>>REVIEW
SOPHIE SCHOLL
STARRING Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs and Gerald Alexander Held
DIRECTED BY Marc Rothermud
Friday, July 28
The Plaza
They say truth is stranger than fiction, and given the spate of documentary films that have stirred the public consciousness lately, it seems audiences have an appetite for reality that doesn’t involve has-been celebs or voting people off the island. But, when sticking to the truth means not taking any dramatic liberties, you wind up with realism that isn’t terribly satisfying.
That is the case with the German Second World War drama Sophie Scholl. Based on court transcripts and interviews with several of the involved parties, and shot in some of the locations where the events actually occurred, the film tells the story of the title character and how her undying idealism was no match for the Third Reich. As a member of the White Rose resistance group, Sophie (Julia Jentsch) is apprehended when she and her brother are caught distributing anti-Nazi propaganda. In an effort to crush the revolution, the pair are arrested, interrogated, tried and sentenced in record time and Sophie is left to contemplate whether or not her actions were worth the price she must pay.
There’s no question that Scholl’s story is one worthy of telling, and whether you look at it as a history lesson or a condemnation of authoritarian regimes of any era, the film certainly has a lot to say. The problem is in how it says it. With muted colours, stark shadows and minimal setups the film is appropriately bleak, but given its singleminded drive it becomes apparent early on that Sophie Scholl is nothing more than a prolonged death march with main characters waiting to be martyred.
In most films of this ilk, you can hold out for an 11th hour reprieve (not that I find that tired trick terribly satisfying, either), but without any hope Sophie Scholl – the character and the film – soon becomes a lost cause.
How can you argue with that, though? According to director Marc Rothermud and writer Fred Breinersdorfer, this is how these events really played out. I appreciate that they were willing to explore the futility of the character’s actions, but with a film so inevitable it’s easy to disconnect.
That’s not to say that the film isn’t well-crafted. Jentsch, who carries the film, is suitably proud and confused, while the supporting cast adequately move the story forward. The oppressive cinematography and ominous score drive the point home and even the minimalist coverage, which often results in a series of talking-head sequences, suits the storytelling style. The problem with Sophie Scholl – the film, not the character – is that it does little to reward the interest of the audience. |
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