farah r
Despite a couple of powerful performances by Gleason and Thompson, Alone in Berlin is a boring movie.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
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isla s
At first I thought this film was a little slow and thin on the ground, plot wise but when it became clear what the parents were doing, it has more substance to it and I quite liked the idea behind it. The dialogue is a bit muffled/quiet at times, which may cause issues but its certainly somewhat thoughtful. There's no doubt that to do what the parents did, would require a fair amount of determination and I thought the main performances from Brendan Gleeson and Emma Thompson were quite convincing. It features some good cinematography and I found it interesting how the authorities tried to track down the messages the parents were spreading. Once or twice I thought the music played in the background was perhaps a little over the top, a bit too much, slightly too loud maybe but I admit I can be a bit picky. Thematically speaking, this film reminded me a bit of The Book Thief.
Not a bad film, this isn't an entirely memorable one and so it's not one I'd want to re-watch but its a pretty interesting film in terms of the themes and with a good cast, I would recommend it, yes.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
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Audience Member
Brilliant movie. Really showed how difficult it was during the war for some Germans. Based on a true story.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
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Audience Member
Why the low score for such a thought provoking film?
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
08/13/21
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Audience Member
This story is a good balance between despair and hope and above all following your own beliefs. It is so interesting to look back on Nazi Germany and try to understand how millions of people could believe and follow evil at all costs. This film highlights when people try in their own small way to stand up for good even though the price is the highest cost. The moral of the story is even the smallest good deed has a ripple effect that can't be stopped. The acting and costumes are spot on.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
Audience Member
In 1940, a working-class couple in World War II-era Berlin, Otto (Brendan Gleeson) and Anna Quangel (Emma Thompson), decide to resist Adolf Hitler and the Nazis after receiving news of the death of their only son at the front. Their growing resistance to the regime is also strengthened by the fate of an old Jewish woman living in their building. Although the official deportation of Jews to death camps had not yet started, Jews have no recourse to any legal protection. Ruthless Nazis — and "non-ideological" common criminals — use the opportunity to loot the old woman's apartment with impunity. Despite the efforts of the Quangels and other kind neighbors to help her, the persecution ends with the old woman jumping to her death from a high window. The couple starts writing postcards to urge people to stand against Hitler and the Nazis and protest against them by furtively placing the cards in public places - a capital crime. Their first card reads: "Mothers, Hitler Will Kill Your Son Too". At first, Otto wants to do it all by himself, warning Anna, "They hang women, too!" She, however, insists on taking part in this dangerous activity. While in the beginning of the film the couple's marriage seems to have dried up, as they are unable to console each other for the loss of their son, their shared risk and commitment brings them closer. In effect, they fall in love with each other again. Gestapo inspector Escherich (Daniel Brühl) is charged with finding the source of the postcards. He is a professional police detective acting out of career pride rather than Nazi ideology. During three years of painstakingly gathering clues about the "Hobgoblin" (as he calls the mysterious writer of the postcards), he develops an increasing respect for this elusive unknown opponent...
Alone in Berlin was first screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2016. Tara Brady of The Irish Times wrote: "Despite a terrific triumvirate of performances from Gleeson, Thompson, and Brühl, and soft lensing from cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne, Alone in Berlin is hampered by stodgy pacing, budgetary constraints, and drab interiors. Against this, the film offers a fascinating and timely blueprint for political dissent, a methodology that connects with pamphleteering, graffiti, and memes." In The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote, "More than once, 'Alone in Berlin' reminded me of Fritz Lang's M."
"Alone in Berlin" is based on the famous book by Hans Fallada which was published posthumously in German in 1947 and was praised by Primo Levi, writer and survivor of Auschwitz, as "the greatest book ever written about German resistance to the Nazis". This is an ok adaption for the screen with solid performances, but the nuances which you get in the book gets lost in my opinion. The film is slowpaced and never really manage to create proper tension which would make sense concidering the storyline. However, the book and the film communicate a powerful message of standing up for your beliefs and opinions. A minus is nevertheless that it´s been done in spoken English.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/21/23
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