The Pawnbroker is a 1964 film directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the novel of the same name by Edward Lewis Wallant. The movie tells the story of Sol Nazerman, a Holocaust survivor who works as a pawnbroker in Harlem. He lost his entire family in the concentration camps and has become numb to the world around him, living a solitary and despairing life.
Through a series of flashbacks, we learn about the trauma he has endured in the past and how this has led him to his current state of mind. His only connection to the outside world is with his loyal assistant, Jesus Ortiz, and a social worker named Marilyn Birchfield, who tries to help him come to terms with his trauma.
As the story progresses, we see how Sol's past continues to haunt him and affect his relationships with those around him. He is often rude and dismissive to those who come into his pawnshop, treating them with suspicion and contempt. However, he begins to open up to Marilyn and allows himself to feel something for the first time since the war.
In a climactic scene, Sol is confronted with a group of young hoodlums who steal from his pawnshop and brutally attack Jesus. This horrific event triggers a sudden realization in Sol that he cannot continue to shut himself off from the world. He is forced to confront the tragedy of his actions and the larger implications of Holocaust on humanity.
The Pawnbroker is a powerful and emotional film about the human cost of war and the need for empathy and compassion in the face of tragedy. It was highly acclaimed upon its release, and earned Rod Steiger an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his outstanding performance as Sol Nazerman.