Do you appreciate good acting? If so, you shouldn't miss "Alone In Berlin", an indie now playing at a few theaters in NYC. It features Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson as the Quangels, whose only son was killed in action fighting for the Nazis in WWII. They are heartbroken, but this is quickly replaced by anger and a sense of revenge for their loss. Otto (Gleeson) decides to print a series of anti-Nazi postcards and leave them at strategic public places around Berlin, but not in mailboxes or stuck in doors - that could mean death to the finder. Naturally, the Gestapo and SS are hot on his trail.
If Brendan Gleeson is the heart of the picture, Emma Thompson is its soul. She is fearful at first but then embraces Otto's dangerous idea and in the process finds renewed love for her husband. She is fiercely loyal and discovers courage she thought she didn't have. She is heartbreaking in her anguish over the loss of her son, and she and Gleeson elevate a pedestrian story to a must-see.
I wonder if at some point in production someone, in the old Hollywood tradition, should have yelled "Get me rewrite!", as the screenplay could have used a little 'punching up'. The story lacks some tension and suspense and relies on the two principals for success. And do they deliver. "Alone in Berlin" will be lost in the shuffle next year at Oscar time, which is a loss and a shame as both are deserving of an AA nom.
