Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Boat Is Full

Play trailer Poster for The Boat Is Full PG Released Apr 25, 1981 1h 41m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
Tomatometer 2 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
During World War II, "neutral" Switzerland closed its borders to immigrants, effectively becoming a conspirator in the Holocaust. This Academy Award-nominated drama looks at that phenomenon on a human level. A group of six illegal immigrants, five Jews and one deserting Nazi soldier, cross the Swiss border during the night. They find refuge at an inn, and pose as a German family. However, village spies watch their every move, as the threat of deportation -- and certain death -- always looms.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Boat Is Full

Critics Reviews

View All (2)
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com This horrific WWII tale, the Swiss entry for the foreign-language Oscar, depicts the prejudices of Swiss villagers who sent back Jews who had escaped Hitler into their country. Rated: B+ Sep 11, 2009 Full Review John A. Nesbit Old School Reviews one of the more credible accounts of the Holocaust Rated: B Jun 19, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (7)
Audience Member The movie angered me in regard to the "neutral" Swiss turning Jews and other untermenschen over to the Germans due to their status, and closing the border...Makes you think. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Incredible foreign film that "outs" the neutrality of the Swiss during WW2. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Slow moving film from Switzerland that takes place during WWII where six people seek refuge in a village inn, much to the discomfort of the couple who runs the place. The group attempts to pose as a family, but their plans are thwarted. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member So it's almost four hours long, but it's pretty damn good. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member An optimistic film that predictably ends in tragedy. An interesting much overlooked aspect of WWII with some interesting contrasts between German and Swiss dialects. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member It's a pretty sobering film--I don't know if one can become emotionally invested in it, but it's still pretty interesting. It has a fair amount of (low-key) twists and turns, and you actually do learn a bit about Switzerland's (maybe not so neutral) stance on Jewish persecution. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Boat Is Full

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Markus Imhoof

Director

Tina Engel

Judith Krueger

Martin Walz

Olaf Landau

Curt Bois

Lazar Ostrowskij
View All

The Boat Is Full

The Boat Is Full (1981) The Boat Is Full (1981) The Boat Is Full (1981) The Boat Is Full (1981) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis During World War II, "neutral" Switzerland closed its borders to immigrants, effectively becoming a conspirator in the Holocaust. This Academy Award-nominated drama looks at that phenomenon on a human level. A group of six illegal immigrants, five Jews and one deserting Nazi soldier, cross the Swiss border during the night. They find refuge at an inn, and pose as a German family. However, village spies watch their every move, as the threat of deportation -- and certain death -- always looms.
Director
Markus Imhoof
Distributor
Quartet Films
Rating
PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 25, 1981, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 17, 2019
Runtime
1h 41m
Most Popular at Home Now