One Paragraph Movie Review: Downfall

One hundredth (!!!) film: Downfall, or its infinitely cooler title German title: Der Untergang, or its more recognisable title: That Film The Hitler Meme Is From. This is really, really good but extremely upsetting. Because it’s about the last few days of the Third Reich, which is obviously never a good time. Because it shows people so caught up in power and politics and a belief that their way is superior to other ways that they’re willing to do unbelievably f*cked up things, which is the opposite of fun. And because it shows a racist guy with a dwindling grasp on reality wield power by ignoring sensible advice and sticking to his dumb dickhead loosely ideological but mostly egomaniacal guns, which is kiiiiind of what we globally have now a bit. Told mostly by Hitler’s last secretary Traudl, the dictation-taker for the dictator, it at the very least has some super-nice blouses in it, and it’s bloody gripping (and bloody bloody) and plays with your emotions and horror and all-round ickiness, but remembering that Hitler was real and Nazi atrocities were real and that lust for power continues to turn people into genuinely deranged assholes isn’t a jolly night out at the flicks. Still. It’s a watch. Four semi-submerged bicycles out of five.