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Alone in Berlin: Review

Alone in Berlin is a film with a brilliant premise but its slow pace ultimately makes for tough viewing.

Set in Nazi Germany, the film follows Otto and Anna Quangel (Brendan Gleeson and Emma Thompson) who, upon suffering great personal tragedy, begin a campaign of resistance against the Third Reich by writing postcards with anti-Nazi messages and leave them in public places around Berlin.

What ensues is a game of out cat and mouse between the couple and police inspector Escherich (Daniel Bruhl).

This film has a lot of problems. The story itself is inspired by real-life events that are not necessarily suited to the big screen.

In the three-year period between the first and last postcards, nothing of note happens. The couple are careful and efficient and don’t look like getting caught at all.

In combating this director Vincent Perez offers dull side events and ‘close shave’ experiences, all of which fail to raise any heart rates in the audience.

As the postcards evolve, Otto becomes fixated on the term ‘free press’. His message that the Nazis cover up the truth and deny people their rights certainly strikes a chord.

At one point Anna is reading a newspaper detailing the ‘glorious victory’ at Stalingrad. She bemoans the fact that media had been taken over and cries out for someone to report the truth.

Looking at modern day parallels with WikiLeaks, Edward Snowden and Trump’s “alternative facts” begin to turn this film into an entirely relevant piece of cinema.

One thing director Vincent Perez did well is set the tone of the film. The gloomy cinematography and the long periods of silence combined with blank expressions from the protagonists leave the audience under no illusions as to the suffering of the couple.

With celebrations of Germany’s victory over France raging, their personal despair and lifeless apartment drain almost all the happiness out of the shots.

Verdict: This film offers a heartbreaking story and some effective mood-setting. However, its dull pace and lack of suspense will frustrate viewers.

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