Alone in Berlin

In Berlin in 1940, Anna and Otto Quangel are a working-class couple living in a modest apartment block in Prenzlauer Berg. When their only son is killed at the front, the couple, who had until then supported the regime, turn against it. They begin writing anonymous postcards denouncing Hitler and the war, and leave them in stairwells and building entrances across the city. The Gestapo, led by Escherich, starts hunting the unknown author, and the neighbours around them present their own dangers.

Vincent Perez directed the film, his first feature behind the camera, followed years later by The Edge of the Blade. Achim von Borries wrote the screenplay, and the production was mounted by Stefan Arndt, James Schamus and Paul Trijbits across German, British and French companies. Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson play Anna and Otto, with Daniel Brühl as Escherich and supporting turns from Mikael Persbrandt, Katharina Schüttler and Louis Hofmann.

The film drew a critics' rating of 5.8 out of 10 from 57 reviews, while audiences gave it 6.5 on IMDb from around 11,000 votes and 6.7 on TMDB from over 400. Those figures place the film at a modest level of approval, with viewers somewhat warmer toward it than the professional reviews. It runs 103 minutes.