First Hit: A very powerful film which digs deep into human behavior during war.
What made this WWII film different from many other WWII films was that it was looked at what it was like for Germans, specifically German women in Berlin, during the final months of Nazi Germany.
As the film begins, the German army is retreating quickly and they are being replaced by the Russian Army. As the Russians edge closer to Berlin, the war is all but lost and the Germans who are now being occupied see the writing on the wall.
How the conquerors act as they take over the towns and cities is the story told by Anonyma who is a journalist and photographer.
This film’s story is based on her diary of those months just before Germany finally surrendered. It is a horrific story because the Russian men, who had no quarrel with Germany before the war, found their country being taken over by German soldiers who burned their towns to the ground, raped their women, and left a path of arrogant destruction killing anyone in sight.
Through Russian pride and ugly brute force, they fought back and with each won battle, they took the spoils they thought belonged to them. The spoils included raping German women of which Anonyma was one.
With her ability to speak Russian and a desperate drive to keep some dignity, she decides to change the situation any way she can. In a poignant scene she confronts a Major in front of his other officers and implores him to control his men. He laughs at her but this only creates more resolve.
At one point shortly after she is raped again, she decides that maybe she can have a choice about who violates her body. Major Andreij Rybkin, who was impressed with her in their first meeting, becomes interested and starts to visit her regularly in the flat she shares with lots of other women and older men. On his visits, he brings food, wine and a level of protection to everyone who is living in the building.
Although she is still married to a German soldier who is missing, she begins to feel compassion and passion for the Major as their visits are filled with song, dance, stories and closeness. When the war ends, things must change, her husband returns and after reading her diary, rejects her for what has transpired.
The Major is reprimanded for protecting German people gets reassigned to Siberia.
Nina Hoss plays Anonyma and is extraordinary emoting the pain and strength of being a strong willed woman. Yevgeni Sidikhin was powerful in his portrayal of someone who is filled with compassion, but having to no place to share it when he is in front of his men. Only when he is with the enemy does it come out. Very well directed by Max Farberbock because this was a hard story to tell and by not over emphasizing or hiding anything we get a dose of the truth.
Overall: A very strong film, beautifully shot in black and white and well paced throughout.