Alone in Berlin

"Alone in Berlin" (German-French-British co-production; 2016 release; 105 min.) brings the story of a German couple, Otto and Anna. As the movie opens, we see a young German soldier running through the weeods, and he is shot and killed. The young man's parents, Otto and Anna, are informed by letter of his death, and they don't know how to cope with this tragic news. Eventually Otto decides to speak up against the Nazis, and Hitler in particular, by leaving provocative postcards (such as: "Hitler is a liar, Hitler is a killer") in prominent public places. Anna joins him in these potentially dangerous tasks. Eventually, the Nazis become aware of this, and a manhunt is started... At this point we're 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out. Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from Swiss actor/writer/producer/director Vincent Perez. Here he takes what amounts to a footnote in the annals of WWII and makes it, or at least tries to make it, into an epic battle between an elderly couple and the Nazi establishment. At certain moments, in particularly later in the film, it works quite well. But there are too many times that the films truly feels staged, I mean you can practically hear the director yell "and.... ACTION!", and an entire street with 1940s cars comes alive. The lead performances by Emma Thompson (as Anna) and Brendan Gleeson (as Otto) are fine, as they bring a quiet dignity to this couple that is so outraged by the tragic death of their son. Incidentally, it isn't until the closing credits that we get confirmation this movie is based on true events, and Otto and Elise really did exist (why they changed the woman's name to Anna, is not clear to me). Still, when all is said and done, it feels to me like the movie didn't quite carry this to its full potential, and that's a shame. I had heard of this movie, but never had a chance to see it in the theater. I did catch it recently on Showtime. If you are interested in WWII, even if only a footnote of it, I'd suggest you check this out, be it on TV or VOD, or on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

This is not a happy story. It is story that opens your eyes. We have talked about it a lot since. We felt like it was something that should be seen. I would recommend it for folks curious about that era and that place in time. It seems impossible now, but you know its not. Real life stories like this tell something more for me than the big picture story.

There's no doubt that Rudolf Ditzen - or rather, Hans Fallada's book Every Man Dies Alone, or Alone in Berlin, is a masterpiece. This film 'adaptation' is far from it and is actually insulting the book and the true story and memory of Otto and Elise Hampel. A period drama set in Berlin during the heyday of Hitler's Nazi Party is an exceptionally ambitious, difficult and costly film to recreate, and the film maker and his team seem to me to have gone about this project in totally the wrong way - it's a confused jumble of priorities which negated the essence of the story and therefore the script completely lost sight of the intricacies and emotions of the real characters and the time in which they lived. The only real way to do justice to the novel is to serialise it as a television series; to explore the paranoia and the fear and the difficulties of living under the fascist regime, to show the poverty and hardship, the insidious mistrust of person for person, the degradation of society and the desperation of the inhabitants of Germany at that time. The film maker completely misses all of this, instead creating an atmosphere largely based on washed out colour and nothing being said. The costumes are far too neat and clean, everything is shiny and lovely and carefully placed, the casting is appalling - Emma Thompson, bless her, does pull in a good performance, but Brendan Gleeson plays himself as usual, and the detectives are just young boys completely out of their depth. And Depth is the biggest argument I have against this mockery of a great story ... there isn't any. It's superficial to say the least - only 10 percent of the characters from the original novel appear and the film maker pays little attention to those ten. It looks like it was filmed 'on the hoof' with very little thought for drama and direction, largely leaving it up to the mediocre actors to supply the viewer with the pathos needed. I wonder if when filming it more time was given over to style (which is largely inaccurate) than actual substance. This is not Alone in Berlin, it's simply a vacuous film that borrows a small idea from a truly dramatic, sad, and powerful real life story. Extremely disappointing and immature in every way.

