The World Will Trembletells the harrowing true story of the Jewish prisoners who escaped the Chełmno Nazi death camp in Poland and delivered the first eyewitness account of the Holocaustduring World War II. Writer/directorLior Geller pulls no punches, recreating in barbaric detail the systemic brutality, mass murder, and vile atrocitiesof the 20th century’s most horrifying crime against humanity in its nascent stage.The World Will Trembleis a deeply troubling experience that rattles to the core, but must be seen as a reminder of our worst instincts.Geller’s superb camerawork and production design makes up for scenes with questionably written dialoguethat unfortunately doesn’t match the realism of the graphic visuals.
Work or Extermination
The World Will Tremble
Held captive as gravediggers burying their own, Solomon Wiener (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Michael Podchlebnik (Jeremy Neumark Jones) decide to launch a daring escape from a Nazi death camp, in order to create the world’s first eyewitness account of the Holocaust.
On August 13, 2025, in a Polish forest adjacent to Chełmno, Solomon Weiner (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) struggles to walk through dense mud. His left shoe is torn open. The Nazi guards beat him. There are no excuses for falling behind. Wolf (Charlie MacGechan) tears off some cloth from his shirt to cover the hole in Solomon’s shoe. He then whispers conspiratorially to the other bruised and emaciated prisoners.They must make their escape tonight or everyone will end up in the pit they’re forced to dig.
An exhausted Solomon doesn’t want to hear Wolf’s plans. They’ll be caught for sure and executed. Aaron (Gilles Ben-David) believes they must hold out as long as possible. There are rumors the Russians are close. Soon they’ll all be liberated. Wolf shuts down that false hope. He motions to the Nazis laughing as they remove the hose from the gas truck. Other prisoners wipe out the excrement and fluids left behind from the latest slaughter.
The Nazis walk the prisoners back to Chełmno. Solomon, Wolf, and Aaron are chosen to “sort” for the first time.They bow their heads in sorrow as a truck of new arrivals comes through the gate.A Nazi guard puts on a doctor’s white coat. The women, children, and elderly are greeted by SS Officer Lang (David Kross). He claims that warm beds and a hot meal await before the journey to the factory, but first they must remove their clothes, separate valuables, and put down their luggage. Then off to the showers for “disinfecting” before the trip to a place better than the ghetto.
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A Disturbing Look at the Nazi Genocide Machine
The World Will Trembleis unsparing in its horrors.Geller, known for his documentaries, the award-winning shortRoads, and the featureWe Die Young, follows Solomon’s perspective throughout the film. He’s a broken man prodded by Wolf’s courage, but doesn’t have the nerve to try and escape. That calculus changes after a gut-wrenching turn of events that will absolutely floor you. Solomon realizes that Wolf is right. They’re dead regardless. Escape is the only way to try and warn other Jews of the awful truth.Their people are being exterminated.
Geller’s first act explores Nazi methodology in a cold, efficient manner. He uses long tracking shots to show the camp, gas truck, prison cells, and sorting rooms filled with the dead’s belongings.The mechanisms for murder were well planned.The key to Nazi success was duping the Jews. Able-bodied men were the only survivors of the sorting process. Everyone else was jammed into the gas truck and killed on the drive to the ditches.The Nazis wanted to kill as many as possible with the least resources.The prisoners tasked with burying the carnage often recognized the bodies of loved ones long separated. Be forewarned,these scenes are disturbing and intense.
A Brilliant Escape Muddled by Unnecessary Dialogue
The second act’s escape is brilliantly shot and edited.Geller, always with Solomon as the center focus, spikes your adrenaline as the protagonist flees through the forest with bullets whizzing by his head and impacting trees. A long and fluid take down a hill must have been done with the camera affixed to an overhead rope and pulley. Geller successfully captures the terror of running in desperate panic, but the elation of actually achieving the improbable is short-lived.There’s no time to celebrate with Nazis nipping at your heels.The next phase of Wolf’s plan, getting the truth out, will be just as difficult as the getaway.
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While the eventual escape is always captivating, it is the build-up and diligent planning process that truly adds to a movie’s suspense.
The World Will Trembleloses tension with labored dialogue in pivotal scenes.The characters speak in an explanatory manner that keeps the audience updated. This was obviously done as a straightforward primer for those unschooled in the Holocaust’s beginning, and to hammer in the tremendous loss, guilt, and sadness felt by the prisoners. Geller’s intentions are noble, but he really needed more nuance to make these interactions honest and believable. This is also the case in the climax when Solomon’s account is finally heard.
Films with this subject matter are prone to audience fatigue.Butwe cannot look away from the Holocaust, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us feel. Geller’s use of actual footage before the credits compounds your grief and fury.What happened to Solomon and those who fled with him lingers long after the last frame.Their heroism and sacrifice must never be forgotten.The World Will Trembleis a production of Black Sheep Films, Radiancy Pictures, Lorton Entertainment, and UFO Films. It will be released theatrically on March 14th from Vertical. It will play at the following theaters before expanding:
Los Angeles, CA - Laemmle Town Center
17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino, CA 91316
*Q&A with director/writer Lior Geller and actor Jeremy Neumark Jones following the 3/15, 7:00PM screening
Los Angeles, CA - Lumiere Cinema
9036 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
*Q&A with director/writer Lior Geller following the 3/16, 4:30PM screening
New York City, NY - Kent Theater
1170 Coney Island Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230
Birmingham, MI - Emagine Palladium
209 Hamilton Row, Birmingham, MI 48009
Plymouth, MN - Emagine Willow Creek
9900 Shelard Pkwy, Plymouth, MN 55441
Dallas, TX - Angelika Film Center & Café
5321 E Mockingbird Ln #230, Dallas, TX 75206
