Habermann

an episode from the history of XX century. useful for understand realities who, in many occasions, are ignored. because the truth is uncomfortable in many situations. because old memories are easily seeds for new tensions. the film has the virtue to tell, in honest manner, the story of few people. without the intention to give a verdict. it only reminds. facts, events, gestures, decisions. and becomes a story from every community from Central - East Europe. because it is only a simple story about family, values, adaptation to the challenges, survive, cowardliness. and , important detail, Habermann is the project of an admirable artistic team. who explores nuances and the historical context. significance of gestures and the price of generosity. feelings, emotions, sins. in the honest manner. short - a film who must see. for understand not exactly a page from past but the people living in this period.

a case. or only a closed question. about relationships, hate, justice in strange form, cruelty, cowardice. a honest film about not only a community but about a century. because it is not only a hidden conflict between two nations but picture of a chain of crisis , tensions, self images and clichés about the other. a film about small things, with a good script, with good actors, using the right tone for remember an episode who seems be only reflection of too many others. a slice from the past of Central Europe. but far to be a lesson of history. it is only answer to contemporary tensions and fears and expectations. a cure in fact. for a good manner to define the present. short, admirable, useful work.

The Nazi's annexation of the Sudetenland is a chapter within every history book. This film takes us closer into the realities of living in this moment. It feels authentic, raw and at times unwatchable. Not just because of the bigotry, violence and the toxic nature of ethnic hatred, but because of what human beings are capable of towards their fellow man. I'm neither Czech nor German but you still can't help feeling ashamed on a basic human level. Well written, well acted and very well produced. August Habermann existed which makes this story all the more disturbing and consuming.

The sceneries are well done in this second world war story between the Nazis and the Czech people. I found for two third of the running time a bit slow paced. I mean it was just flowing but the last part was dramatic and showed how brutal the Nazis were with the people in the occupied Czech zone. Interesting to experience but I didn't like that there was no original version of the spoken language on Netflix. It showed me again that dubbed movies are only half worth to see. 6/10

The story of the Sudatenland annexation is as amazing as it is complicated. The dynamics between the ethnic Germans and Czechs is fascinating from a cultural and historic standpoint. However, this film simply made nearly all the Czechs seem like scheming villains with no redeeming value. The bad dubbing just made it even that more unbelievable as a story. I would recommend the film "The Tin Drum", which is much more realistic (and harder to watch).