In German with English and Chinese Subtitles
Genre: Drama
Director: Marc Rothemund
Starring: Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Alexander Held, André Hennicke
RunTime: 1 hr 57 mins
Released By: Archer Entertainment APPL & GV
Rating: PG
Official Website: http://www.archerentasia.com/sophieschollthemovie/

Release Date: 10 August 2006

Synopsis :

The true story of Germany’s most famous anti-Nazi heroine is brought to thrilling life in the multi-award winning drama SOPHIE SCHOLL—THE FINAL DAYS. Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, SOPHIE SCHOLL stars Julia Jentsch in a luminous performance as the young coed-turned-fearless activist. Armed with long-buried historical records of her incarceration, director Marc Rothemund expertly re-creates the last six days of Sophie Scholl’s life: a heart-stopping journey from arrest to interrogation, trial and sentence. In 1943, as Hitler continues to wage war across Europe, a group of college students mount an underground resistance movement in Munich. Dedicated expressly to the downfall of the monolithic Third Reich war machine, they call themselves the White Rose. One of its few female members, Sophie Scholl is captured during a dangerous mission to distribute pamphlets on campus with her brother Hans. Unwavering in her convictions and loyalty to the White Rose, her cross-examination by the Gestapo quickly escalates into a searing test of wills as Scholl delivers a passionate call to freedom and personal responsibility that is both haunting and timeless. SOPHIE SCHOLL—THE FINAL DAYS received three Lolas (German Oscars) including the Audience Award and Best Actress Award to Jentsch for her brilliant characterization of the title role. Jentsch also won Best Actress at the European Film Awards and the film also won two Silver Bears for Best Director and Best Actress at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival.

Movie Review:

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days might seem to many like a redundant exercise in the exaltation of morality and the conviction of the human spirit during Nazi Germany, given the wealth of sophisticated docudramas that have come out of Germany which surround that dark period in the world’s history. While it can be indulgent and to some extent even unnecessary, there is something to be said for the continued condemnation of the Nazi regime, especially by the Germans themselves. Something that Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch), her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) and a friend, Christoph Probst (Florian Stetter) had given their lives for on February 22, 1943.

Director, Marc Rothemund’s succinct and pointed description of the days leading up to their executions is an admirable and noble effort to recreate the legendary figure of Sophie Scholl, a member of the non-violent underground movement called The White Rose during Nazi Germany. She was one of the few who actively and publicly rallied against the war and its leaders during a time of rampant executions and persecutions for dissenters. Her youthful joie de vivre displayed in the opening scenes is quickly juxtaposed with her unrelenting activism when she rushes off to a White Rose meeting, which sets off the chain of events that led to her demise. Spanning just 5 days, what we get is the complete and evolved character of Sophie Scholl, showing why her consistent strength in character and formidable personality still resonates through Germany today. And at the crux of it all, Sophie’s resonating and powerful indictments of a totalitarian regime that she was accused of subverting.

The courtroom transcripts and quotes from actual interrogations by both Sophie and her interrogator, Robert Mohr (Alexander Held) were used verbatim in the film. Almost becoming an extra figure in the history of the proceedings, it unravels with a newly ignited interest. Recently discovered after the reunification of Germany, Rothemund uses these documents skillfully enough that it adds even more intensity and veracity to scenes between Scholl and her adversaries, setting it apart from any of the previous depictions of the last days of Sophie Scholl.

The suspense and gripping dialogue derives straight from historical and viva voce reports of the time. It plays out like a crime procedural akin to Law & Order. Taking very few creative allowances, Rothemund creates an austere and verite account of Sophie’s last days from the historical material. Despite the underplayed style and rigid structure of bureaucracy involved in the narrative, the strength of the performances and atmosphere compensates for the lack of visual authority employed.

Much has been said about Jentsch’s masterful performance that won her the Best Actress awards from the Berlin International Film Festival, the German Oscars and the European Film Awards. The little things entrenched in her performance and in the dialogue become so salient when there’s a performance this minimalist and subdued during moments of controlled fear and pained expressions during her guilt-fueled realisation of the fates others shared.

There’s a surprising layer of depth in Held’s portrayal of the Gestapo’s Mohr. Initially, prejudiced against her age and gender, he is intrigued by her as she starts to wear her heart on her sleeves after the eventual confession. Almost as if torn between his duty towards the law, albeit flawed and to his own conscience after betraying his better angels. He is almost convinced by Sophie’s conviction in her beliefs and audacious attempts at enlightening him with the maelstrom of unsettling actualities all around him. But there’s no belying his outlook for a better Germany, even though he is clearly shaken by her indomitable spirit. He even reaches out to her by throwing out a lifeline if she renounces her political beliefs in writing. You just can’t help but wonder if Mohr’s ignorant fate was worse than Sophie’s.

Just as there is a flash of admiration in the rigid demeanour of Mohr’s, there is nothing but contempt dealt by the Judge Roland Freisler (Andre Hennicke). Sneering at Scholl’s overt idealism and political outlook, he symbolises the arrogant and Draconian measures that the constitution under Hitler resembled.

The subtext of Sophie’s religion is a strong indication of her personality and her overlying conscience. The extent of her dedication to Christianity, although not fully explored, is touched on during her brief incarceration and her final words when she is led to her death, her martyrdom sealed when the atavistic execution method is revealed.

One can’t help but feel a certain sense of irony in how history repeats itself when it seems to draw parallels of past and present. While Germany fights an unwinnable war (“Hitler can only prolong the war,” reads a White Rose leaflet) and as the US and Israel fight a war in the Middle East, opponents of the war are ostracised by its proponents. It certainly becomes noteworthy at the end when the Scholls’ heralds the downfall of those who handed the judgment down.

Movie Rating:

(A compelling docudrama that pulls no punches, a worthy nominee for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars)

Review by Justin Deimen