This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Wonderful movie full of poignant moments with just the right touch of humor to dispel the sadness. Follow this 91 year old's story of her life from a concentration camp to current. Filmed in Kansas City but could be anywhere. Beautiful movie. Can't say enough good things about this film!! There needs to be a sequel!

This is a heartwarming story of a young Holocaust survivor, her story and her eventual family. A 14-year-old girl is caught in the Holocaust, survived multiple concentration camps and their horrors and eventually survived. She marries a fellow survivor, moves to the U.S. and raises a family. This is her story and that of her family. While the period in Europe is discussed, it is not graphic and can be suitable for school age children although there is no doubt that this is something they will not forget.They move to Kansas City where they operate a tailor shop and attempt to live a normal American life. Of course, their family is not normal, and never can be, given what the parents have lived through and the absence of an extended family.I have a similar background personally so I could readily relate to the situation. My parents background, and those of myself and my brothers, is not all that much different than that in the move. In the end, Sonia and her husband survived and thrived through some of the most horrifying events of humanity. I am very glad I saw the movie. The movie is quite appropriate for educational audiences and events such as Yom Hashoa commemoration programs that want to remember the horrors of that period. While her story is not uncommon for Holocaust survivors, the movie does an excellent job of saving this story for history when the last survivors is no longer with us. My congratulations to the people behind this valiant effort and the story they leave behind.

Big Sonia, winner multiple Audience and Jury awards across the country and internationally, packs such a powerful punch it will transform the way you look at the world.Husband and wife filmmaking team, Todd Soliday and Leah Warshawski, have a synergy that translates directly onto the screen.The making of Big Sonia is almost as profound as the movie itself. What began as an idea to create a colorful short about Director/Producer Leah Warshawski's 87-year-old (now 92) grandmother, a Holocaust survivor and unlikely fashion diva whose popular tailor shop was the only store still operating in a decrepit Kansas City mall.While this is certainly story enough, when they arrived to begin filming, Leah and Todd discover that Grandma Sonia isn't simply a pint size octogenarian tearing into her daily illegal parking space, thick red lipstick and highly stylized hair barely peering over the leopard-wrapped steering wheel. This woman is all that and a courageous force whose public speaking tours are changing the lives of everyone she meets, from middle school students to prisoners at the state penitentiary.Intuitively, the filmmakers expanded the short into a full-length feature, a movie that beautifully braids layers of loss and redemption with the story themes. Soliday's film editing is masterful.Every bit of the story line resonates: Sonia's eviction notice from the mall threatening to close the tailor shop; adult prisoners and public school students visibly affected by Sonia's story; a difficult history uniquely recreated with creative (and sensitive) animation by artist, Rachel Ignotofsky and Dawn Norton; the impact of Sonia's experience on the lives of her grown children; and, of course, the wild ride that is Sonia herself, from holding court at the tailor shop to sharing the remnants of her mother's scarf with shaking hands, cutting flowers and choosing her lavish outfits.Each thread strengthens the overall film, working together to create something greater than the individual parts, resulting in an experience so profound and beautiful that, by the end, you are stunned. Everything has somehow shifted, especially your worldview, and each tiny thing is now visible through a new lens. If you care about good storytelling, see this movie; prepare to be moved.

"Big Sonia" is an uplifting story of resilience. In a Kansas City Star article, Eric Adler described "Big Sonia" as a story "of modern-day survival — how a tiny woman, time and again, after facing her own death and then that of her husband, is nonetheless able to reinvent herself and find hope and meaning in life." Sonia's example of shunning hate serves us all well, a universal theme for all eras, as discussed in a KC Star article by Melinda Henneberger.My favorite scene shows the reactions (to Sonia's comments) of long-term inmates in Lansing Correctional Facility. It tells you a lot about these prisoners as well as about Sonia.The film also reminds us of the "dark side" of humanity, creatively using Sonia's doodles to give glimpses of the sordid history of her six years in concentration camps. Many viewers have praised the use of drawings rather than photos or recreations.Sonia's children's comments provide valuable insights into the subtle impact of atrocities on succeeding generations.I marvel that Todd Soliday was able to edit more than 600 hours of tape into a 93-minute movie. The stuff on the cutting room floor must have been heart-wrenching to drop.When confronted with troubling occurrences in other countries, too many of us presume "that could never happen here". "Big Sonia" reminds us that we must remain vigilant and be willing to act to preserve freedom for fellow citizens, as well as ourselves.