portray a polish catholic concentration camp survivor now live in brooklyn 1947 and meryl streep admirably keep a haunted look in her eye and in her forlorn smile throughout all the fabricated histrionics of this alan j. pakula prestige picture . it a commendable acting job and most especially because nothing else in this vehicle quite come off . sophie and struggle with her broken english during her initial day in new york and be rescue ( from despair and from hopelessness ) by a combustible genius ( kevin kline ) and and soon they be read literature and poetry to each other in his bed . the detail of their love hate relationship come spill out to a southern writer ( peter macnicol ) who have rent a room in the same building a the couple . william styron book have become an embalmed actor showcase and with the three principal each do contemplative turn combative bit of character business and to little avail . there be two or three scene that put enormous demand on sophie ( and streep the actress ) and and the woman simply do not disappoint ( my favorite be an early flashback scene wherein she attempt to check out a book by emily dickinson but doesn not have the author name right ) . still and pakula pace the melodramatics with funereal solemnity and and the too careful and too rigid art direction and cinematography make the proceeding look like a waxwork museum . kline can not get a grip on his tortured nathan and and for good reason represent the character be a writer contrivance ( bombast conjure up out of mental illness ) and while macnicol have some strong early scene but eventually play third wheel ( not an enviable position ) . much discussion be make of streep letter perfect accent and her scene a a prisoner and and indeed she quite remarkable while however and sophie isn not allow to bloom a a person . streep make her tremulous and lovely and nervous and chatty while also politely fluster and and there be moment when she radiant . unfortunately and there nothing gripping or substantial in the writing to help the actress carry the weight of a long and heavy oscar contender . we understand right away that sophie be a survivor with an enormous heart . pakula doesn not give u anything else to ponder except romantic heartbreak ting with masochism . from .