We Were the Lucky Ones explained

Genre:Historical drama
Based On:We Were The Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Developer:Erica Lipez
Showrunner:Erica Lipez
Director:Thomas Kail
Theme Music Composer:Rachel Portman
Jon Ehrlich
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Episodes:8
Runtime:53–75 minutes
Network:Hulu

We Were The Lucky Ones is an American historical drama miniseries developed by Erica Lipez for Hulu that premiered on March 28, 2024. It is an adaptation of the 2017 book of the same name by Georgia Hunter, inspired by the story of her own family.[1]

It depicts the Holocaust from the perspective of the Kurc family, Polish Jews. The story centers on siblings played by Joey King, Logan Lerman, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Amit Rahav and Hadas Yaron and their parents, played by Lior Ashkenazi and Robin Weigert.

Plot summary

Prior to World War II, the Kurc family, Polish Jews, lived successful and relatively peaceful lives in Radom. Their success protected them from some of the virulent anti-semitism in the country. Their protection does not last as Hitler's persecution of European Jewry intensified. Some members of the family find themselves in hiding and in concentration camps. Other members of the family managed to escape to France, Brazil, West Africa and Russia. Once the war ends, survivors from the family attempt to discover any living relatives and reunite.[2] [3]

Cast

Production

The series is produced by 20th Television and is adapted by Erica Lipez from the 2017 Georgia Hunter book We Were The Lucky Ones, a New York Times Best Seller[4] inspired by the story of her own family.[5] Lipez also serves as showrunner and executive producer. Thomas Kail is director and executive producer, along with Adam Milch and Jennifer Todd who executive produces for Old 320 Sycamore and Ben Affleck and Matt Damon who executive produces for Pearl Street Films.[6] The score is composed by Rachel Portman and Jon Ehrlich.[7]

Casting

Joey King, Logan Lerman, Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Amit Rahav and Hadas Yaron were cast as siblings who grow up in Radom, Poland with Lerman's role of Addy Kurc based on Hunter's real-life grandfather.[8] Both King and Lerman have discussed having family members themselves who escaped The Holocaust.[9] [10]

Most of the characters are Polish Jews and these roles are mostly played by Jewish actors from the United States, Israel and England. This is the second time that Yaron and Aloni have appeared as a couple, following their 2015–2021 work in the Israeli drama series Shtisel.[11] The role of Madame Lowbeer is portrayed by a non-Jewish actress, Marin Hinkle, who in real life is married to a Jewish man and raised their son Jewish.[12]

Filming

Filming took place from December 2022 and finished in spring 2023. Primarily filming took place in Bucharest, Romania with filming locations also including Málaga and Cádiz in Spain.[13]

Release

The series premiered on Hulu in the United States on March 28, 2024.[14]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 95% approval rating with an average rating of 8/10, based on 22 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Equal parts harrowing and life-affirming, We Were the Lucky Ones is a sensitively told tale of perseverance given tear-inducing heart by its wonderful ensemble."[15] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the limited series a "generally favorable" score of 80 out of 100, based on 13 critics.[16] RogerEbert.com concluded that "We Were the Lucky Ones is a defiant and harrowing, soul shattering story—one that gives the full range of the horrors that occur when you’ve been displaced, unmoored, and dehumanized."[17] Aramide Tinibu of Variety also praised the series: "Spending extended time with each member of the Kurcs allows the viewer to get into their psyche while absorbing differing perspectives and opinions instead of a monolithic overview of Holocaust survivors."[18]

The Jewish website Kveller praised the series as "a visceral, touching, sweeping and profoundly human show, one of the best you’ll see all year, and the Jewish representation in it is deeply thoughtful, perhaps more than any show I’ve ever seen."[19] The Boston Globe concluded: "So yes, the miniseries is challenging, and steeped in heartbreak, and unrelenting. But it joins a growing inventory of important, eye-opening, memorable, and timely TV takes on the Holocaust and World War II. Ultimately it is as rewarding as it is harrowing."[20]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryNominee(s)Result
Astra TV AwardsAugust 18, 2024Best Limited SeriesWe Were the Lucky Ones[21]
Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV MovieJoey King

