User reviews

Having grown up with Gary (Lali & Gina's son) this was emotional and difficult series to watch. His parents were a lovely couple and am happy to have known them. The complete helplessness you feel at Auschwitz & the despair is perfectly portrayed. It also must be mentioned that even though the area is heavily tree lined but there are no birds... Many of the barracks have been burnt down but those that remain send a chill to every part of the body. Reminders of yhe millions who passed through the gates are evident in the cell blocks. I could not bring myself to go into the gas chamber. A perfect example of man's inhumanity to man.

As i write the current rating here is 6.9, i should expect that to rise over the coming weeks as more and more discover this gem of a series. It is, as one would expect, a tough watch. I felt sad, sick and angry whilst viewing this. A powerful subject that has been covered many times over the years and i would say this series is up amongst the best films/series covering the holocaust. Outstanding acting from all the main characters coupled with the bleak scenery befitting the storyline, this is a 'must see' series. Be prepared to shed some tears. Be prepared to be ashamed of some of the human race, and be prepared to witness the power of love.

This is a fine series recounting the horrors of the nazi death camp, auschwitz. The story is told by Lali Sokolov, played in old age by Harvey Keitel who is recounting his story to budding Australian writer Heather Morris played by Melanie Lynskey.

It tells us how Lali became the Auschwitz tatooist which means he tatoo's the prison number on the arm of all new arrivals. In doing this he meets Gita, Anna Prochniak, and they immediately bond so he then seeks her out in the femail quarters where their relationship develops.

As the tatooist has relative freedom in the camp, with even his own room, an SS officer, Stefan Baretski played by Jonas Nay is appointed to supervise him. This, for me, was one of the most fascinating aspects of the story. A strange relationship develops between captive and captor. While Baretski demonstrates his evil side with violence and killing, including beating Lali occasionally, he is clearly not a happy soldier and uses Lali as an emotional crutch. To show a slightly more humane side to his character he often enables private meetings for Lali with Gita.

While auschwitz is shown as an evil place with frequent views of the gas chambers and incinerators, I still think that life for the average prisoner was much worse than portrayed here.

However this is a disturbing and also moving watch which I highly recommend.

In an era when 'Nazi' and 'Fascist' is frequently used to tarnish people for simply having a different opinion, often by people who should know better, this serves as a reminder of what Nazism and Fascism really is.

Beyond moved having experienced this incredible show. From the acting, music through to the raw pain and truth on display, absolutely blown away with this show. This is a true story, of one man's journey, that should be told the world over. We can never forget the horrors of the holocaust, and the Tattooist of Auschwitz is a crucial part of this.

The lengths the actors, directors and producers went to to do justice to those who endured the holocaust is commendable. Jewish actors for Jewish role, Polish for Polish etc. The piano music is also from an authentic piano from the 1940s belonging to the grandmother of the score composer. The detail in this show is phenomenal.

I created an account just to write this review. This is incredibly done. I can't believe that it only got a 6.0/10. I watched the entire series in one sitting and usually I physically cannot do that. What a story and I am so happy that I found this series.

The way that the cast depicted the story, is both haunting and beautiful. There was not a single thing that I saw that I said "no way, that's not real". This story is incredibly eye opening, I cannot recommend this series enough. Watch this at your own risk, there is a lot of violence, sexual content, etc.

This is not for the faint at heart, it gets very real and heavy.

I don't think that I have watched anything that moved me so much. The horrors of the camp were so well portrayed. At times it was overwhelming but the excellent way in which the series was produced as well as the quality of the acting made me keep watching. I could not stop. The story was ultimately one of love and hope in the absolute darkest of times. Everyone should watch it to see the depths of human nature but also the goodness that can survive in spite of that. It is productions like this one that need to be seen by everyone to prevent this ever happening again. Well done to everyone involved.

I only watched this series as I was sitting at home in the rain and I was a bit bored.

