Berlinale 2016: 'Alone in Berlin' – A Good Story with Bad Filmmaking

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This should’ve been so much better. The story is so good, but the filmmaking is just so bad, and it deserved better. Alone in Berlin is a film directed by Vincent Perez telling the story of Otto Quangel (in real life: Otto Hampel), a German living in Berlin during WWII that decided to write post cards with “free press” notes opposing Hitler and his regime. It was one of the most awkward screening experiences I’ve ever had – sitting in a theater full of German critics, in Berlin for the Berlin Film Festival, watching a film set in Berlin, but everyone in the film speaks English with German accents. One of the worst decisions they made. Even though I understand it’s about getting this film to a wider audience, it just doesn’t work, the performances are stilted, and everything seems off for the entire film. Which is unfortunate because I do love Otto’s story. ›››

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