Sophie's Choice

A novel written in 1979 and set in 1947 about the Polish Holocaust survivor Sophie. It was adapted into a feature-length film in 1982. The film won the 1982 Academy Awards for best cinematography and best original score, and Meryl Streep won her first Best Actress Oscar for her role as Sophie. Her performance was ranked the third-greatest in film history by Premiere Magazine.


 * Adult Fear: Having to choose is one of the scariest things almost any adult would have to face.
 * All Crimes Are Equal: Sophie gets taken to Auschwitz for stealing a ham. She states that it wasn't the theft that got her sent to Auschwitz, but the fear she showed.
 * American Accents
 * Bait and Switch Tyrant: Nathan is prone to violent mood swings and the opening scene is him right in the middle of one of these.
 * Ill Girl: Sophie, before Nathan discovers that she's anemic.
 * Lovable Sex Maniac: Subverted with Leslie, who is foul mouthed and likes to pretend she's one of these, but is rather afraid of sex.
 * Love Triangle: Sophie, Nathan and Stingo.
 * Mood Swinger: Nathan.
 * Omniglot: Sophie, being the daughter of a linguist, speaks a whole slew of languages.
 * Pet the Dog: Nathan's verbally abusive behavior towards Sophie and Stingo at the beginning of the film are somewhat neutralized by how kind and gentle he is the rest of the movie. Most notably he saves Sophie's life when she falls ill at the library.
 * Sadistic Choice: To the point that an alternative name for the trope is a "Sophie's Choice".
 * The Un-Reveal: