The horror of war, and a quiet meditation on the criminal mind are the themes of the two films reviewed today. One is a film adaptation of a German anti-war classic, while the second is a true crime dramatization.
All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix Germany) - This is the third film adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s classic anti-war novel that was first published in 1928. A veteran of the World War I, Remarque was out to show the folly of war, the hypocrisy of the statesmen who send young men to their death in the name of the Fatherland and political squabbling, and the difficulties these soldiers would experience when trying to reintegrate into society. Banned and burned by Nazi Germany in the 1930s the novel centers on the experiences of these young German conscripts. The film premiered in Toronto earlier this year, and was submitted by Germany as the official entry to the Oscars for Best International Feature Film.
Felix Kammerer stars as Paul, the young recruit, from whose perspective the narrative unfolds, and we have the recognizable Daniel Brühl as Matthias Erzberger, a real historical figure who served as Minister of Finance after the first War, and was subsequently assassinated by the far right for granting too many concessions during the Armistice talks. There’s impressive cinematography and strongly constructed montages that turn this film into a masterful adaptation. What’s also interesting to note is that this is the first German adaptation ever made, and Edward Berger directs. All previous adaptations were made by the West, and you’d have British actors speaking in German-accented English. Here finally, is a homegrown film version of the German novel.
The Good Nurse (Netflix USA) - Based on the 2013 true-crime book written by Charles Graeber that centered on the case of serial killer Charlie Cullen, this dramatization on Netflix is directed by Tobias Lindholm in a manner that purposely keeps away from sensationalizing the case, or turning the lead portrayals into histrionic or over the top attacks. If anything, there’s something so subdued about the adaptation that you almost wished that some strategically placed dramatic fireworks were employed in the exercise. For those unfamiliar with the Cullen case, it’s basically about a male nurse who across nine medical centers, and over 16 years, systematically introduced wrong or excessive medication, resulting in the deaths of several patients.
The film’s title refers to Amy Loughren (Jessica Chastain), a nurse who befriended Charlie Cullen (Eddie Redmayne), and despite the friendship, was eventually instrumental in Cullen’s downfall. The film is also as much about the failures of the US medical system and how to avoid lawsuits and discovery, it squashed whatever suspicions they may have had over Cullen’s suspicious behavior, and basically enabled him to commit his crimes. As police officers Tim (Noah Emmerich) and Danny (Nnamdi Asomugha), we see part of the narrative work as a police procedural, and truth be told, these two are the more interesting characters. For some reason, the insistence on not turning this into high drama, left the film a little bit too muted for my taste.