Germania anno zero
Directed by:
Roberto RosselliniCinematography:
Robert JuillardComposer:
Renzo RosselliniCast:
Edmund Moeschke, Ernst Pittschau, Ingetraud Hinze, Erich Gühne, Franz-Otto Krüger, Jo Herbst, Babsi Schultz-Reckewell, Barbara HintzPlots(1)
In the devastated remains of post-war Germany, 12-year-old Edmund lives with his family and five other families in a battered apartment. His brother, a former Nazi, evades the police hiding there, while his sister walks the streets. As his father remains too ill to help them, it falls to Edmund to provide for the family by dealing with the black market. Growing desperate, Edmund allows a former schoolteacher to offer his help and some unusual advice. (British Film Institute (BFI))
(more)Reviews (2)
After the disappointment of Open City, I can fully appreciate Rossellini's work for the first time. The key aspect is that the documentary camera shows a suggestive story of a family, which makes you fear the ending from the beginning, because in that depression, you can sense the mood in which the story will conclude. Fortunately, there is no anonymous study of misery here.
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Of course, the post-war effort in individual national movie theaters to come to terms with the reality of war, which often did not end overnight for individuals or entire families, is unquestionable. Films with a strong humanitarian message can be found all over the world in the first post-war years. Hollywood couldn't be absent from this wave of coming to terms with the past. I'm simply afraid that I react very badly to leaving the entire weight of this unpleasant statement on the shoulders of a child hero. Rossellini's film, unfortunately, offers no partner for Edmund Köhler (Moeschke), making the message of Year Zero somewhat more intimate, turning the tragedy of a nation into the tragedy of an individual. I would consider that at least a topic for discussion, right?
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