Never Look Away

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2:07

Never Look Away

R

2018

3h 9m

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

140 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

When two German art students fall in love, the girl's father, who has a devastating secret, vows to end their relationship.

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Critics Consensus

Never Look Away fills its protracted running time with the absorbing story of an incredible life -- and its impact on the singular artist who lived it.

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Matthew Thrift

Little White Lies

"Never look away," we're told for the umpteenth time. But with von Donnersmarck serving as a dubious Virgil through the circles of 20th century history, you're better off just looking elsewhere.

Rated: 1/5

Jul 9, 2019

Full Review

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Another misstep, this time considerably less forgivable.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 8, 2019

Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Never Look Away is not without ambition and reach, and there is a real storytelling impulse. But the central performance of Schilling looks shruggingly uncertain.

Rated: 2/5

Jul 5, 2019

Full Review

Juan José Beteta

Cinencuentro

A film that has an effective story that unravels in different formal and narrative layers. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 17, 2023

Full Review

Tom O'Brien

Next Best Picture

Watching "Never Look Away" is like settling in with a lengthy novel that, despite meandering now and then, turns out to be a very satisfying read. Or in this case, a very satisfying film.

Rated: 7/10

Jun 14, 2022

Full Review

Lonita Cook

KCTV5 News at 9

You feel compelled to stay with [the character] for the whole three hours.

Oct 1, 2021

Full Review

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Madam D

Despite being quite long and the main villian not being punished this is a terrific film. The artistic characters are based on actual people. It's dramatic tension rarely stops throughout the movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/03/25

Full Review

Alec B

There's so much here to like. The direct comparison between the"degenerate art" exhibition to the totalitarian enforcement of "socialist realism", the ways that certain people will always succeed no matter what horrible government is in charge, the utter nonsense and yet total freedom of modern art, and the ways that artists develop their style and persona.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/25/25

Full Review

Cosette M

Oh it's so good guys, I highly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/28/24

Full Review

Farouk B

i can't tell you how beautiful is this movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/22/24

Full Review

Rosie A

I really loved this film. You go on a journey with the artist. And the sequence in which he finally finds his voice, and paints the paintings which unlock his past and his future, is just so moving and compelling. I was very moved by the actors. And a great score by Max Richter. Even if it does play fast and loose with Gerhard Richter's biography, it is still a very powerful portrait of an artist's journey to creation.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/21/24

Full Review

Rosana B

Mais uma linda biografia... Baseado na biografia de Gerard Richter, passa por sua infância durante a guerra, a perda de sua tia, Elisabeth, uma jovem que lhe inspirou com a imaginação e o amor pela vida e liberdade, sua paixão uma outra Elizabeth, lindo, romântico e apaixonante...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/30/23

Full Review

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Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Director

Tom Schilling

Kurt Barnert

Sebastian Koch

Professor Carl Seeband

Paula Beer

Ellie Seeband

Saskia Rosendahl

Elisabeth May

Oliver Masucci

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Never Look Away: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When two German art students fall in love, the girl's father, who has a devastating secret, vows to end their relationship.

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Producer: Jan Mojto, Quirin Berg, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Screenwriter: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Pergamon Film, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Beta Cinema, ARD Degeto Film
Rating: R (Graphic Nudity|Brief Violent Images|Sexuality)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 30, 2018, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2019
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.3M
Runtime: 3h 9m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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