42/50
Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Against stupidity we have no defense
Narrative
As the world teeters on the brink of annihilation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer joins a deadly plot to assassinate Hitler, risking his faith and fate to save millions of Jews from genocide.. Niemoeller actor August Diehl previously portrayed an SS Gestapo officer in Άδωξοι πάσταρδη (2009) and a German citizen who resisted enlistment in the German army Μια κιπλή ζωή (2019)..
Reasoning is of no use
Neither protests nor force can touch it. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved -indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be brushed aside as trivial exceptions..
As a "docu-allegory," this is a solid 7; the historicity is woven in pretty well, and the fictionalized account of his death deeply Christian and compelling
But as a biography, basic mistakes (referring to the Eastern Front years before Barbarossa) and moving the ultimate scene of his death from Flossenburg with his co-conspirators to an anonymous isolated farmhouse with a random group of strangers are a bridge too far. Perhaps Germany restricts such things, but to me it was a missed opportunity to not use Flossenburg for those critical scenes, much as Sophie Scholl–the Last Days used the actual guillotine that killed Scholl in the movie.
Lingering to watch the cavalcade of quotes at the end is more than worth the time
At times, Bonhoeffer simply does not come across as the erudite theologian that he was, but more as a proof-texting Protestant. That said, this is a "must see" if you’re willing to accept broad deviations from history, and not anticipate a deep theological journey.
And that is truly a timeless message
Bonhoeffer reminds us that every generation faces its evil; that every individual must either act, or let evil have its way; and that Christ is the One to guide that choice.
