God on Trial (2008)

How sad is this?

Captivating movie !

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Most television dramas are a complete waste of time. This is not the case with God on Trial which is one of the best films I have ever seen on TV. The questions asked throughout the 84 minutes are right on target. A group of prisoners at Auschwitz; some of whom are awaiting execution, the others unsure of their fate, debate the meaning of God's supposed covenant with the Jewish people.I am not Jewish & I don't believe any one group of people are chosen above all others because of their religion. I was told that the Catholic Church was the one true one in my childhood. Muslims are taught that Allah is the true path. Hindus believe in another God. It leads us all on a dangerous path.This film is made for people not afraid to search within themselves no matter what they believe. I was very impressed.

Inmates at Auschwitz put god on trial for breaking the covenant.This was run earlier in the season as part of Masterpiece's (theater) modern block of tales. Based on an actual trial it is a deeply effecting story about a group of men attempting to find out why God has abandoned them and whether he has broken the agreement that he made with their forefathers. It is set entirely within one barracks during the time that then are waiting to have their numbers called when those chosen will go off to die, for it seems that a train has arrived early and there is no place for the new arrivals.It is a heady discussion of despair and hope. Has god abandoned them? Does god exist? What is the nature of god? These are the thoughts of men waiting to die, men with little left to lose. It is a discussion that will get your mind working. The answers they come up with might surprise you.The film will also touch you. I tend to be immune to Holocaust tales with name stars in it since the pretty faces never seem to be in anything more than a dress up tale, but here I was moved. The cast which includes Dominic Cooper, Stephen Dillane, Rupert Graves, Anthony Sher and Stellan Skarsgård is first rate with only Skarsgård recognizable under the dirt and bruises. In most films of this sort the filmmakers hit certain cliché marks, but none of that is here, it is simply men waiting to be chosen, pondering their existence and their humanity. I should point out that the film is cross cut across time with a tour of the barracks and the gas chambers now. The modern story is not intrusive and in its way it actually helps move things along with one of the final scenes very likely to bring tears to your eyes.I highly recommend this film to anyone who wondered about god and the death of 12 million people or just about god in general

Despite opening with a rather clumsy narrative device for framing the story, this film is almost entirely set in a dormitory block in Auschwitz. The Jewish men in the block have already been divided into who will die tonight and who will not, while new arrivals are poured into the block a day earlier than expected. What comes out of this environment is a sort of trial where God is in the dock accused of breaking his covenant with the Jewish people – a debate about his actions, inactions and motivations if you will. It doesn't sound like a lot of fun to watch and indeed it sat on my HDR for quite some time before I recently got round to being in the mood for it (on a Saturday night weirdly enough, which probably says a lot about me). Seeing for myself I must admit to not being as won over by it as most other viewers seem to have been and I'm not sure if it me "not getting it" or others reviewing their feelings on the Holocaust generally rather than this film.You see, the film is moving towards the end for reasons that should be obvious given the subject but for the vast majority the focus is on the discussion/trial between the men. This aspect is not as emotive but it did have the potential to be challenging and insightful. Mostly it is, and I found my attention easily held as different opinions were raised and evidence examined. The problem with it is that it is never as good or thought-provoking as I expected it to be. At times it is challenging but at others it seems less coherent and the "trial" structure weakens at these points. It is very good at times though and it was a shame that in some regards the final bookend scene felt like too neat a summary of the questions considering the emotion that had gone before, not quite a cop-out perhaps but not a million miles away from it either.Where the film doesn't have a single problem is with the cast because every one of them is excellent. To pick one out would be unfair and Skarsgård, Dillane, Sher, Sheppard and all others are passionate and convincing. DeEmmony directs well within such a tight space – keeping it part of the story of course, but not letting it constrict the ability of the camera to get in and around the characters; although the material remains the feel of a play in regards the dialogue, the film certainly doesn't look like filmed theatre.So mostly God on Trial is excellent, full of passionate performances, engaging dialogue and a real sense of place. It is not a massive problem that it feels like it doesn't deliver in the end and that the final scene itself just feels weak and convenient, flying in the face of everything that had gone before. Not as perfect as some have suggested here but still a very good piece of television drama from BBC2.

I recently visited Auschwitz and Birkenau and was deeply moved by the whole experience it was life changing, so when I saw this drama advertised I was compelled to watch it. It certainly did not disappoint and further cemented the feelings I had following my visit to the camps.The setting for the drama was the hut where the prisoners lived crammed into spaces to overcrowding, five to a bunk, although the drama portrayed the terrible discomfort endured by the men, nothing can compare with actually standing in one of those huts and feeling such unimaginable despair, even in the 21stC. You cannot fail to be moved by the whole experience.The drama was excellent, sensitive and truly thought provoking and should be included in our school curriculum. It is not hard to see why these events provoked great tests of faith borne with great dignity.