Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The over-long haircuts of the men, the unkempt hairstyles of some of the women, the non-period clothes, the lack of formal manners... Not for a second could I believe this was Germany in the 1930s. To make matters worse there is the casual manner of speech and the lack of any attempt to pronounce German names in anything like the correct pronunciation. Example: a young female student with her hair hanging down to her shoulders any old how, with the demeanour of a student of the 21st century, comes to Viggo Mortensen's office door, looks inside and introduces herself in a very nonchalant manner, "I'm Anne..." Even in the Germany of today this would inappropriate, let alone in pre-war days. What was the writer thinking? What was the director thinking?

This is a very good and dramatic movie.Some here have criticized it because the actors had an English accent! Gosh if this is the only thing they have noticed in the movie it is really a shame.The movie shows us how an educated man, professor in a university of literature, progressively shuts his eyes to the outrageous acts of the Nazi Power. Once you put the finger in the spiral an pretend not to see what is happening before yours eyes you become an accomplice of the leaders.We see this happening every day even today. When we accept to elect at the head of our Countries men or women who have committed unjustifiable acts we compromise with ethics. In France we did that twice once in 1981 and again in 2012. We laugh of the escapades of our President, but this is not laughable and shows weaknesses in his ethics and ours who elected him which could lead to anything else. This is the main point of the movie non only the professor is at fault but all his near entourage is also playing with ethics.What is most worrying is to see that the movie did not capture a large audience. It was not distributed in France and apart of Spain which reached a million dollars plus revenues, the USA and UK did not even reach have of that.It is a very dangerous tendency which shows that in today's world Ethics are considered a secondary matter to aim for and compromise totally accepted in all aspects of our daily life.

I think it must have been a good play. Or perhaps they got the finance from someone who knew how the film would turn out. The acting is good, rather deliberately deadpan for the subject material. Reviews here have to be ten lines of text, although what to do when the film is only worth ten words, some of them rather short and blunt, is not specified.The film is pleading that 'good' Germans who betrayed Jewish friends and helped the Nazis round up Jewish people and send them 'away' just kind of ended up doing the holocaust by a sort of bad luck. Don't tell me that the title is supposed to be ironic.I understand it lost money. Now that is good.

it is not good, it is not bad. it is a mirror. the subject is delicate and old. the action is not amazing. the innocence is a not interesting stuff. and yet, it is a beautiful story. a real beautiful story. as a lake in evening. as a rain in park. because, in fact, its subject is not Nazi regime, limits of friendship, need of refuges, relation with political circle but art of survive. way to be yourself. that is axis and purpose is not create a masterpiece but occasion to meditate. the central character is a crumb of family, job or events. innocent, frustrated, for who each door may be escape by himself. he is not a hero. and price of desire to not be hero is sufferance in many nuances, more heavy. in concentration camp he discover color of reality. not the reality. because reality is a mirror who presents his face.