Blu-ray Review: The Captain

The Captain tells the incredible and yet true story of a German soldier who defects from the army just before the end of World War II and finds an officer’s uniform, which at first brings him warmth, satisfying his immediate need, then a sense of safety, and then something more. It stars Max Hubacher as Willi Herold, the young soldier who poses as a captain.

When the film opens, we see Herold running toward us from a distance, weaving about in an attempt to avoid the bullets aimed at him from soldiers in a truck that follows him. Adding to the insanity is the presence of another soldier in the truck blowing a bugle as if this were some kind of hunting party, some kind of celebration (which is twisted, to be sure, and something that is revisited with greater force later in the film). It’s an intense opening, particularly when Herold gets to the woods and hides, the others so close. The camera stays with him so that, like Herold, we do not know if the soldiers have spotted him, if he is going to be killed in the next moment. But he survives and soon comes across an abandoned vehicle, and inside finds a uniform, which he quickly dons in order to get warm. Moments later, as he juggles some fruit he found in the truck, he sings to himself, “This is too good to be true, like a miracle.” And of course that is exactly our worry too.

When Freytag (Milan Peschel), a lone soldier, arrives and, seeing Herold’s uniform, salutes him, Herold gets the idea that this uniform might provide more than just warmth. As nervous as he is, Herold takes some joy in his performance, in fooling others. It’s not just for survival’s sake that he pretends to be an officer, but he derives some pleasure in it as well, which is wonderful. It’s also a relief for us, for it gives us a little respite from the tension and terror. Plus, it makes us like the character even more. What is interesting, however, is that when they reach an inn, Herold clearly expects his uniform will command the respect of those present, but it has the opposite effect, which gives him pause. After all, this is the end of the war, so he is going to find different reactions to his uniform, which makes things even more harrowing. The uniform can get him out of danger, and can also put him in danger.

He soon begins to amass he own unit. It is interesting that we really know nothing of the man’s background. We are on his side without really knowing anything about him, other than he deserted the German army. But when he gets to a German prison camp, pretending to have orders from the Fuhrer himself, and is joined by a man eager to rid the camp of prisoners, things become even more twisted. And at a certain point we can no longer remain on Herold’s side, for he really takes his assumed position to heart. It’s interesting that Freytag, the first soldier who joins him, ends up being the moral center of this picture, the one we really feel for. And even he fails us. And that makes us wonder how we ourselves would do in this kind of situation, for there is no character who will let us off the hook.

Toward the end of the film, there is a celebration, where women sing, “Such a miracle comes only once and not twice,” reminding us of the beginning when Herold first found the uniform and sang about it being a miracle. And indeed, even though this later scene is the only other one to find him actually happy, we are aware that the end must be near. For his happiness here comes upon the heels of so much death. This is a powerful film. And with a sick sort of nationalism once again on the rise, this film is even more frightening than it might otherwise be. Be sure to watch the closing credit sequence, for in it Herold and his strange band arrive to attack us in the present, a sort of delightful touch.

Special Features

The Blu-ray contains a commentary track by the film’s director, Robert Schwentke. The commentary is done in English, and is quite good, providing a lot of historical context, particularly with regards to German perspectives. He mentions that the film is based almost entirely on the actual court file. He also talks about conventions of German films that address the subject of World War II.

The special features also include An Evening With Robert Schwentke, which is footage from a Q&A with the director that took place in Chicago. He talks about the real story of Herold, about the end credits sequence, and about the film’s music and cinematography. Some of what he says here covers the same ground as the commentary track. This feature is approximately thirty-two minutes. There are also interviews with cast members Max Hubacher, Milan Peschel, and Frederick Lau, as well as producer Frieder Schlaich. These total approximately twenty-seven minutes.

From Storyboard To Screen: The Escape shows the progression of the opening sequence from the original storyboards to the final scene, and includes production photos of the tree where Herold hides as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the sequence being shot. This is approximately twenty-nine minutes.

The special features include a deleted scene that takes place at the prison camp, beginning with Hansen burning files. It is sort of an extension of the scene with Herold getting his pants tailored. There is also a music video, using footage from the film, as well as the movie’s trailer.

The Captain was directed by Robert Schwentke, and was released on Blu-ray on January 8, 2019 through Music Box Films. It is presented in its original German, with optional English subtitles.

