Guildford Fringe Festival 2026
Sarah’s War
Brian O'Connell
Genre: Film
Venue: Guildford Fringe Festival
Festival: Guildford Fringe Festival
Low Down
This film is in two parts, both set in England. Part one is during World War II. The heroine of the story, Sarah, is an evacuee on her Grandfather’s boat when the vessel is commandeered by a Nazi who escaped when his U-boat was torpedoed. Part two is set in the aftermath of the war, when Sarah finds herself alone, with a baby, in a seemingly impossible situation.
Review
This charming production owes its success to two distinct pillars. The first is the absolutely flawless portrayal of Sarah by lead actor Lily Smith. During the first part of the film when the action is mostly confined to the narrow space inside the boat, the camera close-ups produce a claustrophobic atmosphere perfectly suited to the threat presented by the German intruder. Smith’s quick eye movements and furtive glances convey her sense of alarm, but she remains composed throughout. Notably, Sarah only loses her composure once in the entire film and the dignity and grace with which she conducts herself seems entirely in keeping with the character and the era in which the piece is set. A stellar performance in every way. The second pillar is the variety of period settings, notably the boat of part one, but also the numerous different locations of part two. The interiors of various shops and a bar, the hostel in which Sarah is living, the station including a steam train, even an old car and a court room. There is much attention to detail in each scene with the objects and costumes all adding to the effect to transport us effortlessly back to the 1940’s.
During the interval of the Fringe showing of this film we also enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at how the film was made which was illuminating. It was interesting to see the creativity that had gone into achieving the various scenes we had just watched. The actual, present day camera footage of the boat compared to the muted tones that were used in the film itself, allowed us to quickly understand how the director had achieved the vintage quality of the piece.
The two parts of the film are distinctly different in style and length. Part one is shorter with a small cast of characters propelled through exciting action scenes. Part two has a much larger cast, in many different situations and deals with the psychological journey of Sarah given the difficulties she faces. Although the audience can easily follow the story and it makes sense, given that part one deals with a one-off incident and part two with an ongoing situation; as a whole piece, it lacked coherence at times. The “villains” of part two lacked subtlety and nuance and were wheeled out almost like story book characters which did a disservice to the overall message of the film. It was also regrettable that Sarah lacked agency at the end. Throughout, she is portrayed as an independent and capable person who can skipper a vessel, stand up for herself in the face of adversity and remain true to her own wishes and best interests, so it was disappointing that in the final scene all her problems are solved, even to the minutest detail, by a “knight in shining armour”. If she had been thrown a life line and used it to save herself it would have been more convincing. Similarly, if she had been more moved by the heart and less by the finances it would have been more moving.
Overall Sarah’s War is a highly enjoyable watch and it is clear that producing this film has been a significant piece of work. An extremely commendable achievement.
