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Before the Fall

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Synopsis

Two young men – one a gorgeous boxer, the other a sensitive writer – become friends at an elite Nazi academy in this compelling story of male bonding and personal integrity.

Review

The “male boarding school romance” has always been a hit among gay audiences (remember Grande Ecole?), but here the genre takes a darker turn by being set in the Nazi Germany of 1942 Berlin. Teenager Friedrich (Max Riemelt) is lower-class, but he has striking Aryan looks and is a fine boxer so he’s recruited by the region’s NAPOLA (National Political Education Institute) – an elite Nazi training academy. While not a “true believer,” Friedrich is eager for the chance to advance himself, and thrives under the strict physical regimen. He gives little thought to the political indoctrination, until he befriends the sensitive poet Albrecht (Tom Schilling), whose father is a leading Nazi party member and is openly scornful of his son’s intellectual pursuits. After witnessing a massacre of escaped prisoners, Albrecht makes his opposition public, and Friedrich is forced to choose between his friend and his future.

Shot in a castle in Prague, Before the Fall has lush cinematography, a powerful score and an award-winning script that never becomes maudlin. Riemelt could have stepped out of an A&F catalog, but the film offers far more than eye candy. Dennis Gansel has created a nuanced film that is both an insightful historical drama and a universal story about the joys and responsibilities of friendship. (German with English subtitles)

-- Andrew Preis

Keywords

Adolescence, Gay Male, Gay/Lesbian, International, Nazi, Schoolboy

Genres

Drama, International

Customer Reviews

back to the time of innocence, friendship and madness

jaylee wrote on 05/11/2006:

This seems to be factual in part, as this is the kind of school Hitler was setting up to train his future generation and soldiers in the way of Nazism.

Boys saw this an opportunity to progress but they did not know what they were letting themselves in for.

This is not a gay movie and it could be called a romantic friendship, but we really do not get enough time to see friendship blossom. This differs from the Film "Evil"where it works much better. The leads are attractive and the film is very believable. The foreign cover for the DVD is much better.

I liked the movie and wished it had gone further to explore the friendship more. nice movie and has things to say.