Final Account

PG-13

Released May 21, 2021

1h 34m

Documentary

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93%

Tomatometer

72 Reviews

91%

Audience Score

50+ Verified Ratings

FINAL ACCOUNT is an urgent portrait of the last living generation of everyday people to participate in Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Over a decade in the making, the film raises vital, timely questions about authority, conformity, complicity and perpetration, national identity, and responsibility, as men and women ranging from former SS members to civilians in never-before-seen interviews reckon with -- in very different ways -- their memories, perceptions and personal appraisals of their own roles in the greatest human crimes in history.

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Critics Consensus

Final Account falls shy of the definitive statement suggested by its title, but the belated reckoning on display remains chillingly valuable viewing.

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

Final Account draws a line under a period of history that has been explored extensively before. But it also hints, in several chilling segments, at how pervasive some of the ideas that formed the core of Nazi ideology remain, even now.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 5, 2021

Full Review

Linda Marric

The Jewish Chronicle

Perhaps the most shocking aspect of his film is the nonchalance with which some of his subjects recount those events.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 3, 2021

Full Review

Stephen Romei

The Australian

I am fascinated by movies and books that push aside our view of history, one informed by hindsight, and take us to what it was like at the time it was happening.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 1, 2021

Full Review

Erick Estrada

Cinegarage

While not visually elaborated, it is certain and precise in looking at the faces of these people who ended up in the SS [Schutzstaffel]... [Full review in Spanish] [Full review in Spanish]

Nov 9, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

Holland condenses twelve years of work and nearly 300 interviews into a 90 minute study of how passivity can open the door to great evil and how denial of one’s complicity can take many different forms.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 17, 2022

Full Review

Saskia Baron

The Arts Desk

Final Account is a masterpiece that puts Luke Holland in the same league as the great documentarian of the Holocaust's aftermath, Marcel Ophüls. It's unmissable.

Rated: 5/5

Jan 27, 2022

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Star B.

Very interesting view of the youth of the reich and how they watched and where indoctrinated into the Nazi way. Very good would like to have known if the interviewer asked the same questions to each person.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/07/21

Full Review

Richard R

Brutally hard to watch knowing the history this documentary recounts. I knew it would probably have subtitles as all of the interviewees were Germans who were of late teens to adult age by 1938-39 and were participants in various German institutions of the German military or in support of the German war effort. They were asked questions about their history and experiences and what they thought both at the time and with all these years to reflect on that history. It exposes how easily some average citizens can be encouraged and/or manipulated into believing and doing things they wouldn't have done under normal circumstances. Has some relevance to the manipulation of our citizenry today through the internet.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/06/21

Full Review

BonnieLee

Interesting interview of Germans who observed and participated in Germany during WW11 of Hitler's reign of terror.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/02/21

Full Review

Donna B

Very interesting documentary told from the German perspective. The only issue was that it jumped from person to person and then back again. It wasn't a smooth transition from person to person. Great to hear from actual men and women who were active in the Nazi party and propaganda machine.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/02/21

Full Review

Nina Krauthamer

Clearly a great deal of consideration went into the making of this film. The responses, some of which are chilling, are placed in context. Most of the participants were children growing up in Nazi Germany, and clearly fell under Hitlers sway. One former SS member movingly acknowledged shame when presenting to young skinheads. A movie not to be missed.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/01/21

Full Review

Michael

Very sobering. The movie really delved into how and why young people got brainwashed into following Hitler and rationalized the atrocities they committed, some even defending what they did.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/29/21

Full Review

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Luke Holland

Director

Luke Holland

Self

Luke Holland

Producer

John Battsek

Producer

Rieta Oord

Producer

Claire Aguilar

Executive Producer

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Final Account: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

FINAL ACCOUNT is an urgent portrait of the last living generation of everyday people to participate in Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Over a decade in the making, the film raises vital, timely questions about authority, conformity, complicity and perpetration, national identity, and responsibility, as men and women ranging from former SS members to civilians in never-before-seen interviews reckon with -- in very different ways -- their memories, perceptions and personal appraisals of their own roles in the greatest human crimes in history.

Director: Luke Holland
Producer: Luke Holland, John Battsek, Rieta Oord
Distributor: Focus Features
Production Co: Participant, ZEF Productions, Passion Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Material|Some Disturbing Images)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): May 21, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 6, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $276.0K
Runtime: 1h 34m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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