One Life is an excellent biopic that still exceeds expectations even if it’s following a tried-and-true formula.

Retelling the remarkable story of how Sir Nicholas Winton led a retreat that rescued children who were facing parental separation or death in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.  Winton, devastated after witnessing the wellness of children who were trying to survive under heart-aching circumstances, was frequently reminded of the challenges met with assigning helpless kids temporary refuge;  including efforts to give everyone a passport, daunting fees and, with a hidden deadline of when the Germans would invade their territory, the awareness that not every child could be helped. 

This is a renowned tale that I fell in love with over a decade ago when I reviewed Matej Minac’s documentary Nicky’s Family.  With One Life, using a more traditional structure, television director James Hawes (Doctor Who, Penny Dreadful, Apple TV+’s Slow Horses) honours Winton’s legacy by not shying away from the emotional stakes of desperate families who were grateful for the safety but devastated over the future’s uncertainty.  Winton is portrayed at a young age by Stardust’s Johnny Flynn and, when we see an elderly version of Nicholas searching for personal closure, he’s played by Academy Award winner Sir Anthony Hopkins (Freud’s Last Session, where the actor covered similar subject matter).  Flynn and Hopkins are first-rate: Flynn’s passion and determination wins over the hearts of audiences, and Hopkins breaks those same hearts as we see Winton carrying his own internal conflict. 

The duel arcs are full of detail and edited together well, leaving viewers satisfied with both narratives.  Even though some montages contribute softer edges to a mission that was anything but convenient, the storytelling isn’t contrived because we still believe in the efforts the film is presenting.

Those who are familiar with the story will suspect that the final scenes of One Life are leading up to Hopkins’ Winton being surprised on a talk show.  Though these predications are correct, the biopic still finds ways to surprise the audience and make them well up.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie