''Alone in Berlin'' is a 2016

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film which was directed by

Vincent Pérez Vincent Perez (born 10 June 1964) is a Swiss actor, director and photographer. He played the title character, Ashe Corven, in '' The Crow: City of Angels'', and starred in ''Queen of the Damned'', playing Marius de Romanus. Some of his films in ...

and written by Pérez and

Achim von Borries Achim von Borries (born 13 November 1968) is a German screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography References External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borries, Achim von 1968 births Living people Mass media people from Munich ...

. It is based on the 1947 fictionalised true story '' Every Man Dies Alone'', by

Hans Fallada Hans Fallada (; born Rudolf Wilhelm Friedrich Ditzen; 21 July 18935 February 1947) was a German writer of the first half of the 20th century. Some of his better known novels include '' Little Man, What Now?'' (1932) and ''Every Man Dies Alone'' ...

. The novel's characters Otto and Anna Quangel are based on

Otto and Elise Hampel Otto and Elise Hampel were a working class German couple who created a simple method of protest against Nazism in Berlin during the middle years of World War II. They wrote postcards denouncing Hitler's government and left them in public pla ...

. When their son dies in France, the couple start writing postcards to urge people to protest against

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

and the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. The film stars

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

Brendan Gleeson Brendan Gleeson (born 29 March 1955) is an Irish actor and film director. He is the recipient of three IFTA Awards, two British Independent Film Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award and has been nominated twice for a BAFTA Award and four times for ...

Daniel Brühl Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo (; born 16 June 1978) is a Spanish-German actor and filmmaker. He received his first German Film Award for Best Actor for his roles in '' Das Weisse Rauschen (The White Sound)'' (2001), ''Nichts ...

, and

Mikael Persbrandt Mikael Åke Persbrandt (; born 25 September 1963) is a Swedish actor. In Swedish films, he is perhaps best known for playing Gunvald Larsson in the ''Beck'' series of movies. He is internationally known for his starring role in the Academy Award ...

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

began on 27 March 2015 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. It was selected to compete for the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear (german: Goldener Bär) is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin. History The winn ...

at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.

Plot

In 1940, a working-class couple in World War II-era Berlin,

Otto Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', ''Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded fro ...

and Anna Quangel, decide to resist

and the

Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

after receiving news of the death of their only son. Their growing resistance to the regime is also strengthened by the fate of an old Jewish woman living in their building. Although the official deportation of Jews to death camps had not yet started, Jews have no recourse to any legal protection. Ruthless Nazis — and "non-ideological" common criminals — use the opportunity to loot the old woman's apartment with impunity. Despite the efforts of the Quangels and other kind neighbors to help her, the persecution ends with the old woman jumping to her death from a high window. The couple starts writing

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

s to urge people to stand against Hitler and the Nazis and protest against them by furtively placing the cards in public places - a capital crime. Their first card reads: "Mother, Hitler Killed My Son. He Will Kill Your Son Too". At first, Otto wants to do it all by himself, warning Anna, "They hang women, too!" She, however, insists on taking part in this dangerous activity. While in the beginning of the film the couple's marriage seems to have dried up and they are unable to console each other for the loss of their son, their shared risk and commitment brings them closer. In effect, they fall in love with each other again.

Gestapo The (), abbreviated Gestapo (; ), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of Prussia into one organi ...

inspector Escherich is charged with finding the source of the postcards. He is a professional police detective acting out of career pride rather than Nazi ideology. During three years of painstakingly gathering clues about the "

Hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nigh ...

" (as he calls the mysterious writer of the postcards), Escherich develops an increasing respect for this elusive unknown opponent. Because of his lack of progress, Escherich is beaten up by the obviously impatient SS senior officer and forced to summarily execute a man whom he is certain has no connection with these subversive postcards. After some postcards accidentally fall from Otto's pocket at work, he is exposed and arrested. He remains stoic about the certain death sentence awaiting him and tries in vain to take all the blame on himself and save Anna. After the couple have been executed, Escherich is alone in his office. He gathers up the couple's hundreds of postcards, scatters them from the open window of the police headquarters, and then shoots himself. The film ends with the image of the postcards swirling in the wind, falling down on the Berlin streets and being picked up by passersby.

Cast

as Anna Quangel *

as Otto Quangel *

as Inspector Escherich *

as Standartenführer Prall *

Monique Chaumette Monique Chaumette (born 4 April 1927) is a French actress. She appeared in more than forty films since 1958. She was married to Philippe Noiret Philippe Noiret (; 1 October 1930 – 23 November 2006) was a French film actor. Life and career No ...

as Frau Rosenthal *

Joachim Bissmeier Joachim (; ''Yəhōyāqīm'', "he whom Yahweh has set up"; ; ) was, according to Christian tradition, the husband of Saint Anne and the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus. The story of Joachim and Anne first appears in the Biblical apocryphal ...

as Herr Fromm *

Lars Rudolph Lars Rudolph (born 18 August 1966) is a German actor and musician. He appeared in more than ninety films since 1984. He won the Max-Ophüls-Preis in 1997. Partial filmography References External links * 1966 births Living people G ...

as Enno Kluge * Louis Hofmann as Hans Quangel *

Godehard Giese Godehard Giese (born 1972) is a German actor, known for his roles in ''Deutschland 83''. and ''Babylon Berlin''. Life Giese attended Sankt-Ansgar-Schule in Hamburg in his childhood. He studied at Berlin University of the Arts from 1997 to 20 ...

as Colonel Krüger *

Jacob Matschenz Jacob Matschenz (born 1984, Berlin) is a German actor. He is notable for film and television work including '' The Wave'' (2008), '' 12 Paces Without a Head'' (2009) and ''The Sinking of the Laconia'' (2010). He won the Adolf Grimme Award Th ...

as Dietrich Necker * Katharina Schüttler as Claire Gehrich

Production

's '' Every Man Dies Alone'' was published posthumously in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

in 1947 and was praised by

Primo Levi Primo Michele Levi (; 31 July 1919 – 11 April 1987) was an Italian chemist, partisan, writer, and Jewish Holocaust survivor. He was the author of several books, collections of short stories, essays, poems and one novel. His best-known works ...

, writer and survivor of

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

, as "the greatest book ever written about German resistance to the Nazis". It was previously adapted as

Alfred Vohrer Alfred Vohrer (29 December 1914 – 3 February 1986) was a German film director and actor. He directed 48 films between 1958 and 1984. His 1969 film ''Seven Days Grace'' was entered into the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. His 1972 ...

's ''

Everyone Dies Alone ''Everyone Dies Alone'' / ''Alone in Berlin'' (Original title: ''Jeder stirbt für sich allein'') is a 1976 West German drama film adapted from the Hans Fallada novel '' Every Man Dies Alone''. The book was based on the story of two ordinary Germ ...

'' in 1975, along with

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

and East German made-for-television dramas in 1962 and 1970. Marco Pacchioni and

bought the rights to the novel in 2007. Upon publication of its English translation in 2009, it became a "surprise bestseller" in both the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. On 14 May 2014, it was announced that Pérez would direct the film based on an adaptation he cowrote with

Achim von Borries Achim von Borries (born 13 November 1968) is a German screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography References External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borries, Achim von 1968 births Living people Mass media people from Munich ...

Mark Rylance Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (born 18 January 1960) is a British actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen having received numerous awards including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Laurenc ...

, and

were named for the principal roles. It was produced by X-Filme's

Stefan Arndt Stefan Arndt (born 1961) is a German film producer and managing partner of X-Filme Creative Pool, which he started with fellow friends Tom Tykwer, Wolfgang Becker and Dani Levy. X-Filme is one of Germany's most prosperous and famous production c ...

and Uwe Schott ( German rights), Master Movies' Marco Pacchioni ( French rights) and Filmwave's Christian Grass and Paul Trijbits, and

James Schamus James Allan Schamus (born September 7, 1959) is an American screenwriter, producer, business executive, film historian, professor, and director. He is a frequent collaborator of Ang Lee, the co-founder of the production company Good Machine, a ...

. On 26 March 2015, Rylance was replaced by

. Other crew members included cinematographer

Christophe Beaucarne Christophe Beaucarne, SBC is a Belgian cinematographer. He is the son of the poet Julos Beaucarne. He is a member of '' Association Française des directeurs de la photographie Cinématographique'' (AFC). He received the Magritte Award for Best C ...

, production designer Jean-Vincent Puzos, and editor François Gédigier. Alison Thompson handled most foreign sales for the film through her Sunray Films, although

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

released it in French-speaking areas. The director dedicated the film "in memory of

guillotined for having written and circulated cards against the Nazi regime between 1940 and 1943."

Filming

on the film began on 27 March 2015 in

. It was also shot in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

and

Görlitz Görlitz (; pl, Zgorzelec, hsb, Zhorjelc, cz, Zhořelec, :de:Ostlausitzer Mundart, East Lusatian dialect: ''Gerlz'', ''Gerltz'', ''Gerltsch'') is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is located on the Lusatian Neisse River, and ...

Reception

''Alone in Berlin'' was first screened at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2016. Tara Brady of ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' wrote:

"Despite a terrific triumvirate of performances from Gleeson, Thompson, and Brühl, and soft lensing from cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne, ''Alone in Berlin'' is hampered by stodgy pacing, budgetary constraints, and drab interiors. Against this, the film offers a fascinating and timely blueprint for political dissent, a methodology that connects with pamphleteering, graffiti, and memes."

In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Peter Bradshaw wrote, "More than once, 'Alone in Berlin' reminded me of

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary ''Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. 6 ...

's M." Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gives the film an approval rating of based on reviews from critics, with an average rating of . The film received a score of 52 on the critical aggregator website

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

References

External links

* * {{Vincent Perez 2016 films Films based on German novels Films based on non-fiction books German war drama films World War II films based on actual events Films about Nazi Germany Drama films based on actual events Films set in 1940 British remakes of German films French war drama films British war drama films Films directed by Vincent Pérez Films produced by James Schamus Films scored by Alexandre Desplat Pathé films Films about the German Resistance English-language French films English-language German films British World War II films German World War II films French World War II films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films 2010s French films 2010s German films