film synopsis
In this searing film based on an incredible true story, Ben Foster gives a full-bodied, transformative performance as Harry Haft, a Polish Jew whose imprisonment at Auschwitz was spent in savage, gladiatorial boxing matches against fellow prisoners for the entertainment of the Nazis. Beginning anew in 1949, Harry comes to America in search of the woman he loved (Dar Zuzovsky) that he met before the war. There, he is helped by a woman (Vicky Krieps), dedicated to helping survivors find their loved ones, but he struggles to adjust to life after the war and reconciling the survivor’s guilt and unfathomable horrors he experienced firsthand. Haft recounts his story to a reporter (Peter Sarsgaard) after becoming a winning prizefighter, believing that enough public attention will help him in his ongoing search for his true love. Directed by Oscar® winner Barry Levinson (Rain Man) and boasting a heavyweight supporting cast that includes Billy Magnussen, Danny DeVito, and John Leguizamo, The Survivor is a haunting, heartbreaking story of a man in a lifelong search for redemption and displays Foster’s virtuosity as an on-screen powerhouse.