Thank god I did as it engaged through every minute as a beautiful and haunting piece of art and searingly honest in its meticulous presentation.

I was born in 1941 and obviously only a baby during the time of Auschwitz but somehow the series attached me from that shared time.

I read a stunning review by Chris Jones which says everything I wanted to say but in a much better way. Here is part of his review but I strongly recommend you read his whole review.

REVIEW: Come with me on a journey through history, where THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ charts a course through the shadows and lights of human resilience. This series captures the full spectrum of emotions in the life of Lali Sokolov, a man whose scars from the past are as profound as his victories over them. Everything about this series will make you think and feel, making you question how so many people had the incredible strength to overcome and persevere.

We're introduced to a young Lali, played by Jonah Hauer-King, who arrives at Auschwitz and is immediately handed the grave responsibility of tattooing prisoners with a permanent reminder of what has become one of the most disheartening "memories" in world history. This role tests every fiber of his moral being. Amid this darkness, he encounters Gita, whose role is filled with strength and grace by Anna Próchniak. Their love story blossoms under the strict and menacing gaze of Nazi officer Stefan Baretzki, chillingly portrayed by Jonas Nay.

The series doesn't just linger in the past; it also explores Lali's later years. Harvey Keitel takes on the role, bringing a layered and poignant performance as he decides to open up about his torturous past to Heather Morris, a character given depth by Melanie Lynskey's portrayal. This framing adds a reflective dimension to the series, making the audience ponder the enduring effects of Lali's traumatic experiences. The journey from the past to the present is a powerful way to show this trip through time and the scars left on a human soul.

I was hooked from episode one and binge watched it in 2 days. Based on a book of the same name. An amazing production I would recommend that you watch it. We all need to be reminded of a very dark part of history. In the midst of all the horror and sadness there is a love story and friendships. Great acting from all the cast. I did cry but who wouldn't!! The interaction between Lali and the German soldier was captivating to watch. Acts of small kindness from the soldier followed by acts of violence and cruelty. The story is told through Lali as an older man talking to the writer of his book. A must watch. Totally recommend it.

The initial low rating for this, 6.0, is quite perplexing. High quality drama with a real feeling of the absolute bleakness, randomness and inhumanity that existed in these camps. Yet showing human spirit and humanity amongst people treated as inhuman by their captors. Really well acted with every character having depth. I think enjoying it is probably the wrong word but it is quality tv Not quite a perfect 10, I did appreciate the value of moving beween ww2 and the present day but it was done a bit too frequently for me and disrupted the drama a bit. And old Lali had an accent which young Lali didnt..did he develop it in Australia?

This was not an easy watch FOR ME. My paternal great grandparents were from Bohemia (now Slovakia previously Czechoslovakia during WW II) - they left during the 1918 pogroms. My maternal grandmother and her sister were put on an English Kindertransport ship to England (from German) after Kristallnacht in late 1938.

Lale, was what we were taught, a Kapo or Sonderkommando (you will need to watch the series to understand) I was finally able to watch this, as an adult with the necessary compassion, empathy, understanding and possibly even *forgiveness* that the Jewish people had "only 2 choices, the bad one or the worse one".

I do think they missed an opportunity to show just how bad conditions were in the camps, particularly given that Lale and Gita were in Birkenau for (I think) almost 3 years and we didn't see the brutal winters and oppressive summers or the starvation

The story is an *easy watching* Holocaust movie - an oxymoron if ever there was such a thing. It is primarily a love story with a smidgeon of brutality and depravity by the SS & Nazi's thrown in to give us a miniscule idea of life in the camps

Nonetheless, it is an important series to watch given the current rise of anti-semitism that is prevalent in the world today. It is a beautiful story filled with tenderness, love and hope

Harvey Keitel was outstanding. His performance as Lale (senior) had me sobbing. I will definitely re-watch this and even if you are not Jewish, not interested in WW II, not a fan of love stories - this is still an absolute must-watch. It is the kind of story that reminds us of the power of love and that we must never give up hope.

