Alone In Berlin - directed by Vincent Perez
What a surprise this movie is.
My first knowledge of it came via a cinema lobby flyer about two weeks ago and I decided that it looked worth a shot mainly on the strength of the leads Thompson and Gleeson.
I am certainly glad that I did because this is a very, very good film.
One of the signs of a good film is how quickly it zips by as one is watching it and this 103 minute movie felt more like ninety minutes- tops.
And it earns this not with flash and action or sex and violence or spectacle but by offering a well told, terrific (true) story about two people worthy of such a tribute.
In 1940 a young German soldier is killed in action.
Upon hearing the news his distraught parents react by beginning a propaganda campaign against Hitler and Nazi Germany.
They create handwritten postcards and leave them in public places around Berlin to be found and read.
These cards encourage people to stop donating money to the Third Reich and denounce Adolf Hitler as a murderer and a liar.
It may seem an inconsequential act but it is nonetheless a capital offence in 1940 Germany and the couple put themselves at great risk.
It was a disturbing reality of the time that people were so caught up in the hate and the mistrust and the fanaticism born of their moustached maniac leader and his ghastly organisation that the vast majority of the cards were handed in to the Gestapo.
Simply being seen with a card in hand was reason for most to fear being incriminated.
Hitler was not one to take any form of criticism lightly (why does that sound familiar right now?!) and so the Gestapo are very eager to get the postcard propaganda stopped.
As a result a special Police investigator named Escherich (Bruhl) is assigned to the case.
Escherich's investigation creates a profile of the suspect including the assumption that he has lost a
son, lives in a specific vicinity to the dropped cards and that he is an intelligent man probably used to working with his hands.
As much as I didn't want Escherich to succeed in his investigation it is undeniably a fascinating process to watch.
There are no computers, cellphones or security cameras so things like tip-offs, witness sketches, patience, logic and luck are the main weapons for Escherich.
Having Bruhl play this character is a wise choice.
Familiar to International audiences from his roles in "The Bourne Ultimatum", "Inglourious Basterds" and "Rush" he often plays unlikeable characters that he manages to garner sympathy for in the eyes of the audience.
And so despite his goal being so undesirable Bruhl makes the character at least somewhat sympathetic
Specially so when he himself finds his life under threat from the Gestapo.
The main focus here of course is with Anna and Otto Quangel played by Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson.
The stakes for this pair are made startlingly clear very quickly.
An elderly Jewish woman who lives in the same building is constantly fearful as the entire city succumbs to the Nazi regime's demands that everyone follow its doctrines without question.
An innocent man is arrested for Otto and Anna's 'crimes' but his innocence seems to be little protection.
Still the couple are staunch in their desire to stand up to Hitler and his goons.
Thompson and Gleeson are really, really terrific here.
Their marriage seems genuine - like a relationship that has found its own rules and boundaries.
They are not all over each other but the love and respect is all there to see.
I am unsure if these actors have worked directly together previously (Harry Potter?) but their matching seems like an omission well remedied.
I thoroughly enjoyed their performances and very much hope that they find another film to do together.
It is a good moment to reiterate that this story is based on real people and real events.
I was unfamiliar with the real history and was glad but in truth I doubt that complete knowledge would diminish the effectiveness of the story - so well told is it.
Director and co-writer Vincent Perez's name might sound familiar and this is likely due to his main career as an actor.
You may have seen him the Crow sequel "The Crow: City of Angels", "Queen of the Damned" or even "Cyrano de Bergerac"
As director he really hits this one out of the park.
There are some strikingly beautiful shots amidst the grim greyness of the film and they are smartly, sparingly used.
Also well employed is the great Alexandre Desplat's score.
The many scenes of tension are heightened by Desplat's subtle work.
Subtlety is a constant with this film.
The wonderful performances, the refusal to be too dramatic and instead let the story work on its own merits without flourishes of grand emotion and even the violence which while shocking is never graphic nor over the top.
"Alone In Berlin" is a highly enjoyable, genuine surprise of a film.
RATING: 85 / 100
CONCLUSION: A great and true story that deserves to be told and thanks to the work of writer-director Perez, the fine performances of Gleeson, Thompson and Bruhl and stellar work from composer Desplat it is indeed told fittingly well.