Blu-ray Review: Hagazussa

Hagazussa is a haunting, suspenseful and compelling film about a woman who lives alone in the mountains, a woman that is believed by others to be a witch. Taking place in the fifteenth century, when witchcraft was a somewhat common belief, this film features an excellent and fearless performance by Aleksandra Cwen as Albrun, a woman who has been traumatized, isolated, and who ends up delusional and deadly.

The film opens with footprints in deep snow, the camera slowly pulling back until a figure pulling an empty sled enters the frame. It is an eerie image, but then we see that it is a young girl who pauses to let her mother catch up to her. As it gets dark, an old man greets the woman, telling her she should hurry home. They make it home, but the woman is still on edge, telling her daughter to hide. Outside their home, the mother sees three strange, masked figures with torches. Interestingly, it is they who accuse her and her daughter of evil, saying, “You should be burned down, you witches.” While gathering wood the next day, the woman collapses in the snow. Her daughter tries to take care of her, but the woman’s condition worsens. She becomes delusional and more like an animal, to the point where she terrifies her young daughter. These early scenes are done with very little dialogue, which adds to the creepy and frightening vibe of the film, and helps to punch up the feeling of isolation which pervades the story.  

We then jump to several years later, when Albrun is now an adult, with an infant of her own, living in the same cabin where she grew up. We are treated to some absolutely beautiful shots of the mountains, which work in contrast to the actions of the people in the area. Some boys taunt and torment Albrun as she struggles to carry two buckets of goat milk, throwing rocks at her and calling her a witch. One woman, Swinda (Tanja Petrovsky) seems to come to her aid in that moment, and then later visits Albrun. The innocent, shy smile on Albrun’s face when she believes she has a friend is incredibly touching, and we think maybe things will be all right for her. But it isn’t long before things turn against her once more. In one of the most arresting scenes of the film, Swinda whispers in Albrun’s ear, “It is disgusting how all of you stink.” Her tone is strangely seductive, and the two of them are lying on the grass together, as a man gets on top of Albrun. It is an incredibly powerful scene, masterfully shot. And it is after that that things begin to get strange and frightening. It is a film whose style and imagery will remain with you for a long time.

Special Features

The Blu-ray contains a commentary by the director on certain scenes, including the opening. He talks about the pace, saying he likes to work with long opening shots. I was surprised to learn that Celina Peter, who plays the young Albrun, had never acted before. He also comments on the scene when young Albrun is frightened by her mother, and on that incredible sequence when Albrun eats an hallucinogenic mushroom. Eye drops were used to dilate her pupils in that scene. There is also commentary on the film’s final sequence, when Albrun’s mind has deteriorated. Approximately a third of the film contains commentary.

The special features also include a deleted scene, with optional commentary by the director. This scene would have come after Albrun crawls out of the swamp, and features the old man from the opening sequence. It’s better that this scene is cut, so that Albrun’s isolation is complete at that point. She is totally alone in her world. Also included are a music video by MMMD, which incorporates footage from the film, and the movie’s trailer. The final bonus feature is Interferenz, a short film by Lukas Feigelfield, which features Aleksandra Cwen in a supporting role. This film is approximately forty-nine minutes.

Hagazussa was directed by Lukas Feigelfeld, and was released on Blu-ray on April 23, 2019 through Doppelganger Releasing. It is presented in its original German with optional English subtitles.

DVD Review: Memoir Of War

I’ve long been fascinated with World War II and stories from that time. And these days, when our own nation is perilously close to authoritarianism and Nazis march openly in the streets with the support of our president, these stories feel even more important than usual. Memoir Of War tells an incredibly personal story of writer Marguerite Duras in the days of the Nazi occupation of France, and features a tremendous performance by Mélanie Thierry.

The film begins in April of 1945, as Marguerite waits for her husband Robert to come home. She watches the soldiers return, but does not find him among them. She tells herself he could show up at any time without warning. “Many such things do occur,” she says in voice over. And for a moment, she even believes he has returned, or imagines how she’ll react when he does. The film then takes us back to June of 1944, as Marguerite waits in a room where many other women are seated. We see soldiers escorting a woman out; this woman and the others remain silent. It is frightening, particularly how mundane, how orderly it seems. And the film doesn’t tell us precisely what is happening with these people. It isn’t until a man finally addresses Marguerite that we learn she is there because her husband has been arrested, and she has brought a parcel containing some things for him. The man tells her he’ll see what he can do.

