After 10 years in development, a new World War II drama starring Oliver Jackson-Cohen is sweeping Netflix and is being lauded for highlighting a period that is easily glossed over in favor of its better-known counterparts. Based on a harrowing and heartbreaking true story, it’s easily taken the #6 spot on the Top 10 Most Watched list and garnered nearly 4 million views this week alone.
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The World Will Tremble, which is said to be “destined to become one of the most important, watched and studied films of the Holocaust” by Dr Na’ama Shik, a Holocaust researcher, centers on the untold true story of a group of prisoners attempting a seemingly impossible escape from the first Nazi death camp, providing the world with the first eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust as it was unfolding. The film stars Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jeremy Nuemark Jones, and Charlie MacGechan, and has done well with critics and audiences alike, earning a 92% and 93%, respectively.
The World Will Tremble Tells a Story Almost Lost to History
The film is certainly landing with both critics and casual audiences, and despite a shaky script carried by the action, it tells a well-researched and incredibly important story—one that otherwise would have been lost to time. And it’s true that films that center around the Holocaust and the horrors of World War II have a higher barrier to entry than most, with their heavy subject matter that’s often made easier to turn away from due to the same horror that makes them such important viewing. Critic Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter says, “The subject is so momentous that any efforts not reaching a certain level of quality can come across as exploitative. Lior Geller’s independent feature doesn’t reach those heights, but it redeems itself with the obvious care that’s gone into it.”
General audiences agreed with that take, finding the passion behind the indie project admirable and the content a stark reminder of the world’s past, always deserving of our time and attention. However, the film dragged in places, with scenes that ran a little too long and dialogue that came across as thin and forced. “By exaggerating performances and emphasizing melodrama, the film undercuts its own emotional impact. Tragedy does not need constant amplification to resonate,” said one viewer. Another added, “A haunting and masterfully restrained WWII drama that proves silence can be more powerful than explosions. Every frame deepens the emotional tension, with performances driven by eye contact, subtle expressions, and unbearable stillness.”
Will you be watching The World Will Tremble now that it’s available on Netflix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to keep the conversation going.
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