Summary: The story of a photojournalist (Nina Hoss) deals with the occupation of Berlin by the Red Army in WWII. She tries to live through the terror while her husband is away at war. She soon finds the atrocities of war and the savage natures of men and must do what is necessary to survive. It's based on a true story of an anonymous German woman's diary although she has been named after death by historians.
Review: I think some of the movie was lost in translation to me as I did have some minor difficulties in following (maybe I shouldn't multi-task as much). It was still an enjoyable watch, but I thought it would have been more graphic to emphasize the drama in the scene. The music wasn't poor, but I felt the melancholic mood of the movie should have been contrasted more with fleeting moments of life and the anger on both sides. I did think Nina Hoss did a decent job of portraying the character, but I think there could have been a better actress for the part. I don't think it was lost in translation because acting shouldn't require me to understand the language and the body movements should transcend culture.
Further Question/Theme/Philosophy: Why did the Germans suppress this story after the war? Was it really rape or more of a quid pro quo deal? How atrocious were the German crimes in other places? Should "revenge" ever be condoned?
Power Rating (Out of 5): 3 I thought it was a decent watch and enjoyed the foreign languages even though I couldn't tell when they were speaking Russian or German. I thought the film could have been a lot better because it's such a dramatic tale, and I wonder how much did it deviate from the book. I also think the connection between the woman and the Russian commander was made too much for a movie when in real life it was just rape by a man that wasn't as "forced."
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