Just so...so bad

A Major Disappointment

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

This is a heartwarming story of a young Holocaust survivor, her story and her eventual family. A 14-year-old girl is caught in the Holocaust, survived multiple concentration camps and their horrors and eventually survived. She marries a fellow survivor, moves to the U.S. and raises a family. This is her story and that of her family. While the period in Europe is discussed, it is not graphic and can be suitable for school age children although there is no doubt that this is something they will not forget.They move to Kansas City where they operate a tailor shop and attempt to live a normal American life. Of course, their family is not normal, and never can be, given what the parents have lived through and the absence of an extended family.I have a similar background personally so I could readily relate to the situation. My parents background, and those of myself and my brothers, is not all that much different than that in the move. In the end, Sonia and her husband survived and thrived through some of the most horrifying events of humanity. I am very glad I saw the movie. The movie is quite appropriate for educational audiences and events such as Yom Hashoa commemoration programs that want to remember the horrors of that period. While her story is not uncommon for Holocaust survivors, the movie does an excellent job of saving this story for history when the last survivors is no longer with us. My congratulations to the people behind this valiant effort and the story they leave behind.

Big Sonia, winner multiple Audience and Jury awards across the country and internationally, packs such a powerful punch it will transform the way you look at the world.Husband and wife filmmaking team, Todd Soliday and Leah Warshawski, have a synergy that translates directly onto the screen.The making of Big Sonia is almost as profound as the movie itself. What began as an idea to create a colorful short about Director/Producer Leah Warshawski's 87-year-old (now 92) grandmother, a Holocaust survivor and unlikely fashion diva whose popular tailor shop was the only store still operating in a decrepit Kansas City mall.While this is certainly story enough, when they arrived to begin filming, Leah and Todd discover that Grandma Sonia isn't simply a pint size octogenarian tearing into her daily illegal parking space, thick red lipstick and highly stylized hair barely peering over the leopard-wrapped steering wheel. This woman is all that and a courageous force whose public speaking tours are changing the lives of everyone she meets, from middle school students to prisoners at the state penitentiary.Intuitively, the filmmakers expanded the short into a full-length feature, a movie that beautifully braids layers of loss and redemption with the story themes. Soliday's film editing is masterful.Every bit of the story line resonates: Sonia's eviction notice from the mall threatening to close the tailor shop; adult prisoners and public school students visibly affected by Sonia's story; a difficult history uniquely recreated with creative (and sensitive) animation by artist, Rachel Ignotofsky and Dawn Norton; the impact of Sonia's experience on the lives of her grown children; and, of course, the wild ride that is Sonia herself, from holding court at the tailor shop to sharing the remnants of her mother's scarf with shaking hands, cutting flowers and choosing her lavish outfits.Each thread strengthens the overall film, working together to create something greater than the individual parts, resulting in an experience so profound and beautiful that, by the end, you are stunned. Everything has somehow shifted, especially your worldview, and each tiny thing is now visible through a new lens. If you care about good storytelling, see this movie; prepare to be moved.

This is one of the best films of 2017, and it is absolutely necessary for the times we live in. "Big Sonia" is the antidote to hatred and intolerance, to prejudice born of ignorance. At the end of the day, we are all people, regardless of the color of our skin, who we worship, who we choose to vote for, or who we kiss. This film makes you realize that the person sitting next to you on any given day may have a story that makes you think about who you are and what you believe.I am sure the filmmakers did not intend to make a film that could bring people together and teach them about tolerance and forgiveness. The film starts out as the story of somebody's eccentric grandmother and then morphs into something more. Much, much more. I am not going to talk about the plot or the characters. All I want to do is encourage you to see the film, prepare to smile, and prepare to think. Recommend it to your family and your friends, and watch it with your kids. Show them that the real superheroes in our world are actually living on any street in Anytown, USA, or simply working at the mall.

As harrowing as it is to face the inhumanity of our species, I feel we need to continue to do so. The beauty of this compelling and lovingly created film allows us to turn a lens on the worst of our history. It was stunning to find areas to uplift our spirits while dealing with the most despicable acts imaginable. Bravo Sonia! You bring light and hope to all who's paths you cross.