A sweeping romantic historical drama, NEVER LOOK AWAY follows thirty years in the life of a great artist - loosely based on Gerhard Richter, one of the 20th century's most admired visual artists - played by Tom Schilling (Woman in Gold, Generation War). The film goes from a childhood witnessing...Read more
‘Never Look Away’ is a masterpiece that confronts truth, Nazi history
By Katie Walsh | Tribune News Service
• Four stars out of four •
“Never Look Away” is both the title and the thesis of Oscar-winning German writer-director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s third feature film, but it could describe the movement of contemporary German films that confront the country’s ugly Nazi history, as well as the post-war era when war criminals slipped back into civil society. How does a nation grapple with that? In Donnersmarck’s latest film, it’s through art. The film has been nominated for Academy Awards for best foreign language film and best cinematography (by legendary cinematographer Caleb Deschanel).
Donnersmarck has crafted an unparalleled masterpiece, a three-hour epic that leaves you wanting more. The setup is a brilliant way to explore the ways in which Nazi ideology destroyed families and generations to come within an intimate, human-sized scale. It’s even more astonishing to consider the story is based in reality, even if Donnersmarck’s script offers theories that have never been confirmed.
Donnersmarck directs “Never Look Away” with a sensitivity and clarity that is as rich as Deschanel’s crisp, saturated images. The film is anchored by an arresting performance by Schilling, who evolves from a dreamy young man into a serious, taciturn artist, refusing to reveal too much of himself. The essential truth Donnersmarck elicits is one we look away from at our own risk.
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