50/39
In 1942, Hilde was a member of an anti-Nazi group in Berlin. She fell in love with another member, Hans. The two spent the summer together until Hilde, eight months pregnant, was captured by the Gestapo and imprisoned. The film’s final narration is by the real Hans Kopi Jr. How can a bunch of resistance fighters be happy in Nazi Germany? But the film, based on true events, is fascinating even if it’s sometimes confronting. Hilde is a young pregnant woman who is caught with her husband in an illegal radio transmitter and ends up being executed. Through flashbacks, the film tells the story of the couple’s encounter and the resistance efforts they and their friends undertake. Oddly enough, these flashbacks move through time, often but not always backwards, but it’s always clear where the viewer is. After she’s captured, Hilde’s prison experience is sometimes confronting, but I really appreciated how most of the prison staff are presented with touches of humanity rather than one-dimensionality. As stated on IMDB, the film ends with a few words from her son, who was born in prison and is now 80 years old. Overall, the acting, camerawork, and editing are well-subordinated to the story, which you will only realize in retrospect. How effective they are.