Charlotte

Based on an expansive collection of a thousand autobiographical paintings found after the war – considered by some to be the first graphic novel – this stunningly beautiful, animated film sheds light on the life and work of Berlin-born artist Charlotte Salomon. Restricted and haunted by antisemitic laws, the immensely gifted Salomon was forced to leave her beloved home country for southern France, where she continued to paint, using her art as a way of coping with her traumatic past and troubled family. Aged 26 and pregnant, she was murdered in Auschwitz, leaving her paintings, a remarkable record of mid-20th century life, to be found after the war. Salomon’s life was tragically cut short, but Charlotte – featuring the voice of Keira Knightley who leads a starry British cast – excels in capturing the sheer genius of her art and its lasting, powerful legacy.

Canada/Belgium/France 2021, 92 mins, English

Director Eric Warin, Tahir Rana featuring Keira Knightly, Jim Broadbent, Helen McCrory