains focused on the grim task at hand, emphasizing the weight of his mission.

In his search for a rabbi, Saul meets the Frenchman Braun, who falsely presents himself as a rabbi. Saul's attempts to smuggle Braun into the camp highlight his desperation to secure the proper burial for the boy.

The next morning, prisoners are shocked to discover that Biederman and his unit have been executed. This triggers a sense of urgency and solidarity among the prisoners, leading Abraham to rally them to rebel against their captors.

In the chaos of the rebellion, Saul seizes the boy's body and escapes into the woods with Braun and a few others. As they attempt to find a proper burial site, the gravity of their predicament weighs heavily on them.

As they seek refuge, it becomes clear that Braun is not the rabbi he claimed to be when he fails to recite the Kaddish prayer. This revelation leaves Saul feeling more isolated and questioning the intentions of those around him.

As guards close in, Saul struggles to carry the boy's body across the river. Despite his efforts, he is thwarted, and Rabbi Frankel intervenes just as the corpse drifts away, a poignant reminder of the horrors they are enduring.

The remaining prisoners find temporary refuge in a shed where they discuss joining the Polish resistance. Their determination to fight back against their oppressors is ignited as they plan a way to survive the grim reality they face.