I'm not sure why so many people are giving this movie a bad wrap. The cinematography (though it could use a couple touches here and there) was great. The growth of the romance between Leyna and Lutz did seem a little rushed near the beginning, but when the realities of war and Nazi ideology really began to make its mark in their lives, things got especially interesting. The actors did an amazing job in portraying this too, and there were many emotional and passionate scenes that made me feel completely invested as if I were right there alongside them -something hard to get out of me.
The way I see it, many people had a problem with this movie due to the setting. What many people don't seem to realize, is that this film is one of the few nowadays that doesn't completely distort the attitudes and beliefs of another time, and this is especially important when looking at a place like Nazi Germany. After World War I, Germany was completely destitute and caught in a bad financial situation of paying their debts to the Allies while continuously borrowing money from them to do so. Keep in mind, this was the war where just the sheer amount of men that had died, led to a dip in national population. All their fighting and death felt wasted to the Germans, and The Treaty of Versailles would certainly not help them any better. Their dignity and their country was so badly wounded by this, the people wanted to rebound from it, and while national pride or nationalism is not inherently bad in itself, the invasion and massacre of others is. It can't be ignored that many during this era held prejudiced beliefs, yet, unfortunately, most Germans were not aware of the extent to which blood was spilt out of discrimination. Most Germans only wanted to restore their country.
In this film, these attitudes are very apparent, and although I do not agree with them, they shine light on the reality of what had happened. It showed the audience that there are shades of gray we often overlook, such as Leyna's situation of not only loving a Nazi, but being born a German of African descent in a European world. This movie is not one that takes away from history, but rather highlights the important pieces we often miss and does so wonderfully.
