The Tattooist of Auschwitz (TV series)

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a 2024 historical drama miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Heather Morris. The cast includes Harvey Keitel, Melanie Lynskey, Jonah Hauer-King, and Anna Próchniak.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz
Based on	The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Screenplay by	Jacquelin Perske Evan Placey Gabbie Asher
Directed by	Tali Shalom Ezer
Starring	Jonah Hauer-King Melanie Lynskey Anna Próchniak Jonas Nay Harvey Keitel
Music by	Hans Zimmer Kara Talve
Country of origin	Italy Australia United Kingdom United States
Original languages	English Slovak German
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Claire Mundell Jacquelin Perske Serena Thompson Mark Young Zai Bennett Adrian Burns
Production companies	Synchronicity Films Sky Studios
Original release
Network	Stan (Australia) Sky Atlantic (United Kingdom) Peacock (United States)
Release	2 May 2024 (2024-05-02)

Synopsis

Lali Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War II is given the job of tattooing identification numbers on fellow prisoners’ arms.^[1]

Cast

• Harvey Keitel as "Lali" Sokolov
  • Jonah Hauer-King as younger Lali
• Melanie Lynskey as Heather Morris
• Anna Próchniak as Gita
• Jonas Nay as Stefan Baretzki
• Tallulah Haddon as Hanna
• Mili Eshet as Ivana
• Avital Lvova [es] as Marta
• Yali Topol Margalith as Cilka
• Katie Bernstein as Goldie Sokolov
• Phénix Brossard [fr] as Leon
• Adam Karst as Pepan
• Yoav Rotman as Mordowicz
• Frederik von Lüttichau [de] as Houstek
• Oleksandr Yatsenko as Vlad

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Episode 1"	Tali Shalom Ezer	Jacquelin Perske	May 2, 2024 (2024-05-02)
2	"Episode 2"	Tali Shalom Ezer	Jacquelin Perske	May 2, 2024 (2024-05-02)
3	"Episode 3"	Tali Shalom Ezer	Evan Placey	May 2, 2024 (2024-05-02)
4	"Episode 4"	Tali Shalom Ezer	Gabbie Asher	May 2, 2024 (2024-05-02)
5	"Episode 5"	Tali Shalom Ezer	Jacquelin Perske	May 2, 2024 (2024-05-02)
6	"Episode 6"	Tali Shalom Ezer	Jacquelin Perske	May 2, 2024 (2024-05-02)

Production

The Creative Director of Synchronicity Films, Claire Mundell secured the rights to The Tattooist of Auschwitz after making a deal with Bonnier Books UK in 2018.^[2] In 2023 it was announced that Synchronicity Films were developing a six-part series for Sky Studios and Peacock. It will be directed by Tali Shalom Ezer with Jacquelin Perske as lead writer. Claire Mundell and Perske are among the executive producers.^[3] Australian streaming service Stan also co-commissioned the series, with All3Media onboard worldwide sales. The production got underway in the spring of 2023.^[4][5][6]

Casting

In March 2023, Jonah Hauer-King, Anna Próchniak, and Melanie Lynskey were cast.^[7] In April 2023, Harvey Keitel joined the cast as older Lale Sokolov.^[8]

Music

The series is being scored by Hans Zimmer and Kara Talve;^[9] the two wrote the music with Walter Afanasieff, lyrics by Charlie Midnight for the original song "Love Will Survive", performed by Barbra Streisand for the series closing.^[10] The song was released as a single on April 25, 2024.^[11][12]

Broadcast

The series first aired on Peacock on 2 May 2024, and was broadcast in the UK on Sky Atlantic the same day.^[13]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 76% approval rating with an average rating of 6.5/10, based on 34 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A dramatization of atrocity and the fickleness of memory that can be difficult to watch, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is dramatically uneven but undeniably affecting."^[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 61 out of 100 based on 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[15]

Karl Quinn of The Sydney Morning Herald states that though the love story between Gita and Lali was compelling, the "willingness to grapple with the unreliability of memory that this Tattooist make [sic] its strongest mark."^[16]

Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Hauer-King and Próchniak were "sweet and sad" as Lali and Gita, with the conceit that "it's easier to see what he saw in her than what she saw in him" due to Próchniak making an "especially strong impression." Lloyd also said that the use of ghosts haunting Lali as a physical representation of his survivor's guilt felt trite due to overuse.^[17]

Accolades

The series was nominated at the 23rd Visual Effects Society Awards in the category of Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode.^[18]

References

1. Knolle, Sharon (16 March 2023). "Melanie Lynskey, Jonah Hauer-King Lead Cast of Sky/Peacock Drama 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz'". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
2. Cowdrey, Katharine (19 September 2018). "Tattooist of Auschwitz to be adapted for 'high-end' TV drama". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 16 October 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
3. Keslassy, Elsa (16 March 2023). "Sky, Peacock Set International Cast, Director for 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' Limited Series". Variety. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
4. Slatter, Sean (17 March 2023). "Stan co-commissions Synchronicity Films' 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz'". if.com.au. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
5. Devore, Britta (16 March 2023). "Melanie Lynskey Joins 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz". Collider. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
6. Griffiths, Emmy (16 March 2023). "The Tattooist of Auschwitz to be made into a series – star-studded cast announced". Hello. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
7. White, Peter (16 March 2023). "'The Tattooist of Auschwitz': Jonah Hauer-King, Anna Próchniak & Melanie Lynskey To Star In Peacock & Sky Drama Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
8. Goldbart, Max (12 April 2023). "Harvey Keitel Boards 'The Tattooist Of Auschwitz'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
9. Ramachandran, Naman (23 August 2023). "Hans Zimmer, Kara Talve to Score 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' Series From Sky, Peacock (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
10. Vlessing, Etan (17 April 2024). "Barbra Streisand Sings Closing Credits Song for 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
11. McCormick, Neil (25 April 2024). "Barbra Streisand, Love Will Survive, review: an astonishing confrontation of anti-Semitism". The Telegraph. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
12. Dailey, Hannah (25 April 2024). "Barbra Streisand's New Single 'Love Will Survive' for 'Tattooist of Auschwitz' Is Here: Stream It Now". Billboard. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
13. Heritage, Stuart; Abbott, Kate (28 December 2023). "'Guaranteed to be a banger': the 50 must-see TV shows for 2024". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
14. "The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Limited Series". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
15. "The Tattooist of Auschwitz: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
16. Quinn, Karl (1 May 2024). "Tattooist of Auschwitz arrives on screen and doesn't shy from the book's controversy". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney: Nine Entertainment]. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
17. Lloyd, Robert (2 May 2024). "'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' is both love story and reminder of the Holocaust and its horrors". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
18. Pederson, Erik (14 January 2025). "VES Awards Nominations: Sandworms, Apes, Felines & Tornadoes Vie For Top Film Prize". Deadline. Retrieved 14 January 2025.

External links

• The Tattooist of Auschwitz at IMDb