Each Life Matters, and One Life Can Change the World

Lisa M. Hendey reflects on the dual message of a movie that vibrantly underscores the power of possibility.

Opening in theaters nationwide, One Life retells the true story of Sir Nicholas Winton’s participation in the dramatic rescue of over 660 Czech children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during the 9 months before World War II broke out in 1939.  

Synopsis:  

Based on the book If It’s Not Impossible...: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton by Barbara Winton, ONE LIFE tells the incredible, emotional true story of Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton (Flynn), a young London broker who visits Prague in December 1938. In a race against time, Winton convinces Trevor Chadwick (Sharp) and Doreen Warriner (Garai) of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia to rescue hundreds of predominantly Jewish children before Nazi occupation closes the borders. Fifty years later, Nicky (Hopkins) is haunted by the fate of the children he wasn’t able to bring to safety in England. It’s not until the BBC show “That’s Life!” re-introduces him to some of those he helped rescue that he finally begins to come to terms with the guilt and grief he carried – all the while skyrocketing from anonymity to a national hero.  

One Life employs the power of storytelling to weave together the details of a complex period in history. The legacy of Nicky Winton is told in two parts, by two actors who both capture the humility, mission, and drive of this quiet man. But Winton did not work in a vacuum. The film importantly highlights the work of Doreen Wainer (Romola Garai) and Trevor Chadwick (Alex Sharp) of the British Committee for Refugees in Czechoslovakia who remained at Ground Zero of the crisis to facilitate the rescues.   

Equally as compelling is the story of ‘Babi’ Babette/Barbara Winton, Nicky’s powerhouse mother. Helena Bonham Carter is magnetic opposite Johnny Flynn’s young Nicky. Carter captures the fear any mother would fear in seeing her child face such a dangerous mission. But quickly, she is all in and becomes an important centerpiece of the operation. 

When we meet Nicky Winton in his golden years, he is very much a man still tormented by the mission he felt he was never able to truly complete. His long-suffering wife, Grete (Lena Olin), is encouraging Nicky to comb through the voluminous stacks of records he has maintained for fifty years and to free himself of the ghosts that still haunt him. Through Nicky’s memory, we are transported in time to young Nicky’s days as a young broker first visiting Prague and learning of the impending crisis.   

There is a particularly moving moment in the film, which recounts the true story of a 1988 Episode of the BBC show That’s Life, in which Nicky and Grete are finally reunited with some of the souls who were saved by Nicky and his partners. Although Nicky was eventually knighted in England for his actions, the sustaining characteristic that shines through in this film and other research about this story was his selflessness. 

Some viewers may think that the “One Life” title of the film refers to the fact that the actions of one person can indeed bring about lasting change in a world where we feel overwhelmed by so many crises. But for me, the “One Life” moniker also refers to the truth that every single life matters and that we can never do enough to help others. Even helping one person in some small way can have ramifications that we will never truly understand.   

One Life—the film and Nicky Winton’s legacy—vibrantly underscore the power of possibility.  Sir Anthony Hopkins is at his finest here, portraying the full range of emotions that accompany selfless heroism. With our world today facing so many challenges, Nicky Winton's legacy reminds us that a single soul who steps forward to help another can and will change our world.   

One Life is rated PG for thematic material, smoking, and some language and opens in theaters on March 15. 

Will you see this film? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2024 Lisa M. Hendey
Images: copyright 2024 Bleecker Street Media, all rights reserved.

This article contains Amazon affiliate links, which provide a small compensation to the author of this piece when purchases are made through the links, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting our Catholic Mom writers in this way.