Sophie's Choice (1982, Universal, dir. Alan J. Pakula, based on the novel by William Styron, 150 min, R) layers a story in post WWII Brooklyn (opening with a scene where Spam – the meat – falls on the apartment floor) with the Concentration camps. Sophie (Meryl Streep), a survivor, lives with peripatetic Nathan (Kevin Kline), an eccentric young man, under the observation of writer Stingo (Peter MacNicol). The details of her survival come out, including a bloodcurdling scene where her child is taken and screams, just after they arrive at the camps.
The film illustrates the idea of telling two parallel stories separated by time, with a modern story invoking the previous story in flashbacks.
I remember seeing this at Northpark in Dallas. The film shows how the horror inflicted by the desire of other to dominate affects one for life. Roger Ebert said, "this is not just another Holocaust movie."