Beautiful, moving film.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

What a fantastic examination of contrasts! The scope of the actions of our protagonists is minuscule compared to the danger they face if/when caught. The quite indignation and passion of our bereaved parents is palpably examined in their mundane circumstances and amplified a thousand times by the fine pacing, acting and -especially- the use of sparse but pointed dialog. Absolutely excellent casting, especially Gleason. I can not think of any film which so brutally and undramatically depicts the life of ordinary German citizens living under the Nazi regime, a truly poignant depiction of ordinary emotion existing in a sea of madness. ALONE IN BERLIN is not to be missed!

Gleeson & Thompson just don't gel as the grieving couple , but blame that on the writers. The couple are cold towards each other especially while out of earshot of others while in their apartment, they never talk about the son they lost, never talk about what he was like as a child or how they felt when he went to war. In one scene they celebrate the son's birthday but that is very quick and not a total expression of the true loss. Both actors do what they can with the little they got, but unfortunately for me it was not enough. In reality what was the point? A german couple certainly could not change anything with this idea they had and nothing was known of it till 2009. The story is lost in boredom even though it is based on a true account but that too is a fictional synopses of what happened at the time. The problem I have with this story is if the son had not died during the war then his parents would have happily continued to support hitler.

Once again, World War II turns up another true story of quiet valour to turn into a motion picture. At a time when Trump is pontificating about so called "fake news", here is a timely tale from history which centres on the battle against genuinely fake news: the Nazi propaganda machine. After losing their only son in the French campaign, Berliners Otto (Brendan Gleeson,"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") and Anna (Emma Thompson, "Saving Mr Banks") turn against the regime and in repeated acts of rebellion Otto laboriously hand writes subversive postcards to leave in office blocks around Berlin.Out to catch him is local police investigator Escherich (Daniel Brühl) but in an age before CCTV that's no easy task and with increasing SS pressure the stakes for Escherich steadily increase. For Otto and Anna, the stress is there but both are resigned to their fate: with their son stolen from them for an unjust cause they are an island of indifference in an unholy land. Both are 'alone in Berlin?After 70 years it still chills the blood to see German locations decked out in Nazi regalia, but one of the joys of this film is this rendering of life in wartime Berlin: starting with jubilation at German progress prior to D-Day and turning to despair and genuine danger as the tide turns towards 1945. In a pretty bleak film there are touches of black comedy now and then: Otto's carpentry company is being encouraged "by the Fuhrer" to double and triple their output… of coffins. More joy comes from the star turns of Gleeson and Thompson, both of who deliver on their emotionally challenging roles. Gleeson in particular makes a very believable German with a sour demeanour and a steely determination. But the star acting turn for me goes to the wonderful Daniel Brühl ("Rush") as the tormented police detective, bullied into an ethical corner by the SS. The finale of the film – whilst not seeming quite believable – makes for a nicely unexpected twist.Based on a novel by Hans Fallada, the lead writing credits for the piece are shared between Achim von Borries and the director Vincent Perez – in a rare directorial outing for the Swiss actor. The script exudes a melancholic gloom and at times expresses beautifully both the grief and love shared by this older couple. But some of the dialogue needs more work and we don't see enough of Thompson in the early part of the film where her motivations should be being developed. This rather comes down to a lack of focus by the director. While the primary story of the card distribution is slight, it is compelling and a detour into a sub-story about an old Jewish lodger living upstairs is unnecessary and detracts from the overall story arc. I would have far preferred if the running time had been a tight 90 minutes just focused on Otto's mission. One final comment on the script: did I mishear that Anna claimed to have a 6 year old child during an air raid scene? I know Emma Thompson looks great for her age, but…. I can't finish this without commending the beautiful piano score of Alexandre Desplat. From the first note I knew it was him – he has such a characteristic style – and his clever use of the score complements the film exquisitely. "Small" films like this tend to rather disappear into the woodwork for Oscar consideration, but here's a soundtrack that I think should be considered: (but what do I know… when "Nocturnal Animals" wasn't even nominated in one of the Oscar crimes of the century!).In summary, I found this a thoughtful and thought-provoking film, that – despite some of the mean reviews I've seen – I thought was well crafted and with excellent production design by Jean-Vincent Puzos ("Amour"). It will be particularly appreciated by older audiences looking for an untold story from the war, and by all lovers of fine acting performances by the three leads. (For the full graphical review please visit http://bob-the-movie-man.com. Thanks!).

Atmospheric, understated, shot mainly in B&W, convincing sotto voce performances from two superb actors/actresses - Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson - plus the less-known but still excellent Daniel Brühl, a Spaniard who plays an extremely convincing German, probably because he was largely brought up in Germany.Based on a true story from a novel (so it seems), it moves, movingly, to its final conclusion. There are few moments of definite dramatic tension and once the scene has been set, the plot plays out to its inevitable conclusion so, I guess, there was no real need.Why they changed the original title from Letter from Berlin is something only the producers/director know but the original makes far ore sense than Alone in Berlin.It's interesting to see that movies about 'the war' are still being made and it's absolutely essential that current and up-coming generations do not forget the madness and sheer inhumanity of it all, the acceptance of and the arrogance of the status quo at that time. We really need desperately reminding of that because, as we know, history repeats itself and the ignorant are out with their blinkers.If you want to take something away from this movie, take the knowledge that even small actions can have a ripple effect, that one person can make a difference and that without sustained opposition and resistance, evil will spread. It will, it does, we know this from history and current events, yet it's something we all ignore! It seems to be the way humans are wired. But don't let society wire you that way. Watch the movie and be inspired by selfless acts of bravery.