Starring: Emma Thompson, Brendan Gleeson, Daniel Bruhl, Mikael Persbrandt, Louis Hofmann, Godehard Giese, Monique Chaumette, Hildegard Schroedter, Mikael Persbrandt , Katharina Schüttler , Lars Rudolph, Jacob Matschenz
Screenplay: Achim von Borries & Vincent Perez base don Hans Fallada's book 'Every Man Dies Alone'
Music Score by: Alexandre Desplat
Cinematography: Christophe Beaucarne
Edited by: François Gédigier
Running Time: 103 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Violence (mild but intense)
Running Time: 103 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - Violence (mild but intense)
My first knowledge of it came via a cinema lobby flyer about two weeks ago and I decided that it looked worth a shot mainly on the strength of the leads Thompson and Gleeson.
I am certainly glad that I did because this is a very, very good film.
One of the signs of a good film is how quickly it zips by as one is watching it and this 103 minute movie felt more like ninety minutes- tops.
And it earns this not with flash and action or sex and violence or spectacle but by offering a well told, terrific (true) story about two people worthy of such a tribute.
 |
| Brendan Gleeson and Emma Thompson |
Upon hearing the news his distraught parents react by beginning a propaganda campaign against Hitler and Nazi Germany.
They create handwritten postcards and leave them in public places around Berlin to be found and read.
These cards encourage people to stop donating money to the Third Reich and denounce Adolf Hitler as a murderer and a liar.
It may seem an inconsequential act but it is nonetheless a capital offence in 1940 Germany and the couple put themselves at great risk.
It was a disturbing reality of the time that people were so caught up in the hate and the mistrust and the fanaticism born of their moustached maniac leader and his ghastly organisation that the vast majority of the cards were handed in to the Gestapo.
Simply being seen with a card in hand was reason for most to fear being incriminated.
Hitler was not one to take any form of criticism lightly (why does that sound familiar right now?!) and so the Gestapo are very eager to get the postcard propaganda stopped.
As a result a special Police investigator named Escherich (Bruhl) is assigned to the case.
Escherich's investigation creates a profile of the suspect including the assumption that he has lost a
 |
| One of the actual postcards |
As much as I didn't want Escherich to succeed in his investigation it is undeniably a fascinating process to watch.
There are no computers, cellphones or security cameras so things like tip-offs, witness sketches, patience, logic and luck are the main weapons for Escherich.
Having Bruhl play this character is a wise choice.
Familiar to International audiences from his roles in "The Bourne Ultimatum", "Inglourious Basterds" and "Rush" he often plays unlikeable characters that he manages to garner sympathy for in the eyes of the audience.
And so despite his goal being so undesirable Bruhl makes the character at least somewhat sympathetic
Specially so when he himself finds his life under threat from the Gestapo.
The main focus here of course is with Anna and Otto Quangel played by Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson.
The stakes for this pair are made startlingly clear very quickly.
An elderly Jewish woman who lives in the same building is constantly fearful as the entire city succumbs to the Nazi regime's demands that everyone follow its doctrines without question.
An innocent man is arrested for Otto and Anna's 'crimes' but his innocence seems to be little protection.
Still the couple are staunch in their desire to stand up to Hitler and his goons.
Thompson and Gleeson are really, really terrific here.
Their marriage seems genuine - like a relationship that has found its own rules and boundaries.
They are not all over each other but the love and respect is all there to see.
I am unsure if these actors have worked directly together previously (Harry Potter?) but their matching seems like an omission well remedied.
I thoroughly enjoyed their performances and very much hope that they find another film to do together.
 |
| Daniel Bruhl as Escherich - no one is immune from threat in the climate of fear of Berlin in the 1940's |
I was unfamiliar with the real history and was glad but in truth I doubt that complete knowledge would diminish the effectiveness of the story - so well told is it.
Director and co-writer Vincent Perez's name might sound familiar and this is likely due to his main career as an actor.
You may have seen him the Crow sequel "The Crow: City of Angels", "Queen of the Damned" or even "Cyrano de Bergerac"
As director he really hits this one out of the park.
There are some strikingly beautiful shots amidst the grim greyness of the film and they are smartly, sparingly used.
Also well employed is the great Alexandre Desplat's score.
The many scenes of tension are heightened by Desplat's subtle work.
Subtlety is a constant with this film.
The wonderful performances, the refusal to be too dramatic and instead let the story work on its own merits without flourishes of grand emotion and even the violence which while shocking is never graphic nor over the top.
"Alone In Berlin" is a highly enjoyable, genuine surprise of a film.
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