I love that the film immediately immerses us in this uncertain world, its camera work and style (as much as its subject) making us feel as nervous as Marguerite must feel. As we try to get our bearings, we become attached to her, to her perspective. She receives a phone call, telling her that her husband has been moved, but we hear only her side of the conversation, and so must rely on her reactions for information. When she meets this man, a Nazi collaborator named Rabier (played by Benoît Magimel), who obviously has an interest in her, she begins a strange and dangerous association with him, in order – at least at first – to get information regarding her husband. Marguerite is part of the Resistance, and the others decide it would be beneficial for her to continue to meet Rabier. “Lie as little as possible,” she is advised. It is interesting that Marguerite does not allow herself to display too much emotion, even as she reasons that with the Allies advancing, the Germans will likely begin executing their prisoners.

The film keeps us close to Marguerite, in part through the use of voice over. These are thoughts that she also writes down, addressing them to Robert. “I’m afraid I’ll be killed. I’m ashamed to be alive. I feel if I don’t die, I’ll see you again.” It is eerie how in many ways life seems to go on as before, with children playing in one scene, the camera keeping them in the foreground, so that we view Marguerite through them. The film is suspenseful. And yet, in some ways Marguerite seems removed from her own life, watching herself get ready to meet Rabier, and writing her thoughts down, her life becoming a story, herself becoming a character. The film contains a lot of interesting shots. For example, when we learn of the liberation of Paris, we see Marguerite alone, on her bicycle, so that even the biggest events are brought down to a personal level, to her individual experience, separate from that of others. What is also interesting is that the liberation of Paris from the Nazis is not the film’s climax. In fact, it is only the halfway point of this unusual film. For the war is not over for her, as she continues to wait to learn of her husband’s fate. Even as the world around her – now so foreign – celebrates. The film tells a story that is powerful and personal.

DVD Special Features

On Image And Sound is an interview with some of the key crew members who worked on the film, conducted in French. The crew members are all in the same room together, rather than being interviewed separately. They talk about shooting the film like a documentary, without start marks or rehearsals, and with little direction. They also talk about certain scenes, such as that of the soldiers returning. This featurette is approximately nineteen minutes.

From Melanie To Marguerite contains footage of Mélanie Thierry rehearsing her part, delivering some of the voice over dialogue, receiving direction. This is approximately eleven minutes. The special features also include costume and camera tests, as well as three deleted scenes. In one of the deleted scenes, Marguerite tries to cut in line to see her husband, and learns of the Normandy landing. The film’s trailer is also included.

Memoir Of War was directed by Emmanuel Finkiel, and was released on DVD on January 8, 2019 through Music Box Films. It is presented in its original French, with optional English subtitles.

DVD Review: Becoming Astrid

Pippi Longstocking was first published in Sweden in 1945 and has been a delightful and important part of countless children’s lives since then. Becoming Astrid tells the story of the youth of that book’s author, Astrid Lindgren. This is a beautiful and engaging film, and features an absolutely phenomenal performance by Alba August as Astrid.

The film opens with Astrid as an old woman opening her mail, receiving birthday wishes from children, including a cassette on which a child asks her, “How can you write so well about being a child when you haven’t been one for so long?” The movie then takes us back to her teen years, where she is with her family in a church and not quite paying attention to the sermon. Afterward, she asks her siblings, “Where would you rather live, Sodom or Gomorrah?” And we immediately like her. Her vibrant and perhaps unconventional personality is apparent from the beginning, when she – being ignored by the boys at a local dance – asks the girl seated next to her to dance, and then dances by herself with joyful abandon. And when her mother allows her brother Gunnar to stay out an hour later because he’s a boy, Astrid argues, “But you always say that we’re all equal before God.”

Astrid works on her family farm, but when her father mentions that the editor of the local paper is looking for an assistant, Astrid jumps at the opportunity. One thing I love about these early scenes is seeing how supportive the family is, and also how they are able to take joy in their work (in the potato scene, for example), scenes which allow for a greater contrast and heartbreak later. There is joy and excitement as Astrid begins her work at the paper, getting her first writing assignment to cover the new train. But she also finds herself learning about more adult aspects of life, and soon is becoming an adult herself, her childhood suddenly at an end when she herself is with child. Her second ride on a train is not as pleasant for her as her first, going away until she has the baby. The scene where her mother finds out she is pregnant is heart-wrenching, and Astrid is suddenly so quiet and meek, a devastating change for her.

