We Were the Lucky Ones

As a Jew I find this series to be astonishingly good and difficult to watch. The director only chose Jewish actors for the main roles which is significant. When I watch or read anything about the Holocaust I feel it in my bones. The book it is based on was written by the great-granddaughter of Nechuma and Sol. I know any Jewish actor playing a role in a script about the Holocaust would not be acting....they would be thinking it could have been them and still might be. Anti-Semitism is the oldest hatred in the world dating back 2000 years. The story is a biography about a real family that managed to survive intact. That is a miracle. A must see in my opinion.

The only negative I can say is that in the first episode it's a bit tricky to figure out who all the characters are. I simply rewatched the 1st episode again.

Otherwise this is an excellent series. I agree with other user comments...if you think the events in the film are overblown or overly dramatic, read up on your history. To the contrary, even the most wrenching scenes were depicted in a measured manner, especially considering the reality of that time and place.

For those of us who are history buffs and think we've seen it all when it comes to WWII films, this film offers a unique perspective of one family's plight, and the plot takes curious twists and turns that are both surprising and gripping.

I do not understand why there are any reviewers who claim that this covers the usual ground. Apart from the fact their are millions of stories of suffering during the Holocaust, this particular family had a very unique experience and the series gives insight into the less common fates from Polish Jews during WW2.. More than ever now, we should be reminding ourselves of the uniquely terrible experience of Jews and other victims of Nazism & Facists during the war.

I agree the accents could be a bit distracting, but the acting was very good. The series does take a couple episodes to find its rhythm but it quickly becomes compelling and I binged the whole thing over the weekend.

I would definitely reccommend this. My only complaint is that the rviwe has to be so long.

I would also reccommend visting the Shoah Foundation Youtube channel for first person accounts of survivors of the Holocaust; each story truly extraordinary and important.

This mini series is based off a book and is the true story of Jewish adult siblings, their parents and spouses, and the variety of real paths their lives take as WWII unfolds. The book is written by a member of the family. Many siblings go paths I knew nothing about or aren't commonly talked about. Once books turn to film, they often disappoint, but not this one. It's engaging, inspiring, and unimaginable. I am excited for future episodes. My husband, who has not read the book, is equally engaged. The acting and story line are top notch. We must never forget these are really people who went through these atrocities.

Four episodes in, and every one is a consistent 8/10. Not great art, a little hokey, but the compulsive gotta-see-what-happens-next factor is very strong with this one.

The cast is mostly unknowns and surprisingly strong. I particularly like Moran Rosenblatt as Herta, the kind of tough cookie who can survive anything.

Logan Lerman as the Parisian sophisticate Addy is also very good. He looks like someone who could have been an actor in the 1940s. Reminds me of Tyrone Power in his glory days, has a lot of the same angsty energy.

I always like seeing attention to detail in historical stories to avoid anachronisms. Seeing someone in the streets of Paris wearing a WWI era gas mask wouldn't have been surprising. They would think the last war would pose the same dangers as the coming one.

When Addy plays "Puttin' on the Ritz," the lyrics are from the original version, about Harlem. A sloppier show would have used the more well known lyrics that were written for a post-war Astaire film. Nice job on research there.

It's a good thing Hulu is doling this out weekly. Otherwise I'd just binge watch the whole thing in one weekend.