Before the Fall (2005)

Fresh and Exciting

Don't Believe the Hype

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

other perspective about the Nazi regime. maybe, more subtle. or more convincing than others. in fact, only an exercise for present the fascination and the impact of a dictatorship to the young people. the feel to be part from elite. the way to understand the truth. the disillusions. the friendship. and the truth. in simple manner. almost, as a confession. Max Riemelt and Tom Schilling are the good choices for theirs roles. the film is interesting but far to be memorable. and its virtue, its basic virtue remains the science to use a new perspective about the too well known propaganda of III Reich, using as tool an ordinary story of a young man . and this is all.

This is every bit as disturbing a film as "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" and one that should give every viewer pause regarding it's theme of man's capacity for inhumanity in the name of country and it's misguided leaders. This idea is chillingly represented by various scenes throughout the movie, but in case you don't get it, it's effectively reinforced by the Commandant of the Napola School who instructs his youthful audience that their bodies belong to Germany and The Fuhrer. With an indoctrination like that, it's not too difficult to understand how most young men selected for these Nazi elite schools would find it convenient to go along and get along with the prevailing ideology.For those who bear some personal responsibility for their actions, life under these extreme conditions becomes impossible. The suicides of Siegfried Gladen (Martin Goeres) and Albrecht Stein (Tom Schilling) underscore their personal torment and impossibility of escaping the physical and mental torture prevalent in their day to day existence. One is forced to consider - were these young men simply weak or were they instead the ones showing true courage and bravery in the face of unrelenting fascism.There's one particular scene that embodies the horror of the Nazi machine. When Friedrich's (Max Riemelt) junior class is called upon to track down escaped Russian prisoners of war, we come to find out that they were mere children, gunned down in the darkness by the Napola elite. As the critically wounded boy tended by Albrecht begins to die, a single snowflake drifts peacefully into his eye, melting in harmony with the boy's spirit which mercifully drifts away.There's one event in the picture I'm still thinking about and wondering why it wasn't addressed. During the session with the grenades, when the scared student fails to throw his weapon, the terrified trainer runs away. How is it he escaped reprimand for not living up to the ideals of Nazi ideology by sacrificing himself for his students? His action best illustrates how tyrants truly behave when faced with their own mortality, ideology be damned.

Tightly written, lyrically executed and superbly acted. The cinematography and scoring are spectacular. The portrayal of the students at the Academy is believable and poignantly played out; it's what the actors emote between the wonderfully economical dialogue that grabs at your heartstrings and puts a lump in your throat. Max Riemelt is masterfully cast as the clean cut, hard working, teen-aged Friedrich. Friedrich ennobles himself to us from the get-go with his tenderness toward his younger brother and his quickness to shield his boxing friends from harm's way. Later he becomes acutely aware what needs to be done to survive and thrive in his new elite school, yet he ultimately feels honour bound to follow his moral heart.It is wonderful to see stories about the quiet resistance of German citizens and would-be soldiers caught in the maw of the Nazi war machine finally coming to the fore. There are likely many such accounts that got lost because they ended tragically or because we weren't yet ready to hear about them. The only missing thread I would have really loved to see is a romantic interlude between Friedrich and Katarina, where she comforts him after the training manoeuvre in the forest. Her apartment, a bubble bath, schnapps... Nonetheless it's brilliant without a love story. You don't need to be boxing enthusiast or a WWII history buff to take in this movie. It's all about making challenging life choices for betterment juxtaposed with doing the right thing. Rent this movie or buy it. You'll want to watch it more than just once!

In 1942 Berlin, Friedrich, a talented young boxer, is recruited to one of Hitler's National Political Academies. What begins as a proud and exciting privilege slowly turns into disquiet, doubt and disillusionment, as the brutal truth of a flawed ideology is revealed.Gansel's exploration of the elitist extension of the Hitler Youth movement is a merciless and devastating depiction of Third Reich pomposity, corruption and ineptitude. The unquestioning exploitation of enthusiastic youth by those with authority is devastatingly portrayed, as Friedrich and his classmates face test after test in the name of the Fatherland. Uniformly outstanding performances and a chillingly real environment serve to enhance this portrayal of the desperately sad plight of so many young German men during WW2.Highly recommended.