As I mentioned, Alba August gives an outstanding performance. From the beginning, she is adorable, with a delightful innocence, a sense of a play, and a big heart. But it is when her character is faced with tougher aspects of existence that she really shines. And that is not to say that the rest of the cast is lacking in any way. The entire cast is excellent, but August in particular delivers a memorable and effective performance. Becoming Astrid is a sweet and beautiful film that might inspire you to write or do something else meaningful and wonderful with your life. I don’t mind admitting that this movie had me in tears at times. By the way, occasionally, throughout the film, we get voice over work from children writing to Astrid about her books, and we see the connection between Astrid’s life and what the children find noteworthy about her work. That’s a really nice touch, particularly for those of us who grew up reading and hearing her stories.

DVD Special Features

The DVD contains some bonus material. Learning From Astrid is a short featurette with Alba August and Pernille Fischer Christensen. Pernille talks about the origin of the idea for this film, and Alba speaks about who Astrid was as a person, and the impact her fictional characters had on her childhood. The interviews are in English. The special features also include footage from the press conference at the Berlinale film premiere, with Pernille Fischer Christensen, Alba August, Henrik Rafaelsen and other key cast and crew members. They talk about the preparation and research for this film, about the casting, and about the effect Astrid Lindgren’s work has had on them. Pernille is asked about the letters that are read throughout the film. This is approximately twenty minutes, and is also in English. A photo gallery and the film’s trailer are also included.

Becoming Astrid was directed by Pernille Fischer Christensen, and was released on DVD on March 19, 2019 through Music Box Films. The film is presented in its original Swedish, with optional English subtitles.

DVD Review: Southwest Of Salem: The Story Of The San Antonio Four

Southwest Of Salem: The Story Of The San Antonio Four is a compelling documentary about four young gay women who were accused of a horrible crime they did not commit, and about their long battle to prove their innocence in the face of prejudice and fear. The film features interviews with the four women, family members, and legal experts, to tell the story, along with video footage the women shot before going to prison.

When the film introduces us to Anna, Cassie, Liz and Kristie, they are in prison, and had been for many years at that point. Through them, we learn something of their childhoods, and of their neighborhood in San Antonio, Texas. As you might guess, it wasn’t always easy for them being gay in such a conservative area. But at least one of them had some support. Maria Vasquez, Anna’s mother, is interviewed and clearly has nothing but love for her daughter. Remarkably, she recounts talking to her priest about Anna’s sexuality: “He said she’s going to be receiving a lot of negatives in the world, you know. She’s going to come against this prejudice. There should be one place where she can go where there is only love.” Cassie’s mother, however, was not accepting of their relationship. And Liz’s mother had basically disowned her. I appreciate that the documentary provides some background information, and lets us get to know these women a bit before getting into the specifics of the crime they were accused of committing.

The crime the four women were accused of, and went to prison for, was sexually assaulting Liz’s two young nieces. Throughout the process of their arrest and trial, their sexual orientation was used against them. The documentary does an excellent job of showing how this accusation changed their lives, and also puts their trial into context with regards to the satanic cult scare that was happening in the 1980s and early 1990s, when people believed that child care workers sexually abused children in order to later initiate them into a cult. Completely insane, of course. But the accusations against these four women came at the tail end of that strange time. What I like is that the film delves into the women’s personal lives before then widening the scope to include information on the satanic cult scare.

The documentary follows the story as the Innocence Project Of Texas takes on the women’s case and works to free them. One of the men working on the case says, “If people only knew how little truth and justice had to do with the way the legal system works, they probably would mass at court houses with lighted torches.”  It’s terrifying, because it is made clear how easily your life could be destroyed by a criminal accusation like that, something that seems to be in the news quite often these days. And when children are involved, of course people’s hearts immediately side with the alleged victims, making the process of getting at the truth even more difficult. What is also interesting to me is how the science has changed in the years since the trial, and how what was believed to be true then has now been proved false.

But it is the four women themselves who are the heart of this story and this film. It would be difficult to remain emotionally detached while listening to them tell their stories. The film has many touching moments, which are allowed to play out without interruption or comment.

Southwest Of Salem: The Story Of The San Antonio Four was directed by Deborah S. Esquenazi, and was released on DVD on  June 12, 2018 through MVD Visual. The DVD contains no special features.