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Big Sonia

  • 20162016
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
443
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
Big Sonia (2016)
National treasure, local celebrity, Holocaust Survivor: Sonia (89) has just been served an eviction notice for the last (and most popular) shop left in a dying suburban mall.  Following Sonia on the motivational speaker circuit to schools and prisons, even as she navigates her own struggles. BIG SONIA explores what it means to be a survivor and how trauma is passed down through generations. Will you let your trauma define you? Or will your past make you stronger? Following Sonia on the motivational speaker circuit to schools and prisons even as she navigates her own struggles BIG SONIA explores what it means to be a survivor and how trauma is passed down through generations. Will you let your trauma define you? Or will your past make you stronger?
Play trailer2:01
1 Video
12 Photos
  • Documentary
  • Family
  • History

In the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski - great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor - runs the tailor shop she's owned for more than thirty ... Read allIn the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski - great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor - runs the tailor shop she's owned for more than thirty years. But when she's served an eviction notice, the specter of retirement prompts Sonia t... Read allIn the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski - great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor - runs the tailor shop she's owned for more than thirty years. But when she's served an eviction notice, the specter of retirement prompts Sonia to revisit her harrowing past as a refugee and witness to genocide. A poignant story of gen... Read all

IMDb RATING
7.3/10
443
YOUR RATING
  • Directors
    • Todd Soliday
    • Leah Warshawski
  • Writer
    • Eric Frith(story)
  • Stars
    • Sonia Warshawski
    • SuEllen Fried
    • Caroline James Kennedy
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Todd Soliday
    • Leah Warshawski
  • Writer
    • Eric Frith(story)
  • Stars
    • Sonia Warshawski
    • SuEllen Fried
    • Caroline James Kennedy
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 20User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 3 nominations

    Videos1

    Big Sonia Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:01
    Big Sonia Theatrical Trailer

    Photos12

    Big Sonia (2016)
    Leah Warshawski and Sonia Warshawski in Big Sonia (2016)
    Leah Warshawski, Todd Soliday, and Sonia Warshawski in Big Sonia (2016)
    Sonia Warshawski in Big Sonia (2016)
    Sonia Warshawski in Big Sonia (2016)
    Sonia Warshawski in Big Sonia (2016)
    Leah Warshawski, Todd Soliday, Regina Kort, and Sonia Warshawski at an event for Big Sonia (2016)
    Leah Warshawski and Todd Soliday at an event for Big Sonia (2016)
    Morrie Warshawski and Sonia Warshawski at an event for Big Sonia (2016)
    Leah Warshawski and Sonia Warshawski at an event for Big Sonia (2016)
    Big Sonia (2016)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sonia Warshawski
    • Selfas Self
    SuEllen Fried
    • Selfas Self
    Caroline James Kennedy
    • Selfas Self
    Regina Kort
    • Selfas Self
    Debbie Warshawski
    • Selfas Self
    Morrie Warshawski
    • Selfas Self
    • Directors
      • Todd Soliday
      • Leah Warshawski
    • Writer
      • Eric Frith(story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    In the last store in a defunct shopping mall, 91-year-old Sonia Warshawski - great-grandmother, businesswoman, and Holocaust survivor - runs the tailor shop she's owned for more than thirty years. But when she's served an eviction notice, the specter of retirement prompts Sonia to revisit her harrowing past as a refugee and witness to genocide. A poignant story of generational trauma and healing, BIG SONIA also offers a laugh-out-loud-funny portrait of the power of love to triumph over bigotry, and the power of truth-telling to heal us all.
    • holocaust
    • prison
    • leopard print
    • fashion
    • redemption
    • 1 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Survivor. Grandmother. Diva.
    • Genres
      • Documentary
      • Family
      • History
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Sonia Warshawski: Remember: Whenever you are down, look more down, and you'll be on top. - Sonia Warshawski, citing her mother.

    User reviews20

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Great subject (person), message, editing, etc.
    "Big Sonia" is an uplifting story of resilience. In a Kansas City Star article, Eric Adler described "Big Sonia" as a story "of modern-day survival — how a tiny woman, time and again, after facing her own death and then that of her husband, is nonetheless able to reinvent herself and find hope and meaning in life."

    Sonia's example of shunning hate serves us all well, a universal theme for all eras, as discussed in a KC Star article by Melinda Henneberger.

    My favorite scene shows the reactions (to Sonia's comments) of long-term inmates in Lansing Correctional Facility. It tells you a lot about these prisoners as well as about Sonia.

    The film also reminds us of the "dark side" of humanity, creatively using Sonia's doodles to give glimpses of the sordid history of her six years in concentration camps. Many viewers have praised the use of drawings rather than photos or recreations.

    Sonia's children's comments provide valuable insights into the subtle impact of atrocities on succeeding generations.

    I marvel that Todd Soliday was able to edit more than 600 hours of tape into a 93-minute movie. The stuff on the cutting room floor must have been heart-wrenching to drop.

    When confronted with troubling occurrences in other countries, too many of us presume "that could never happen here". "Big Sonia" reminds us that we must remain vigilant and be willing to act to preserve freedom for fellow citizens, as well as ourselves.
    helpful•4
    0
    • claudethau
    • Nov 20, 2017

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 9, 2016 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 大索尼娅
    • Filming locations
      • Kansas City, Missouri, USA
    • Production companies
      • Inflatable Film
      • True Productions
      • KC Film Office
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $212,471
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,398
      • Nov 19, 2017
    • Gross worldwide
      • $212,471
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Surround 7.1

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