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Poster for Before the Fall

Before the Fall

2004 · 117 min

A slow, suffocating immersion into a system that rewards cruelty, leaving you hollowed out by its quiet tragedies.

Tagline
Men make history. We make the men.
Overview
In 1942, Friedrich Weimer's boxing skills get him an appointment to a National Political Academy (NaPolA) – high schools that produce Nazi elite. Over his father's objections, Friedrich enrolls. During his year in seventh column, Friedrich encounters hazing, cruelty, death, and the Nazi code. His friendship with Albrecht, the ascetic son of the area's governor, is central to this education.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • coming-of-age
  • friendship
  • betrayal
  • morality
Places
  • school
  • countryside
  • single country house
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour1
Realism8
Romance0
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity6
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Dennis Gansel
Written by
Maggie Peren, Dennis Gansel
Starring
Max Riemelt, Tom Schilling, Devid Striesow, Joachim Bißmeier, Justus von Dohnányi, Michael Schenk, Florian Stetter, Alexander Held
Music
Angelo Badalamenti, Normand Corbeil
Cinematography
Torsten Breuer
Runtime
117 min
Country
Germany
Languages
German, Portuguese

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