Watched this last night and while Thompson and Gleeson were excellent as the depressed couple at the centre of events, and the film was well mounted, I still felt it lacked some necessary tension. Think what a Hitchcock would have made of the suspense in placing 200-odd anti-Nazi cards in the midst of Hitler's regime, with detectives watching out and knowing what being caught would have meant! One would also have liked a little more friction and debate between the husband and wife, more justification for the eventual plan. Instead of real drama we had necessary and moving human dignity shown by the participants, even under dire circumstances; but we realise that dignity can take the viewer a certain way but then it needs something more. Also, while a satisfying demonstration of what effect even just a little gesture can have over a period of time (even though we inevitable wonder: who did retain the missing 18 cards? What did they think and do thereafter?) the ending, while no doubt providing a closing flourish, felt a-historical. Was such an extravagant gesture an accurate representation of events? Or did the makers feel the need to give the efforts and sacrifices of their heroes something of a tangible effect to live by? But even with such caveats and questions, this is a solid and enjoyable piece of work, and one which is worth a watch.

"Alone in Berlin" is supposedly based in actual facts about a couple of working class Berliners, Otto and Elise Hampel, that after Elise's brother died in the the taking of France by the III Reich in 1940, they start a shadow campaign against Adolf Hitler by writing anonymous postcards and leave them in strategic places through the city. Well, the message of this movie directed by the actor-turned-director, Vincent Perez who also co-wrote the screenplay, based on the 1947 fictionalized novel "Every Man Dies Alone" by Hans Fallada, is that the couple (as portrayed in this film) were, in fact, hypocrites. So, before the death of their only son (everybody knows that every war is tragic, and casualties of war are, unfortunately, expected), they both were avid Nazi Party supporters, like the majority of the Germans during the early stages of the Second World War and the wife was even in a League for support the wives of soldiers in combat and encouraging them to become useful for public and factory work to help the war efforts and then suddenly, both had a change of heart and their political & social beliefs. Losing their only offspring, surely is 'hell on earth' for every caring parents, but if the son hadn't died, does the parents still started their campaign against Adolf Hitler ? Let me repeat myself that it was 1940, before the deportation of Jews & Germany was in full gas, summing victory after victory for the glory of the III Reich and the viewer must be situated in the time which the action takes place for full analyzing this peculiar case which serves the main plot of the movie and it did look indeed far-fetched & unrealistic. Technically and artistically, the movie looks good for its budget, even if it is limited in outdoor's scenarios, but it's OK in recreating Berlin in the early 40's. The pacing is too slow and nothing much happens in the middle, there's some sub-plots included, like the elderly Jewish lady who lives in the attic, just for adding a little more juice to the whole, but the final product is tasteless and a bit dull. Emma Thompson & Brendan Gleeson deliver good performances limited to the given material & Daniel Bruhl can do this type of role in his sleep, the witty & cocky German who is obstinate in his wills. Verdict: "Alone in Berlin" is a way forgettable film that give us nothing new in the subject matter, it may worth a watch for fans of this trio of actors & maybe earns an 1 or 2 extra points for the production values and i'm being generous.

Could not get past 5 minutes of this. The movie is set in Germany with everyone speaking English. Did not matter if a letter received was written in German, the actors spoke English. Unbelievable....totally. Just wasn't workable for me at all.

If Fast and Furious is to your taste, this probably isn't the film for you. If you want great actors well cast, a good story, well and lightly directed tense action (though younger viewers may confuse this with slowness), then don't miss this one. Easily one of the best films I've seen in the last six months. Brendan Gleeson plays a German machinist at the time of the second World War. His relationship with his wife (Emma Thompson) is one of a couple who have grown apart, and it is severely strained by the death in battle of their son (and only child). Initially it seems that she is the more affected by this, but a silent rage within him leads him to leave postcards critical of Hitler and the Nazis all around Berlin. She is drawn into this world; there is some reconciliation as they depart on this dangerous activity, as it draws towards its perhaps inevitable conclusion. A good supporting cast fleshes out the story which is based on true events, a story I was not previously aware of, though I am familiar with some details of the German resistance movement, such as the brother and sister members of the White Rose group, Hans and Sophie Scholl.(now there's a story!) Emma Thompson shines in this film, moving from intense grief to loving wife believably, carrying the tension of the plot at all times. Brendan Gleeson demonstrates his fine acting talent, though some may be familiar only with his 'Mad-Eye' Moody role in The Harry Potter franchise, or the hit-man in the under-rated "In Bruges". I don't idly award 'Excellents', but this film ticked all the boxes for me. Chances are you may have missed its limited release, but make sure you catch up with it when it is released on DVD.

