Perspective on German youth in the Third Reich
Added 6/9/2009
Although this kind of perspective on the suffering of Germans in the Third Reich could be considered questionable, I did enjoy this movie for its emotional intensity. The film explores the brutal and atrocious nature of the Nazi regime almost exclusively from the viewpoint of Germans--in particular, two adolescent boys, Friedrich and Albrecht, who attended one Hitler's elite boys' schools--, and the victims of this dark time in German history do not come into view (Jewish people, Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, other ethnic minorities). There is a brief but decisive sequence that shows the murdering of young Russian POWs. What the film does attempt to portray--and, successfully, in my opinion--is the seductiveness of the Nazi's ideology of strength to young Germans, and the powerful effect that the illusion of being part of a greater community can have. I also felt that the film showed convincingly at a number of moments how people can be coerced into acts of violence. Certainly one of the core achievements of Gansel's movie is the subtlety with which it presents the development of the friendship between Friedrich and Albrecht, and the homo-erotic undertones can hardly be overlooked. The performances of both lead actors, Max Riemelt and Tom Schilling, are outstanding, if not stunning. The structural organization of the film around recurring boxing scenes is quite compelling, and cinematographically astute. My reservation against this film is that it may allow for some questionable conclusions, namely that Germans were the victims of "their" regime just as much as everyone else involved, or that the lack of resistance among Germans against the vile regime is entirely understandable. But the film kept my interest from the first until the very last minute, many sequences are quite gripping, and the visuals are extraordinarily well executed. The film is provocative in a very unexpected way, and deserves more attention.
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Very Realistic
Added 2/18/2009
This movie is a very realistic portrayal of the Nazi machinery that showed no sympathy for anyone. One scene demonstates this when the boys are all awaken to capture some "Russians" who supposedly escaped and killed guards in the process. The boys succeed in finding them and shooting them, but discover that these were only harmless children. The school instructors are hard on these boys, and simply have no sympathy for what is perceived as weakness in them. The acting is very convincing and well done. It is by no means a gay movie. There isn't even a hint of homosexuality between the two main characters. They are only good friends who have come to trust each other, even while once spying on a woman who is getting undressed. No nudity is featured in this film, at all.
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Before The Fall
Added 11/2/2008
This is a revealing insider's take on life inside the Third Reich from a Hitler Youth / young adult perspective.
A dashing young boxer is recruited by a Reich official to fight on behalf of an elite boy's school. The adventure of school life begins when the Governor's son is introduced as a newly arrived student.
The glorified Nazi exterior is contrast to a much more sinister reality that neither boy can accept. Inhibited love and frustrated compassion drive the film to its untidy conclusion.
Except for the bed-wetter who is forced to pull his pants down in the courtyard, this is not a homoerotic film, but instead, a testament to social engineering gone wrong.
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Dramatic & Emotional!
Added 7/21/2008
This is a great drama showing how the misleading enticements of the Hitler regime to the German youth to join their training camps doesn't work when the two lead youth reveal that they do indeed have hearts with compassion for each other and their fellow mankind. It is very captivating and unpredictable with a very emotional ending.
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Not really a gay movie, but watch it anyways!
Added 3/8/2008
I wouldn't call this a specifically gay-themed movie. The relationship between the two main characters is definitely headed in a homoerotic direction but it was a strong friendship more than anything else. The plot ends in tragedy before the relationship can mature. That they shared some highly emotional moments was mostly due to the experiences they shared in the NaPolA (National Political Academy).
Napola (Before the Fall) focuses on the indoctrination of young minds into the marshal, fascist cult of German nationalism. So if you want a strictly gay movie then go see something else. What was much more striking was the story of what German military academies used to be like.
None of my ancestors were in the Nazi schools but my grandfather, his brothers, and most of his ancestors were in some form of military academy during their childhoods and most were Prussian military officers or government officials. Based on the stories that have been passed down through the generations in my family this movie seems fairly accurate. At the military academy my grandfather attended he was "taught" to swim by being thrown into a pool when he was 5 years old. He managed to get out of the water but the next boy who was thrown in drowned while the older students stood around and laughed. The older students once broke up a fight between two of the younger kids long enough to give them both loaded revolvers, then told them to continue the fight. One of them died.
One day when my grandfather was 9 he complained of pain in his abdomen. He was punished for showing weakness and then told to go sweep and mop a flight of stairs. When he collapsed and started vomiting he was kicked and struck. Eventually he was taken to the doctor and it was discovered he had appendicitis. Another time a soldier visiting the school pulled the pin on a grenade and tossed it into the yard where some of the students were playing. They fought over it until it exploded. The movie shows a somewhat similar scene. This sort of sadistic, brutal environment is bad enough for kids but the movie tries to show how much worse it can get for the two of them who are gay, one of whom is also an anti-Nazi dissident.
In Germany, being a "Man" used to be something that needed to be continually proved. This mindset has been passed along through every generation of my family. Looking back, my upbringing was fairly psychotic. When my father would try to insult his sons he would say we weren't strong enough to be German and that we took after our American mother. If I ever experienced pain and made a noise I would be hit. If I made a noise when I was hit I would be hit over and over until I was silent. Almost every day in the freezing German winter I had to make a hole in the ice of the local farmer's duck pond and tread water for one minute. There is a similar scene in the movie. My first 20 mile "march" in July with no water took place when I was six years old. What was the point of all this? I had to learn to be a MAN! Why did I have to learn to be a man? Because I am German! These old-school Germans are completely crazy! If you don't believe me then watch this movie. Somewhere along the way I came to my senses and realized that all that macho crap was pointless. That was probably right around the time I realized I am gay, which is the most un-German thing that some one can ever be.
The eye candy alone is reason enough to watch this movie. Max Riemelt is like a blond Jake Gyllenhaal, except that he has a much sexier smile!
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