We Were the Lucky Ones: Review
By Sioph Leal
We Were the Lucky Ones is the fictionalised account of the true story of the Kurc family and their experiences during WWII, beginning in their hometown of Radom, Poland, in 1939. Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Georgia Hunter, the limited series is a remarkable story of one family’s survival in horrific times and how the human spirit survives even in the most torturous situations. At the start of World War II, the Kurc family was separated with no means of contacting each other and did not know if their loved ones survived.
Each family member is well established, and when they are separated, they have a variety of experiences. Head of the family Sol (Ido Samuel) and Nechuma (Robin Weigert), the parents who own a tailor ship in Radom. Their children are Genek (Henry Lloyd-Hughes) and his wife Herta (Moran Rosenblatt), Mila (Hadas Yaron) with her husband Selim (Michael Aloni) and their daughter Felicia, Addy (Logan Lerman), Jakob (Amit Rahav) and his girlfriend Bella (Eva Feiler), and Halina (Joey King) with her suitor Adam (Sam Woolf). Every family member except Addy lives in Radom while he lives in France as a musician, so when the family is split, he is already away from them but struggling to get correspondence. Having Addy so far away from the family before and during the events of the series creates a distance that makes him feel separate from the other plots. While everyone else is separated into their own groups, they still feel connected, but Addy does not.
While we see the varying degrees of turmoil for the Kurc family, Addy’s scenes follow a repetitive formula that lacks the depth of the other family members. He finds himself in a tricky situation and then becomes the luckiest person alive, and the conflict sorts itself out before it has any real time to manifest. As his story progresses, the only thing that is added is a new love interest (and he has two by the end of the series). While in France, we see him struggle a little as an embassy is refusing to give more visas, but as luck would have it (and he has a lot of luck), he overhears someone talking about the Brazilian embassy being sympathetic. Cut to Addy sitting in a hotel lobby and then meeting the ambassador, who grants him a temporary visa with ease. The next stage in his story is a boat ride set for Rio, where he meets a wealthy mother and daughter and falls in love with the daughter, who gets him a visa before they break up. His position is granted exceptional circumstances that take you out of the story and don’t leave you rooting much for him because you know he will find a way out of it with ease. The biggest part he faced was being in a prison camp, but he manages to escape, run into someone he knows, and be led back to his love, only to be the last person granted amnesty. After seeing how well-written and beautifully told narrative for the other Kurc siblings, it's hard to connect with Addy, making his part of the Kruc history the weakest. Simply put, there is no conflict or urgency in his scenes, and it can feel flat when compared to the rest of the series.
At first, Halina’s arrogance and disregard for other people’s fears are detrimental, but as the episodes progress, she becomes a source of strength for the series and is able to carry out unimaginable actions due to her headstrong and rash nature. Joey King gives the performance of her life in the final episode, as it shows Halina beaten every day for three months in prison. All her arrogance and her resolve prove how strong a character she is, as she never relents, which ends up working in her favour. Most of the characters feel real and developed due to the brilliance of the direction used to navigate the extraordinary story. Each character has well-developed strengths and weaknesses that come naturally and are shown in the story in how they are used to the detriment or in favour of the character. One thing the Kruc’s have in common is how they keep faith in themselves and are able to use situations around them to help them survive. There is a profound moment between Halina and Adam as the war is waging and they feel their losses. Adam laments that he should be doing more than forging papers and that he should be fighting with others, but it is Halina who reminds him that everyone fights in their own way and not to diminish all the work he has done. Without Adam’s skills with a boiled egg, her family would be dead and the two of them would be dead as well. None of the characters, except Addy, rest. They are always worried about what is happening and the danger they face at every moment. With people like Adam helping the family, you see how they were able to survive.
The series does not shy away from the horrors Jewish people endured at that time, despite the luck of the Kruc’s. It is hard to watch how they were dehumanised and the violent acts against them, but it is not gratuitous; the director and the visual elements are the strongest points in showing the horror, but in a way that emphasises the uneasiness you will come away with. Despite the luck of the Kruc’s, it's hard to watch other characters close to them anguish. Particularly shown in Bella. Eva Feiler’s performance is a standout, as she carries the emotional weight of the series. It is her decisions that keep the story moving, but you feel so deeply with her as the Kruc’s celebrate their good fortune and the news of their survival. At first, she is elated for them and smiles along with them, but the transition to the devastation Bella feels is subtle and builds beautifully into the despair and anguish of knowing that her family has not been as lucky. Yet, she never begrudges them. She is truly happy, but with that happiness comes a deep loss. Everything about the scene captures the complexity of emotions and is a true standout moment in the series.
By the end of the Holocaust, 90 percent of Poland's three million Jews were annihilated; of the more than thirty thousand Jews who lived in Radom, fewer than three hundred survived. The family never returned to Radom, but at the end of the series, when you see just how far their family tree has grown, it delivers a perfect end to an emotional journey told in We Were the Lucky Ones.
At its heart, this is a story about a family with exceptional luck and resourcefulness who will fight for survival in any way they can. The cast of characters gives varied accounts of what happened during this time and, showcased in their varied ways, gives a detailed, emotional journey that provides deep characterisation with one of the most horrific acts as the background. We Were the Lucky Ones is a strong story about resilience and strength in a horrific circumstance, a chilling reminder of what we are seeing today.
We Were The Lucky Ones premiers March 28th 2024 on Hulu.