This is a powerful film that leaves you thinking long after the credits end. I found myself discussing the details in the ladies washroom with several people I didn’t even know. We couldn’t stop talking about it.
It won the award at the Golden Globe for best foreign film.
The time is 1917. We meet several of the people living in a small community in Germany. On the surface they seem like caring substantial people. The children are polite and obedient. The minister is very strict with his children. When they do something wrong they are beaten. It was almost amusing to see them kiss their father’s hand as they left the room.
The doctor appeared to be an important honored man of the community.
Underneath everything we begin to see the lies, the abuse and the insidious behavior of children that seemed so angelic at first. It is ironical that when younger the children wore white ribbons as a sign of innocence and purity.
It is painful to witness but I was totally captivated. It wasn’t until the end when I left the cinema that I saw a sign promoting the film and stating that this film was a predictor of what was to come in the future in Germany. At that point the film really percolated and I was ‘blown away’ by the implications that this was the forerunner of the Nazi regime and the holocaust. I am not giving anything away because posters announce the prediction and a statement is made earlier in the film alluding to the fact that this pointed in the direction of the atrocities that were to come.
I can’t believe I actually went to a film the day before I moved. I needed to get away from all the mess. This film made me think about people’s actions and motives. Often we see a superficial incident and are not aware of what is really happening deep down. It also gave me a glimpse as to how personal behavior could lead to insidious acts.
In my opinion this is must film.
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