I read reviews before watching. One uneducated review complains that it is not factually correct and cites that Mengele did not do experiments on homosexuals. It seems that person did not pay attention to the story as Mengele does not feature in the series. Dr Schumann does, however, feature and he certainly did do them there.

This is a story that is hard to watch because it is so sad and brutal yet laced with a heartwarming fight for survival because of the strong power of love between two people. It made me question what would I do in their place (and not just the main two characters, but all of them, if it were me. I couldn't answer, no one can. The series shows both the beautiful side of human nature and the extremely ugly side also. It was very thought provoking. The actors play their parts very well and are to be commended in portraying the helplessness, the aggression, and the vulnerability in what is one of the worst places ever to exist in history.

Heather (Melanie Linsky) meets Lali Sokolov (Harvey Keitel) , a Slovak Jewish survivor of Auschwitz, and he tells her how, thanks to love, he managed to survive in the concentration camp. So Lali Sokolov ((Jonah Hauer-King) contacts Gita (Anna Próchniak) through a risky deal with SS warden Baretzki (Jonas Nay), putting her and her new love in danger. In the darkest of places only love can save them . Later on, Schuman gets Lali antibiotics for ill Gita, but this favor will have terrible implications for Leon, the new tattoo artist.

A terrific and extraordinary series dealing with the inferno of the camps of death located in Auschwitz. Based on the eponymously entitled novel, this is the interesting and powerful real-life story of Lali Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner who was tasked with tattooing ID numbers on prisoners' arms in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War Two. The series is developed through Heather's interview with the old Jew Sokolov, from which a series of flashbacks occur telling us about the relationships between the three main characters, Lali: Jonah Hauer-King, Gita Furmanova: Anna Próchnia, and Stefan Baretzk: Jonas Nay; two of whom, Lali and Gita, will suffer the horrible stay with continuous sufferings in the concentration camp. And also adding the ghostly appearances of the young protagonists before the old man Harvey Keitel, like ghosts from the past who come to the present to haunt him.

A good work which is reminiscent in some aspects of the latest essential films about concentration camps: Hungarian László Nemes in his amazing ¨Son of Saúl¨, and Peter Bebjak's directorial ¨The Auschwitz Report¨, but this ¨The Tattooist of Auschwitz¨ well directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer stands out for its conceptual approach and its enjoyable love story. The story, of extraordinary simplicity but with sudden explosion of grisly violence at times, is at the service of history and not the other way around; in this way, the rules of representation are managed by the director, who has control of his proposal, establishing precise parameters that the viewer must absorb to understand the scope of the series. This series about the ' Horror' , is well set in Auschwitz, it was a painful and terrible extermination camp of killing of Jews including children . We see horrors , murders , massacres against the prisoners but from the particular sight point of the unfortunate prisoners and the aging Harvey Keitel. And accompanied by a sensitive and evocative musical score from Kara Talve and prestigious Hans Zimmer , as well as an adequate cinematography by cameraman David Katznelson. Being shot on location in Bratislava, Slovakia. This stunning series in 6 episodes was competently directed by Tali Shalom-Ezer.

Along with this ¨The Tattooist of Auschwitz¨(2024) , I would highlight other films about concentration camps that have left an important film footprint: ¨Escape from Auschwitz¨ (2021) ¨by Peter Bebjak , ¨Escape from Sobibor¨ (1987) by Jack Gold, ¨Triumph of the Spirit¨ (1989) by Robert M. Young, ¨The Grey Zone¨(2001), ¨Son of Saul¨ (2015) by Laszlo Nemes , ¨For Those I Loved¨(1983) by Robert Enrico and the best ¨The List Schindler¨ (1993) by Steven Spielberg.

We all know of the horrific events of Auschwitz, the trauma, the brutality and the unbearable suffering.

