A Redenção: A História Real de Bonhoeffer

Well-filmed and acted. However, the film spent an inordinate amount of time on Bonhoeffer's 1930 trip to New York and his supposed fascination with gospel music and jazz. In point of fact, his later prison letters reveal the lasting influence of the traditional Lutheran chorales and the hymns of Paul Gerhardt on his theology and piety. There was no mention whatsoever of his engagement to Maria von Wedemeyer (eighteen years his junior), with whom he exchanged dozens of letters during his imprisonment (1943-1945), and later published as 'Love Letters from Cell 92.' It was Maria's grandmother who funded the Confessing Church's seminary at Finkenwalde where Bonhoeffer championed a kind of 'new monasticism' for the seminarians-with traditional chorales and an ordered praying of the psalms. A plot line that wove Maria into the end of Bonhoeffer's life would have raised some compelling questions-such as, Why get engaged if the/your world is about to end? All that being said, it is good that a film of Bonhoeffer was produced, bringing his story of fighting for truth to a wider audience.

As a date married couple's night movie, it was fine. The imagery was marvelous. The casting was good; some even great.

But the actual story telling was pretty awful in that there were many points in the movie when we looked at each other with "what the heck?" expressions and later discussions. Too much was cued up and left hanging, or even made confusing to the point of unlikely or absurd. It's as if the screenwriter continually wrote himself into a corner, and then just jarringly jumped over an immense plot hole or critical detail, and into the next scene. You shouldn't need such a Deus ex Machina when you've got the real God in the story!

The biggest flaw, though, is that with actual well-documented history like Bonhoeffer's, the emotion should not have come from over-acting, pregnant pauses and close-up tears. It should come from the true story all by itself.

And that part, sorry to say, was mostly missing.

I have never really understood the back and forth with timeline's, a glimpse into the past should correlate with what is taking place in the present. Otherwise just play it out in chronological order (just my opinion). We both left the theater (my wife and I) about so much, I was able to get more context in one paragraph on Wikipedia (IE: spent 1.5 years in prison and was tried for participating in the attempt on Hitler and more). The message is good and needed, especially today with so much division in our country. I love what Angel Studio's does, getting quality productions out in the main stream and I will continue to support them. This is just my honest review, not trying to be critical.

Well clarified the passion and resolve of B and the confessing church. Loved the flashback model, the cast was well selected, the film moved along well. Loved the portrayal of B's relationship with his brother Walter and the depth of family connection and love. Being that the plight of the Jewish people under Hitler was a central focus I was surprised there was no mention of B's twin sister being married to a Jewish man and moving to England. Well done over all. I shed tears and wish I will one day be as courageous as B if faced with such choices. Thanks for producing this film. I recommend it.

This captured the moral complexity of real life and the high cost of doing the right thing excellently. Despite criticisms that the writers took too much liberty with the timeline, the changes worked well for pacing the film and sticking to the main point. It felt complete, leaving the viewer heavy but satisfied.

The acting was strong and the writing was good, despite a couple (only a couple) cliché lines that still fit the moment. The actor portraying Bonhoeffer avoided the cliché perfect hero and showed the weakness of a man suffering for a hopeless cause.

8/10 - this is much better than the press.