There have been countless stories about World War 2 and the events that led up to it but all of them are significant of course. World War 2 represented the most dire moment in human history that all wise men that came before it feared: an attempt by One Man to take over the entire human race.
That being said there were many heroes who came to power in that dire moment to stop him (Adolf Hitler of course) and each story deserves to be told and examined for the sake of future generations and a warning to future madmen. The latest in that long line of stories is Bonhoeffer.
Bonhoeffer tells the story of a German priest, Dietrich Bonhoeffer , who's fish out of water condition due to his travels to America before World War 2, armed him with knowledge and tactic in dealing with the rise of a world dictator in his own country. Before the danger is realized Bonhoeffer had befriended Black American New Yorkers and their church / culture. Exposing him to the plight of an oppressed, Jim Crow era, blacks. He learned that some foes of minorities are hard to put down but resistance is not futile, it is mandatory. He then took those lessons with him back to his home country, Germany, which had slowly transformed into a Jew hating society following the madman, Adolf Hitler.
Bonhoeffer is a film carefully crafted. It pays attention to the emotional development of it's historical figure lead character and tries to give the audience the exact feeling that a man would face if he dared to stand up to blatant acts of evil. As most of us already know, this is no easy task because once in the target hairs of men who will do anything for power your time grows short and once more, the time of loved ones and friends. For they become targets too!
Pace-wise the film moves along grandly. You never once get bored. All the actors seem to belong there, not demanded there by some aggressive Hollywood agent. The emotional scenes are direct and to the point. And although we've seen similar stories countless times (past WW 2 centered films), this one is better because it gives an unusual perspective of a German citizen / priest dealing with mutually respective Black American citizen church goers. All of which realize that if someone doesn't act the world is going to become sludge under a dictator's army's boots!
Bonhoeffer is the man of the hour as he dares to defy the growing threat to mankind at it's start (before the actual intercontinental fighting began). And the realization that Hitler was even trying to REWRITE THE BIBLE to favor his Nazi propaganda was quite amazing!
You walk away from this film respecting and understanding how big of a bullet the world dodged thanks to men and women of courage during that terrible time in history.
Posted 11/22/2024