We've seen the footage, the photos, the documentaries, the tv shows and the movies which depict all of the above.

This show chooses to showcase a PG version of these horrors in what can only be described as a jumbled mess of production across the six episodes.

The unconvincing lead although being Slovakian sounding like he's come straight from Cambridge, who looks immaculate for the majority of his time at the camp (seriously looked as though he has his uniform washed & pressed each day) fails to capture the reality of the situation.

Time is also an issue. The show fails to portray the longevity of the suffering of the prisoners and how this factors into the story. This is conflicted by the sudden rush at in the final episodes where time becomes an urgent factor.

The biggest confusion is - for the most part - the unnecessary need for the jumps between present to past as rather than enriching the events became more of a distraction. This is further heightened by the need to show the (older) lead having different accounts of the events in the camp. It would have had more meaning if it was solely from his perspective, but as the show jumps around with implied events of the other characters throughout just distracts further. Why Melanie Lynskey was cast was a strange choice and her Aussie accent even more peculiar.

The show spends its entire run dipping in and out of events, cherry picking elements from characters to situations without seeing any of it through. Even the brutality of the camp seems piecemeal as a reminder rather than an actual reality.

Harvey Keitel as the older Lale Sokolov is remarkable and Anna Próchniak's portrayal as Gita is not only remarkable but the only reason you have to watch the show through to its conclusion.

The first episode was a little slow but boy did it hot up after that. This is one of the most outstanding series I have seen in years. The young leads were both fabulous, the story tragic and heartbreaking. I found myself grateful for the poignant love story as a juxtaposition to the horror of this story that for me perfectly dovetailed in with my other reading of Auschwitz, like Primo Leo's "If this is a man" as well as non fiction references.

I have wondered all my life how such an horrific thing could actually ever happen, lately I've begun to see how.

I am truly grateful to have a series do this period of history justice without over dwelling on the horror but giving us a window into the period.

Thank God we didn't have to endure insensitive, stupid "diversity" casting that is now appearing everywhere and having me switch off most TV.

Too harrowing to watch the suffering and degradation of humans, no matter how many times this has been depicted in countless holocaust movies. By now you will have thought that we have become immune to it, but I guess the horror of it will never go away, in order to remind us of how low and destructive the human condition can be. What makes The Tattooist of Auschwitz slightly different is that a love story is found through all the misery.

The protagonist, Lale Sokolov, has to live by his wits in order to survive the concentration camp, sometimes to the point where your morals are compromised and any dignity as a human being vanishes. What Lale endures is heart wrenching, but what he finds in this hellish pit-hole is Gita (Anna Próchniak is perfection), a hope that will get him through it all. There are so many obstacles to endure, and every corner there is no future, but bleakness, and somehow Lale and Gita have to fight their way through it.

What the makers of this series have managed to do is really get to tell a compelling true story that has you transfixed to the screen (watched it all in one seating), with the assistance of powerful performances from the cast (where even Harvey Keitel is still at the top of his craft). A powerful series, where unfortunately the low rating ("6" when writing this review, and would not be surprised that some have not seen it), which may be due to the current political climate.

I cried so much watching this words can't come into my head so I am just going to say We still live with evil in mankind. I watched it all in one night and its the definitely best movie I have watched in the past year we shouldn't forget what happened with all mankind in all wars I also got so angry aswell watching it that one control freak could ever do this tbh it's still going in the world today the stories that been told should never be forgotten I feel ashamed to be human that anyone could get away with it but tbh we turn a blind eye to it and still do this is must movie to be watched end.

I cannot understand people who downvote this because Melanie Lynskey's Australian accent is bad. Really? That's what you are concentrating on? Wooden acting? Do you expect people in that situation to be exuberant?

In a time when young people get their historical "knowledge" from TikTok and Facebook, it is very important that these events are not forgotten. It may not change the attitude of die-heart holocaust deniers but may inform some people who are on the fence.

