Alone In Berlin, 2016.
Directed by Vincent Perez.
Starring Emma Thompson, Brendan Gleeson, and Daniel Bruhl.
SYNOPSIS:
In 1940, the lives of Otto and Anna Quangel are shattered by the death of their son during the German invasion of France. It prompts them to start a subversive campaign of hand written anti-Nazi postcards, encouraging people to fight back against Hitler. Most of them are handed in to the police, who start an investigation headed by a senior officer. But for the SS his progress is too slow and they start pulling the strings. Based on a true story.
This time Gleeson is paired with Emma Thompson to play Otto and Anna Quangel, an ordinary couple in the midst of their own personal turmoil. Among the flurry of World War II movies this year – Churchill earlier this month and Dunkirk arriving in July – this stands apart as a smaller, more personal story, about two people fighting back in a small way but one which clearly rattles the establishment. But there’s an even bigger difference, one that gives the film almost a novelty value. It’s set in Germany and told from a German perspective. At the start of the film, the country is celebrating the downfall of France, the Nazis are convinced that in the next year they will have won the war, confidence is sky-high and everybody is towing the party line. The landscape changes, however, so by the time 1943 comes along, the country’s fortunes have changed dramatically: there’s bombing raids on the city, buildings reduced to rubble, stricter rationing and a downturn in that confidence.
They’re the film’s plus points. As are Thompson and Gleeson, who are the real reasons for watching the film. He turns in a subtle, almost downbeat, performance as a man unable to express the agony of losing his son and turns to writing the postcards. A meticulous man, somebody who wears gloves when he writes them so as not to leave finger prints, yet who really doesn’t care about being caught. Thompson is equally strong as his wife, her face never losing the pain that goes with loss and, despite helping her husband with the campaign, she never really comes to terms with the outside world. The two share some heart breaking moments, especially when they’re briefly re-united one last time.
But there’s a downside. Given everything that’s happening on-screen – the postcard campaign, a Jewish lady living in the same mansion block as the couple and the general political climate – tension and paranoia are in surprisingly short supply. Even when the police are closing in on the couple, the overall tone is still flat and the soundtrack does little to help. It’s all very much of a monotone. And it’s undermined by incongruities. Like the police inspector (a solid Daniel Bruhl) who continually reminds everybody of his professionalism but spends most of his time looking at a low-tech map showing where the postcards have been found. Quangel had written 285 of them, but only 18 didn’t reach police hands, so they hardly succeed in stirring up dissent. The involvement of the SS appears over the top, making the police inspector’s final gesture meaningless.
Alone In Berlin isn’t without appeal, but nearly all of it comes in the shape of Thompson and Gleeson. They’re more than able to carry the film on their own, but they shouldn’t have to as the ingredients are all there to make a compelling and thought-provoking story. As it is, the end result is as low-key as those postcards.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
SEE ALSO: Check out our exclusive interview with director Vincent Perez here
Freda Cooper. Follow me on Twitter, check out my movie blog and listen to my podcast, Talking Pictures.
Originally published June 28, 2017. Updated November 30, 2022.