War films are stories writ large about aggression between nations. Few of them explore small-scale human undercurrents of suppressed dissent inside the countries at war. Alone in Berlin (2016) does this by looking at an ordinary working-class couple and their compulsion to express feelings about Hitler's dictatorship at time where dissent meant certain death. It is also an essay on parental grief struggling to voice its pain of loss. Based on real events, the story opens in a small flat in Berlin where Otto Quangel (Brendan Gleeson) and his wife Anna (Emma Thompson) learn that their son has died in battle. In a long marriage that is under strain, the news pushes them further apart as they cannot console each other in grief. Otto had encouraged his son to join the Nazi army and now Anna blames him for their loss. Desperate to voice his rage against Hitler's regime, he painstakingly writes postcards and secretly leaves them on stairwells and doorways where they can be seen by passers-by: he calls them "small grains of sand in Hitler's machine". Initially he keeps Anna away from his dangerous mission, but she insists on being involved and they both become clandestine resistance fighters whose weapons are simple messages about the evils of Nazism. They manage to write and distribute over 260 cards despite extensive investigative efforts to stop them. In the process, they resurrect their marital relationship. After almost two years of card-writing they are caught and together face Nazi justice. This film has two parallel narratives that start in opposition and end in convergence: one is Otto and Anna's actions, the other is the investigation. The first is focused on the smallness of the couple's actions in contrast to the enormous risk they are taking, like a pair of mice squeaking at roaring lions. The filming, colour palette and period setting are drab and lifeless; the atmosphere is paranoid with suspicion and mistrust; and the acting is subdued and understated. Brendan Gleeson and Emma Thompson are actors with broad performance repertoires but here they are minimalist in expression and Spartan in dialogue, with much being conveyed through furtive glances or avoided eye-contact. It is a slow-moving story, observant of small details in an alienated world. This has the effect of amplifying the intensity of Otto and Anna's actions. Close-ups of a pen leaving a trail of outrage on a small white card become powerful portraits of bravery that are ultimately futile as most of the cards were handed in to authorities. The couple's nemesis is a young German investigator (Daniel Bruhl) who pursues his work with ideological fervour for the Fuhrer but whose success turns into the film's most devastating moments of despair. This is a joyless story about humble heroism. Otto and Anna are emblematic of ordinary people dealing with tragedy and anger inside a world of fear and danger. Far from being mere victims, their small protests seriously unsettled the Nazi hierarchy and the closing scenes are a tribute to the power of their "small grains of sand".

The story of Otto and Anna Quangel is unfortunately, new to me. In a time when there are so few movies with fresh stories, it is disappointing this didn't get a larger promotional budget. They were an ordinary, working class couple with one child who died in action, early in WW2. While not members of the Nazi party and personally opposed to Hitler regime, they did nothing until their only child died. In their grief and anger, they could remain silent nolonger but tried to voice their opposition in a way that would not get them killed. Their characters have quiet dignity and while the 'speaking with a German accent' is strange both Thompson and Gleeson are great. I can't help compare but 'Live by Night' with this film and the one with the large advertising budget suffers. Even the violence in this film is better because it is understated and more threatening. Daniel Brühl plays the police officer charged with the capture of the person responsible for the messages. While his character is less defined, his role in the story is interesting. There is a cast of supporting older actors who add great texture to the story as neighbours, co-workers and each contribute fresh layers of tragedy. The films release, just before the inauguration of Trump, reminds us of the consequences of silence.

This film tells the story of a German middle aged couple, who lost their only son in the second world war. They start a postcard writing campaign, and leave anti government messages all around Berlin. "Alone in Berlin" shows two seemingly insignificant individuals who risk their lives because they believe that they could change the society. The acting is very good, Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson are really wonderful in bringing their characters alive. The brief court room scene is very moving. The ending is very good, as it is an unexpectedly fulfilling ending. I did not see that change coming. I enjoyed watching it.