Holocaust deniers and their supporters on X have to be counteracted with these first-hand accounts. Of course it is not a documentary but partially fictionalized but that is ok.

Having seen one of these tattoos myself, this is an excellent series that is especially needed with the rise in antisemitism.

Just binge watched this since yesterday and powerful movie . Went through every emotion and sobbed at end . We cannot even fathom what they must of gone through and let's hope nothing like this ever happens again . A truly moving and heartbreaking one.. this truly deserves an award to all the actors who did this as well as lali for telling his story which needs to be told . For him or others to tell their story they must live through it again and must take some strength as if it's not bad enough they have already lived through .. it's such a shame only 10% of the monsters who put them through this were arrested.

I have just finished watching , and can quite comfortably say this is probably one of the most compelling stories I have ever watched. The production was superb , the wardrobe department , the sets all utterly compelling and superbly put together. The emotional roller coaster you ride is unlike anything I have watched in a long time. The fact that this a first hand account makes it even more thought provoking , as you can only imagine the true horror Lali , Gita and all the other people who had to endure this horrific time in their lives. What this series does is literally take you to levels as a viewer whereby you are so desperate for them to prevail their seemingly impossible situation it makes it hard to watch. But watch it you must , because it is superb . I think the casting is brilliant , there is at times an amazing understated way in which the actors portray their respective characters by being able to tell the story without smacking you in the face with it , they get across the true emotional horrors of their situation , whatever their predicament might be in a specific time in their journey by the superb pace of not only their acting , but also the pace of direction. I can't recommend this highly enough , brilliant.

I watched this series just a few days after visiting auschwitz-birkenau camps whilst in Poland. It is so unbelievably difficult to comprehend the things that happened there and all the people that lost their lives. To see the camps in person is just truly harrowing. This series portrayed such a horrific and heartbreaking story, but at the same time a beautiful love story. You could never begin to imagine how anyone could go through what they experienced and live to tell their story.

This series is hard to watch but it is told so well.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".

The main problem with this serial, as with the original book, is that it may be emotionally moving, but learning a false view on how the life in a death camp looked like. The book accuracy was crushed by proffessional historians and Holocaust researchers, and the serial is not much improved - despite its authors knew all the criticism. There are also proffessional scholar reviews of the serial, pointing out numerous situations, that just could not have happened. The book author and filmmakers are apparently unaware, that there were strict procedures in the camp, and even SS members had to obey - especially those of lower rank. Moreover, free walks of prisoners were impossible, and Lali was not a privileged person there, only a qualified personnel, treated a little better than others. It is not a computer game, when you direct a main character and move where you want.

The story might have been a true one in general - but it was told after many decades, by an old man, to an author, who had no idea how the camp life looked like. She tried to retell the story how she could, but the book was just an effect of her imagination. And the serial is an effect of the imagination of the crew, how the events described in the book looked like. Add some horror, cruelty and faeces , and you are justified, that you show a real life and death in the camp, not just a romance to attract viewvers...

It seems, that the filmmakers wanted just to make money from a 'fashionable' Holocaust theme. There are hundreds of ways to show a romance on the screen, but a death camp is not an appropriate background, due to respect to millions of its victims . Main heroes of the story survived - but not thanks to strength of their love, but luck, and the fact, that they were assigned lighter jobs in the camp. Millions had no chance to develop their love. And we owe them respect.

I'm assuming most of the 10/10 reviewers haven't read the book. If the book is based on a true story, and the TV series is supposedly based on the same true story... how can they be so wildly different? The only thing that is even sort of similar is Lale's relationship with Gita.

Otherwise, every single other important relationship he had was either misrepresented or not included at all. And so many of the other characters played crucial roles in both of their lives and in the forming of their relationship. It's been such a disappointment to watch that I had a hard time completing the series. It had the potential to be so good, and instead someone decided to cut out all of the best parts of his story...