‘THE SURVIVOR’s Ben Foster on the true story of Holocaust survivor-turned-boxer Harry Haft

Preston Barta // Features Editor

THE SURVIVOR

Rated R, 129 minutes.
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Ben Foster, Vicky Krieps, Billy Magnussen, Peter Sarsgaard, Saro Emirze, Laurent Papot, Dar Zuzovsky, John Leguizamo and Danny DeVito

Movie Review: A-

In the true-life drama The Survivor, which premiered earlier this year on the HBO Max streaming service, actor Ben Foster (Hell or High Water, Leave No Trace) depicts the physical and psychological bruises carried by Hertzka “Harry” Haft, a Polish Holocaust survivor forced to box against fellow prisoners to survive. 

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a performance this year that offers as much soul, heart and strength as Foster in The Survivor. Not only did he drop 62 pounds to shoot the Holocaust sequences (only to turn around and gain it back five weeks later), Foster fully committed to each moment. You can feel the weight of his pain with his stillness and how he takes in his surroundings. 

And the film – directed by Rain Man and Good Morning, Vietnam’s Barry Levinson – is also exceptionally well made. Without losing sight of the man at the center, Haft’s story transitions from his time at Auschwitz to his later life in New York, where he had a brief career in the ring. It’s never too much to handle or too heavy with its messaging. Instead, it finds a sweet spot that hits you right in the feels.

Q&A

To focus more on some of The Survivor’s strengths, Fresh Fiction recently sat down with Foster virtually. In the below video interview, we discuss his nuanced performance, his reflections on the themes and fatherhood, and his quest to make every moment “credible.” Enjoy the conversation, and catch The Survivor on HBO Max today!