Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Anonyma - Eine Frau in Berlin" or "Anonyma - A Woman in Berlin" is a German film that tuns for over 2 hours and was written and directed by Max Färberböck almost 10 years ago, the man who was also in charge of German Golden Globe nominee "Aimée & Jaguar" another decade earlier. And just like that one, we also have mostly strong female characters in this movie here and there is again a World War II background. Unfortunately, I personally did not feel as if there was anything really new here, anything that has not been done already in this uncountable number of (German) films centered around the days of war.And my appreciation for lead actress Nina Hoss goes south pretty quickly too. While I initially enjoyed her the first couple times I saw her, I must say by now she does not bring any new nuances to the characters she plays and it is almost always the exact same we see from her in terms of mannerisms and details. She may be good in picking characters that fit her, but there is really nothing that makes a difference in her performances anymore really. It surprises me to see she is one of Germany's most famous in the United States at this point. There are more deserving actresses out there. The cast here features some more well-known names such as Jördis Triebel, Juliane Köhler, August Diehl, Sandra Hüller and Sebastian Urzendowsky, who I still cannot see an ounce of talent in.Finally, I want to say that I do not recommend seeing this film. The rating here on IMDb is certainly way too high. It is not a bad film by any means and there are some fine scenes that stay memorable, but it just isn't enough for a runtime over 130 minutes. And honestly I must say, as hard as Färberböck tried, eventually I did not really care for any of the characters or women in this film and how their fate evolved while events unfolded. Thumbs down. There are many superior German films about World War II. The music in here is nice, but it's also not original, so no credit to the makers from this movie other than for chossing it.

[email protected] This film deals with the Soviet Army's entry into Berlin in 1945 and the lawless treatment inflicted on the civilian population, the women in particular, by the occupying troops. An attractive young woman (Nina Hoss) seeks out the commander of the force in her neighborhood (Yvigeniy Sidikhin) as her lover. She needs him to protect her from the daily round of rapes by the common soldiers. Her own husband, deployed in the East, does not return until late in the film, and he is no less compromised by the time he comes home than she is. The woman is willing to abandon her moral standing to preserve herself. Eventually, she and her protector fall in love and that is a factor in his loss of his command and his compulsory return to Russia. It's an unpleasant story based apparently on the diary kept by the unnamed woman. Whether or not it is true doesn't really matter. It could have been true. The Russians hated the Germans, and the people of Berlin were mostly supporters of the Third Reich, who had every reason to expect ill-treatment at the hands of their conquerors. Recent wars have shown us that rape is a political instrument, and restraining a triumphant group of soldiers is probably nothing the Soviets were interested in attempting. As for the woman's behavior, who knows what any of us might do in similar circumstances. Saving herself by becoming the commander's mistress is not admirable behavior but it is a rational choice.

