IMDb plot summary: During WWII SS officer Kurt Gerstein tries to inform Pope Pius XII about Jews being sent to extermination camps. Young Jesuit priest Riccardo Fontana helps him in the difficult mission to inform the world.
Directed by Costa-Gavras. Starring Ulrich Tukur, Mathieu Kassovitz, Ulrich Muhe, and Michel Duchaussoy.
I found this a fascinating take on a period of history revisited *often* in cinema. The film puts forth some interesting thoughts about what a Christian's duty is while living in a country that is committing atrocities. My problem with the movie, however, is that it seems to land on that theme and then never move it forward in any way. Perhaps that mimics the frustrating arc of history, but it makes for a repetitive and equally frustrating movie as the same problem is seen from the exact same angle over and over again. It's a disappointingly circular narrative for what could have been a really captivating movie.
3 stars.
How it entered my Flickchart:
Amen. > The Fall
Amen. < The Artist
Amen. < A Matter of Life and Death
Amen. < Foolproof
Amen. > Win Win
Amen. > The Secret of NIMH
Amen. > Julie & Julia
Amen. < Stardust
Amen. > The Forbidden Kingdom
Amen. > City Lights
Final spot: #1090 out of 2466.
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