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hunter . Georgia . We Were the Lucky Ones . 2017 . Penguin . 978-0399563089.
  2. Web site: 'We Were the Lucky Ones' Trailer: Joey King and Logan Lerman Escape Nazis in Harrowing True Story . Samantha . Bergeson . 9 February 2024 . . 10 February 2024.
  3. Web site: 'We Were the Lucky Ones' Review: Joey King Stands Out in Tragic Holocaust Story . Aaron . Pruner . 22 March 2024 . . 23 March 2024.
  4. Books Best Sellers Paperback Trade Fiction . 2018-02-11 . . 2024-04-04.
  5. We Were the Lucky Ones: The Real Kurc Family's Holocaust Survival Story . Savannah . Walsh . 28 March 2024 . . 29 March 2024 . subscription . https://web.archive.org/web/20240329005907/https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/we-were-the-lucky-ones-the-real-kurc-family-holocaust-survival-story . 2024-03-29 . live.
  6. Web site: Deadline Hollywood. 10 February 2024. 'We Were The Lucky Ones' Trailer: Joey King & Logan Lerman Flee The Nazis In Hulu Limited Series. Denise. Petski. February 9, 2024.
  7. 'We Were the Lucky Ones' Co-Composers Rachel Portman and Jon Ehrlich on 'Hopeful' Title Theme . Selena . Kuznikov . 2024-03-28 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240402161543/https://variety.com/2024/artisans/news/we-were-the-lucky-ones-composer-rachel-portman-1235954773/ . 2024-04-02 . live.
  8. Web site: We Were The Lucky Ones Trailer: Logan Lerman & Joey King Fight To Survive WWII In NYT Bestselling Adaptation . Rachel . Ulatowski . 10 February 2024 . . 10 February 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240305041453/https://screenrant.com/we-were-the-lucky-ones-show-trailer-logan-lerman-joey-king/ . 2024-03-05 . live.
  9. News: Joey King on Why WWII Series 'We Were the Lucky Ones' Is 'Very Personal' to Her . Hope . Sloop . 9 February 2024 . . 10 February 2024.
  10. News: Logan Lerman Honors Two Families in 'We Were the Lucky Ones' . Esther . Zuckerman . 2024-03-28 . . 2024-03-29 . subscription . https://web.archive.org/web/20240404004405/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/28/arts/television/we-were-the-lucky-ones-logan-lerman.html . 2024-04-04 . live.
  11. News: 'Shtisel' Actress, Hadas Yaron Opens Up About Her Character . Alan . Zeitlin . 2019-06-19 . . 2024-03-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240330141134/https://www.jta.org/2019/06/11/ny/shtisel-actress-hadas-yaron-opens-up-about-her-character . 2024-03-30 . live.
  12. Web site: This 'Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Star Raised Jewish Kids Both On and Off Screen . Lior . Zaltzman . 2023-06-12 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20240331050146/https://www.kveller.com/this-marvelous-mrs-maisel-star-raised-jewish-kids-both-on-and-off-screen/ . 2024-03-31 . live.
  13. Web site: Elle. 10 February 2024. Here's Your First Look at Joey King and Logan Lerman in Hulu's We Were the Lucky Ones. Erica. Gonzalez. 22 January 2024.
  14. Web site: 'We Were The Lucky Ones' Trailer: Joey King & Logan Lerman Play Members Of A Jewish Family Trying To Survive WWII. The Playlist. 10 February 2024. Edward. Davis. February 9, 2024.
  15. we_were_the_lucky_ones. We Were the Lucky Ones. tv. 1. April 18, 2024. y.
  16. we-were-the-lucky-ones. We Were the Lucky Ones. tv. 1. March 28, 2024.
  17. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/we-were-the-lucky-ones-tv-review-2024 We Were the Lucky Ones
  18. https://variety.com/2024/tv/reviews/we-were-the-lucky-ones-review-hulu-1235947697/ ‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ Is a Gutting and Thoughtful Depiction of a Jewish Family in the Holocaust: TV Review
  19. https://www.kveller.com/hulus-we-were-the-lucky-ones-lets-jewish-people-be-the-heroes-of-their-holocaust-story/ Hulu’s ‘We Were the Lucky Ones’ Lets Jewish People Be the Heroes of Their Holocaust Story
  20. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/27/arts/we-were-the-lucky-ones-holocaust/ A family driven apart in the shattering Holocaust drama 'We Were the Lucky Ones'
  21. Web site: HCA Astra TV Awards Nominations: 'The Bear', 'Hacks', 'The Morning Show', 'Baby Reindeer' Lead Nominations . Anderson . Erik . AwardsWatch . July 9, 2024 . July 10, 2024.

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