Elain-ee What a great film. It tells the story of the epon(anon)ymous protagonist, who both witnessed and endured the rape of Berlin in a very personal manner. And yet the film manages not to be too depressing until the very end, thanks in no small part to the assured acting skills of Nina Hoss. She conveys an unbreakable spirit and intelligence despite having so little dialogue in the film. And yes she did make me wonder what would I do in her shoes. Having watched it, I also feel strangely empowered about rape. Anonyma's story seems to validate that there is always more than one way to deal with a desperate situation.I am a tad shocked that the story of these women was silenced for so long, but knowing what I do of the German people I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - stoicism plays a huge role in their public life. Yet apparently 10,000 women died 'just' from being raped during this period of German history. It's a sobering statistic, and one which makes a mockery of the assertion of the Russian commander who, early on in the film, implies that STIs are the greatest threat women face from his soldiers. Like rapists everywhere, they seem blissfully oblivious to the physical and psychological costs of their abuses, and are correctly portrayed in the film as phallically obsessed, emotionally retarded cowards. It's important to remember that the average age of their victims was 16. The majority of these girls and young women were children at the start of the war and had no say in the actions of their government which was, at any rate, a misogynistic dictatorship. There has been a lot of discussion around what this film is saying about wartime rape. Were these women making concessions with the enemy, or were they enduring a relentless onslaught of sexual violence in the best way that they could? The film explores both possibilities. It also makes it clear that there is not one answer for every woman; in the film some of the victims lose their minds and end up killing themselves (or others); others find a sugar-daddy in the Russian army who gives them 'gifts' in exchange for protection (or at the very least, less violent sex).Personally, I see this film as a story about the way in which women cope with unimaginable, unjustifiable violence from their other halves. The scene that sums up the madness of their situation is when the 'girls' get together for drinks and joke about being attacked by Russian soldiers. Beneath the smiles and laughter you can see, hear and even FEEL that something is falling apart inside them. That they are on the verge of hysterics. I sincerely hope that viewers didn't wrongly interpret this scene to mean that women think rape is funny because to me it was very obvious that it had the opposite meaning. A cunning and subtle move on the part of the director, who never underestimates his audience. I sincerely feel for the women who remained in Berlin during this time, and so should every human being with a conscience. They didn't have choices: they were trapped in an occupied city with no way out and very few habitable buildings. The only supply of food and necessities came through the very men who were raping them. The Allied nations were well aware of the situation and did not intervene for nearly a year because they felt that raping Germans boosted morale (sorry to be so blunt but there was an actual quote to that effect from the American military). It's an all too familiar story, and one that has been played out in war torn countries right up until this day (Bosnia, the Congo, etc). So it boggles the mind that it's taken so long to make a film about the subject. I guess that just goes to show how male-dominated the film industry really is!!In one scene Anonyma confronts a major and asks him to do something to stop the rape of Berlin women. He replies, "Who should I protect? My people or yours?" My answer to that question would have been, 'You should protect the women and the unarmed civilians whom you're fighting to free.' After all, the whole point of overthrowing Hitler was to gain freedom for everyone, or so the Allies said. In reality, the fall of Berlin became a pitched battle in the war of men versus women. Eine Frau in Berlin paints a grim picture of what the world might look like if the men were triumphant.

secondtake A Woman in Berlin (2008)Imagine the horrors of women caught in a large city during the chaos of war, with occupying troops storming your apartment building day after day. Well, think again. It isn't imaginable. I think even people who live through such things (and we are talking Berlin, 1945 for this movie) the truth is something that is pushed away. Because even watching a movie--a movie!--of these events is unbearable.Not that the movie is unwatchable. Just the opposite. It's beautifully made, seeming to parallel that other recent German movie about the last days of the Nazi reign, "Downfall," 2004. But unlike that movie, this isn't about political history, or the history of war, or even the dramatization of historical figures as real people. This is a personal story, centering around one woman played by Nina Hoss, and about the repeated rape and abuse of women by the Russian troops for days and weeks on end. There was no escape, no power to complain to, no justice anywhere, anywhere, not German or Russian or even American (assuming they were any better) a mile or two away.The movie is based on a book, "Anonyma," by a woman whose identity is not revealed, if it is even known (this was her protection even after death). The movie suffers now and then from a sameness, a steady pounding, beginning to end. The parade of horrors is continuous even as relationships develop and the first wave of anarchistic occupiers shifts to more entrenched troops and some general partying. You do cling to some semblance of progression, or of events to stand out from the others, but it's mostly about horribleness. But maybe that's the way it should be. It was an endless nightmare on every level, even if you (they, these women) survive. In some ways, the end of the war is more believably insane here than in "Downfall" even though they are in many ways comparable movies, comparable moments. Such an array or gritty, believable acting and sets you won't find often. And thankfully, even the sentimental aspects are handled without swelling music and other cinematic tricks found too often this side of the Atlantic.One last point, whatever you think of the Germans and WWII, here is yet another kind of national acknowledgment and, for many, soul-searching. This is a German film. The Russians don't come off great, for sure, but the Germans are clearly at fault, and are shown that way, and shown as responsible for even greater crimes. There's no glossing over any of it. Watch this movie. It won't be fun, but it'll be stirring and important.