I don't know why I didn't want to see Sophie's Choice, not for years. I knew about Meryl Streep's performance, Alan J Pakula. Kevin Kline and I also knew that I had to see it eventually. Well, Christmas 2017 brought the shattering story into my life and now forever in my subconscious. Extraordinary is the first word that comes to mind. Meryl Streep's performance is out of this world. Every detail in her creation is a sort of link to her heart and therefore to mine. "Emil Dickens?" Her eyes, asking the question to the awful librarian will stay with me forever. Meryl Streep as Sophie asked that question 35 years ago. Amazing! What a devastating treat. It will make me go back to see all of her films., specially "A Cry In The Dark", "Plenty", "The Bridges Of Madison County" "Julia and Julia" even "Death Becomes Her" and "The Devil Wears Prada" Thank you Meryl Streep, thank you very much.

Typically, if a film takes me more than two viewings to get through, I give up on it. Having never been too enamored with Meryl Streep, at least not to the level that most are, I decided to stick with Sophie's Choice, through the multiple viewings it took for me to eventually be able to finish it. The 1982 film by Alan J. Pakula is the one I've heard continuously referenced on the rare occasion I admit to not being a fan of Meryl Streep. I was looking forward to seeing a facet of Streep's that I hadn't before seen. I do find Meryl Streep to be a fine actor, that must be noted, although I have never been taken with her to the degree of most others. Starring along with Streep, Kevin Kline, and Peter MacNicol, Sophie's Choice weaves together the life of a young writer into the lives of his new upstairs neighbors of which he soon learns harbor deep life-changing secrets.Stingo (Peter MacNicol), an American writer from the south, travels to a place as strange as Brooklyn just after WWII. He is looking for a quiet place to work on his next novel and takes residence at a humble pink apartment building. On one of his first nights in the apartment, Stingo hears a violent fight break out between his upstairs neighbors Sophie (Meryl Streep) and Nathan (Kevin Kline). When the fight comes into the hallway, Stingo interjects himself in hopes to prevent any violent escalation. He is confronted by Nathan who pokes fun at Stingo's accent in a frightening and overbearing way before leaving the apartment. Stingo takes the time to tend to Sophie, worried and taken aback by their conflict he begins to learn a great deal about the dynamic between the two. The next morning, Nathan apologizes to Stingo and is invited into the lives of Sophie and Nathan. The more he learns about the two the more he understands that they have a union that is not the typical happy cohabitation unit he is used to. Stingo eventually learns that Sophie, a Catholic, is a survivor of the concentration camps of WWII. Nathan is an American Jewish man who is absolutely obsessed with the holocaust and views Sophie as some kind of a trophy of his passions. Nathan is incredibly erratic and is completely unpredictable in behavior, often leaving Sophie to her own devices for an undetermined amount of time. Sophie refuses to leave Nathan, however, completely dependent upon him. On one private night, Stingo learns just how emotionally damaged Sophie is when he learns just how gut-wrenching her life through WWII was.Meryl Streep gives a powerful performance in Sophie's Choice. No one who sees this film will ever forget "that scene" in which we see her make the titular choice. I am a huge fan of Kevin Kline, and he played his unpredictably unbalanced role incredibly well, and was the standout, for me. The part of Stingo, played by Peter MacNicol, never resonated with me and felt completely miscast. The film had an awful pace, building character development only to have it come together in the last 25 minutes of the film. If I invest over two hours in character development, I really don't want a film that I could have watched the last 25 minutes of and been just as wise to it. There was no payoff to the investment one puts into this film that makes it worth a 2.5 hour watch time. I have no problem with long films, but a well-done long film makes the time you put into it worth it. Sophie's Choice is a film that you can watch one scene from "that scene" and be able to successfully fill in the blanks of the rest of the film. This film, in no way, endears me anymore to Meryl Streep; I much prefer her in Kramer vs. Kramer, or even The Bridges of Madison County, although I suppose I won't give up on Streep just yet.

I have only now seen this brilliant film, and found myself watching it again immediately after to "watch" the flashbacks with greater concentration.I thought that Meryl Streep (Sophie), Kevin Kline (Nathan) and Peter MacNicol (Stingo) all played their roles brilliantly, and despite many negative comments relating to the character Stingo being slightly weak, I feel that this was important in demonstrating his naivety and with this the great contrast between the friends.As somebody in their mid thirties I can also relate to the characters,; and their lifestyle, despite being several generations apart.

the novel. the director. and the cast. result - memorable movie. or, only, a gem. not only for grace of adaptation. or for magnificent performance of Meryl Streep. but for precise form of an universal message. for the memories of viewer. for the shadow of words and gestures. in fact, it is one of films who, after its end, becomes an experience. aesthetic, emotional and , in same time, a map more than a lesson to understand the life as a chain of profound choices, cruel sacrifices. it is difficult to write a good review. because essential is out of words. because images, the small gestures, the art of each actor, the accent of Sophie are details who gives to entire film soul. a fragile soul. must see it ! for be more rich in the exploration of every day nuances.