'Bonhoeffer' Review

Angel Studios’ grounded depiction of a relatively unknown hero makes for a fun and thought-provoking thriller

As a fan of rock music, I was instantly entranced upon seeing the trailer for Bonhoeffer, as it was ingeniously crafted with Disturbed’s cover of the song “The Sound of Silence”. At first glance, the film looks to be just another movie covering the confusion and uncertainty surrounding the Nazis’ rise to power and the assassination attempts made against Adolf Hitler. This assumption proved to be incredibly false within minutes of the film's opening. Todd Komarnicki’s Bonhoeffer goes out of its way to be so much more than just another war drama. It is perhaps one of the most thought-provoking movies to be released this year and will take any viewer on an emotional ride with two central messages in mind: love will always be stronger than hate, and silence or neutrality sometimes has the potential to be as harmful as speaking evil.

Similarly to All Quiet on the Western Front, Fury, and Band of Brothers, Bonhoeffer invites viewers to consider some of the darkest periods in human history and how they shaped the common man. Specifically it focuses on those who are just figuring out how the world works, coming of age, and the acceptance of their situation. Unlike these movies however, Komarnicki does not rely on the sheer brutality of warfare or epic battles to convey the film’s messages. Instead, he keeps the audience grounded in the reality of the Nazi rule in Germany using basic dialogue, characterization, and his understanding of what religion means to the individual. It goes as far as to compare and contrast Nazi Germany to the hate and racism in other parts of the world, primarily early to mid 20th century America. The action itself is kept in the background for the most part and is only used to establish the setting of a scene as opposed to being an integral part of the plot. In all honesty, this feels like a refreshing change of pace. Komarnicki could have easily created some spectacular homage to the military in the scenes with aerial bombardment, instead we hardly see any major military force outside of the Gestapo, high ranking Nazi officers, and Hitler himself.

The casting of the film is extremely well done, with each major character being instrumental to the development of Dietrich Bonhoeffer as a character. There are some recognizable faces from larger and more famous Hollywood projects such as Flula Borg (Pitch Perfect 2) and August Diehl (A Hidden Life, Inglourious Basterds). However, it doesn’t rely on one bombastic performance of a big-name actor to carry the story, and it doesn’t have to. Jonas Dassler, a young and passionate stage actor brings out the fiery youth and naivety of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Dassler’s performance is exceptionally captivating and takes the audience on a genuine emotional rollercoaster. He can remain quiet in volume, yet deliver lines that are extremely powerful and tug right at the heart.

Since Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor and theologian, religion is of course a massive part of the component of this film, specifically focusing on what occurred in Germany when Nazi ideology blinded the age-old teachings of Christianity, namely that everyone is equal in the eyes of God. Throughout the film, we come to witness an awakening in August Diehl’s character that gives the audience a physical representation of what would happen to those who condemned such people. It offers up some interesting questions and conversations outside of the major plot as well; a particular favorite occurs when Dietrich Bonhoeffer is being asked about ‘meeting the Lord’ by Reverend Powell (Clarke Peters).

The setting and general time period of the film flips back and forth as Dietrich Bonhoeffer studies religious theology and his progressive loss of innocence and general character growth. While a majority of these chronological transitions are marked, the progression of the plot and the overall continuity could be handled far better. There comes a point later in the film where Dietrich becomes more involved with attempting to overthrow Hitler and it feels like everything progresses very fast, to a point that there was a lot to digest at once. On top of this there are several very heartwarming and plot-critical scenes that happen back to back, with a few feeling exceptionally dark from a lighting standpoint. In fact, this issue, while minimal, seemed to be present throughout the film. The lighting certainly was not the worst I have ever seen, but there were several points where it felt like it had been set up haphazardly. Furthermore, there is too much ‘Deus ex machina’ seemingly at work in some areas as well which makes the viewing experience quite jarring. An audience needs time to process elements of the plot, especially one that deals with several moving components and need for basic historical relevance and accuracy.

It's these exact aspects that have held reviewers back from fully appreciating the work of art that Komarnicki is presenting, and it is easy to say why. There are several scenes in the film that are confirmed to be completely fictionalized, and created for the sake of Hollywood, viewer interest, and character development. One of the most notable being the exciting scene where Bonhoeffer plays jazz with a band at a Harlem club; it is extremely uplifting and meant to showcase the beginning of Dietrich’s unique perspective on life, religion, and politics. This followed by the fictionalized scene of a violent, racially charged encounter between Dietrich, his friend Frank, and a hotel manager does feel like a rushed attempt to justify the character path that Bonhoeffer will take later in the film.

All of that being said we must remember as moviegoers and cinephiles, that most biopics to this date tend to embellish the truth. It is important for us to remember that while films are always meant to inform the viewer, they are also made to entertain and keep us in a seat stuffing our face with popcorn for two hours. Good cinema keeps the viewer immersed in the story and enthralled in the perspectives being brought to the silver screen, and for the most part that is exactly what Bonhoeffer is. Todd Komarnicki seeks to teach the audience critical lessons about history, religion, politics, and most importantly, tell the story of a righteous man who the average American probably knows little about. This film offers a unique perspective during a war that has had pretty much every major myth, story, and legend brought to life in Hollywood, and a refreshing change of pace in an emotional character-driven thriller.