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Occupied City

Play trailer Poster for Occupied City PG-13 Released Dec 25, 2023 4h 0m Documentary History War Play Trailer Watchlist
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72% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
The past collides with our precarious present in Steve McQueen's bravura documentary Occupied City, informed by the book Atlas of an Occupied City (Amsterdam 1940-1945) written by Bianca Stigter. McQueen creates two interlocking portraits: a door-to-door excavation of the Nazi occupation that still haunts his adopted city, and a vivid journey through the last years of pandemic and protest. What emerges is both devastating and life-affirming, an expansive meditation on memory, time, and where we're headed.
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Occupied City

Occupied City

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Critics Consensus

Occupied City is an impressively ambitious attempt to connect the past with the present, although its repetitive approach and overwhelming length will be too much for many viewers.

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Critics Reviews

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Craig Mathieson The Age (Australia) The feature is more about repetition than testimony. Narrator Melanie Hyams’ recounting of individual lives aims for an accumulative force. Oct 11, 2024 Full Review Christina Newland iNews.co.uk Occupied City is undoubtedly rewarding, both as an example of what boundaries non-fiction films can push, and as the output of an artist who, whatever the subject, forces us to pay attention. Rated: 3/5 Sep 17, 2024 Full Review Sarah-Tai Black Globe and Mail McQueen offers a film that isn’t dispassionate, but rather, with an awareness of such a lengthy history of narrative representation, likens itself to testimony rather than re-enactment. Apr 25, 2024 Full Review Clotilde Chinnici Loud and Clear Reviews In Occupied City, past and present merge. The Amsterdam of today and that of the past exist in the same breath, both struck by their tragedies, respectively the struggles of our modern age and the Nazi occupation of the city. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 14, 2024 Full Review Jim Schembri jimschembri.com Director Steve McQueen paces his 4h, 26m essay at an unhurried pace, often leaving you to dwell on streetscapes without any narration. Absorbing as the film is, it’s a demanding sit...the option to soak it all in at home might serve the film better. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 22, 2024 Full Review Ray Pride Newcity <i>Occupied City</i> haunts even as you watch: its length does not exceed its reach. Rated: 7/10 Jul 2, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (4) audience reviews
Jory K mesmerizing, raw, sad, beautiful, evocative cello soundtrack Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/25/24 Full Review Sally M Almost half of the audience left at the interval and I wish we had - the second half didn't add or enhance a thing. It was great seeing areas and the life of current day Amsterdam and hearing testimony of the past but there seemed nothing original in a constant voice-over just dispassionately listing what happend during occupation Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/18/24 Full Review Chris W While over four hours (thank you for the kind 15 minute intermission), I found this doc insightful and innovative in its use of often beautiful scenes of contemporary life in Amsterdam juxtaposed with dramatic voiceover narration detailing what happened to specific residents at specific addresses in the city during the Nazi occupation of World War II. The focus on contemporary Amsterdam denizens action oriented response to a variety of current challenges (climate change, pandemics, youthful ennui/self absorption) is brilliant and represents a compelling path for other filmmakers/issues. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/24 Full Review Jeff T Extraordinary. It's just settling in for me 12 hours later and will stay with me forever. Using only contemporary footage starting in 2020 with the Covid lockdown to tell the history of a demolished society, street address by street address that saw 75% of Amsterdam's and Holland's Jewish population murdered gives a unique profound sensation to a history that could not have been worse, showing humankind at its most pitiful, serially betraying each other amid countless uplifting stories of valor. Reviewers and viewers will need patience and thoughtfulness to "get" a great filmmaker's deep dive into the abyss shown in a way that no other "holocaust film" has ever employed. Occupied City must be seen. Yes, the running time could have been edited down without losing much substance but the film's shear length and the calm non-ending clinical narrational approach is in itself a challenge to audiences and one of this work's great strengths. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Occupied City

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis The past collides with our precarious present in Steve McQueen's bravura documentary Occupied City, informed by the book Atlas of an Occupied City (Amsterdam 1940-1945) written by Bianca Stigter. McQueen creates two interlocking portraits: a door-to-door excavation of the Nazi occupation that still haunts his adopted city, and a vivid journey through the last years of pandemic and protest. What emerges is both devastating and life-affirming, an expansive meditation on memory, time, and where we're headed.
Director
Steve McQueen
Producer
Floor Onrust, Steve McQueen, Anna Smith Tenser, Bianca Stigter
Screenwriter
Bianca Stigter
Distributor
A24
Production Co
September Film Distribution, Lammas Park, Family Affair Films, Regency Enterprises, Film4, A24
Rating
PG-13 (Smoking|Sexual Material|Brief Drug Use|Strong Language|Thematic Material)
Genre
Documentary, History, War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 23, 2024
Runtime
4h 0m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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