72. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (2022) dir. Edward Berger

Edward Berger's adaptation of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT just took the Best Film prize at the BAFTAs on Sunday, February 19, the day before my review was scheduled to drop. Coincidence? I think not. The movie more than earns its flowers, injecting us straight into the point of view of Paul (Felix Kammerer) a teenage German soldier trying to survive trench warfare on the Western Front during WWI. Paul enters an exuberant boy yearning for glory; He's molded into a weary survivor, cynical of reports that an armistice is nearing completion. There's no time for the future on the battlefield. There's only chaos, the smell of smoke, blood and decomposition. And yet, as days drag on, so does the malaise of war. When you aren't shooting, what is there to really do? The absurdity of leaving one's family grows at that point. The whole affair loses its meaning faster than you can blink. But driven by war hawks in hollow palaces, the soldiers march on, only certain of death. This is a heavy film, one I know must bear heaviest on Berger, who, born in Germany, understands his homeland's role in the European and world stages. They're seen as the bad guys, and I don't think many Germans would disagree, but the nuances of what it's like to still try and keep a country unified and strong when they're in the wrong are pieces that can really only be handled by German actors, director and crew. Remake curse be damned. --------------------------- Review THE MOVIES on Apple Podcasts & I'll read it on the next episode! Follow The Movies on ⁠⁠Instagram ⁠⁠& ⁠⁠Letterboxd⁠⁠Financially support the podcast via the ⁠⁠tip jar!