Bonhoeffer: The Film That DARES to Call Nazis Cringe—But OMG, That Hitler?!
Alright, my little drama-loving darlings, we NEED to talk about Bonhoeffer! This film is taking on a huge, messy, still-so-relevant political subject—Nazi Germany, resistance, moral dilemmas—but guess what? No stuffy history lecture vibes here! They did it with tension, drama, and not a single metaphorical lightbulb in sight.
And honey, August Diehl and Moritz Bleibtreu? CHEF’S KISS. These two carried the film harder than I carry group projects. Every scene between them was dripping with intensity, and let’s just say the budget was BUDGETING. Real props, real guns, real vintage cars? Love that for us! Nothing takes me out of a period piece faster than cheap plastic nonsense, and this film said, “Not on our watch.” Respect. And best of all? It never felt too long! Imagine that—an actually well-paced war film. Miracles do happen!
But babes, we need to talk about the negatives because… yikes. Time jumps? Love a good one, but this film went overboard. I was getting timeline whiplash. And then THE BIGGEST FLOP OF THEM ALL: HITLER. Whoever cast this man needs to be investigated. This was not a terrifying, manipulative dictator—this was a history teacher at a bad school play, and not even the good kind that gets a standing ovation from proud parents. Like, how did this make it to the final cut?!
And listen, the dialogue… kinda forgettable. Some lines felt like they got stuck on repeat, and at times, the characters sounded more like motivational speakers than real people. Plus, people were still getting applause for speaking out against the Nazis in 1939??? Honey, the delusion. By then, speaking out wasn’t getting anyone cheers—it was getting them a one-way ticket to a very bad time.
But here’s where the film really fumbled the bag: It was basically always positive. Like, I get it, resistance movies are supposed to be inspiring, but this was giving “mild inconvenience” instead of “actual danger.” Bonhoeffer was out here risking his entire family, but the movie just shrugged and said, “Yeah, that’s fine.” The only thing it really got mad at? Murder. Which, okay, fair, but maybe let’s also acknowledge that playing resistance hero in Nazi Germany wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows???
Final verdict? Bonhoeffer is an important, well-made film that actually spends its money wisely (a rare sight in Hollywood these days), but the time jumps, weak dialogue, and whatever fever dream that Hitler casting was? OOF. See it for the performances and the realism—but prepare for some head-scratching moments along the way.
5/10