"Sophie Scholl: The Final Days" (Language - German) (2005) - Movie Review

I mentioned in my review for the movie “Amazing Grace”, that a character says that when people talk about bravery, peaceful person is rarely mentioned and Sophie Scholl is one such person. “Sophie Scholl : The Final Days” directed by Marc Rothemund is the encounters of Sophie Scholl during her last days, who along with her brother Hans Scholl and friend Christopher Probst were convicted of high treason by the then “People’s Court” of Hitler. Julia Jenstch portrays Sophie Scholl while Fabien Hinrichs plays as her brother Hans Scholl.

The viewers see Sophie singing with her friend happily for a song. The year is 1943 and it is the war at its peak. She then realizes its getting late and heads to a studio wherein along with her brother and some friends they post leaflets carrying contents opposing the war conducted by Hitler. They plan to distribute them in the university they are attending. They believe that would open the eyes of the youth and would join hands with them and also with their organization “White Rose” to end the war. The remaining movie is what happens to them when they distribute those leaflets and the consequences of it.

While the film has brilliant sequences of taking the viewers to edge of their seats during their distribution of leaflets in the university, then in the interrogation of Sophie with the inspector Sophie marked with pace and pulse, the real movie hits everyone hard during the final thirty minutes. The words and expressions of Sophie along with her brother and friend is the most moving emotion expressed. Sophie is not afraid and her intelligence is compelling when she handles Inspector Mohr. She does not panic or neither does she gets into the edge of disturbance. She knows what she is doing. They have calculated everything. They knew the consequences and the worst is nothing but living in a society of wrong conscience and disrespect for fellow human beings. There is the charm in her eyes and submerged confident smile in the corner of her lips. Even when she is ripped of the lies she tried to cover things up, she comes out firing with calm expositions of ideas. She does not argue or accuse strongly. She states the mental states of a human in a dominated narrow minded society. The argument of “Law and Order” against conscience is the one of high points in the movie. The film is the expert handling of how freedom was and how it was tortured and ripped away from a twenty one year old girl along with most of the other people in the country. The movie shows that the difference among all the people is the courage and conscience it took for her and her organization to wake up the people. The power of conscience with simple words but strong thoughts. The concept of peace and the proceedings of performing it in the same way.

Julia Jenstch brings out the Sophie Scholl in herself. There is no way one can bring out the ideas and courage in words as her unless she wore those concepts in her mind. The act of handling the character in a tender age and yet the bravery to face the terror is magnificent. The restrained sorrow and fear are enacted with calculated precision by her. The second in the list is the Gerald Alexander Held playing the Inspector Mohr. He pities Sophie but cannot able to come out of the blinding mask of convictions imposed by the society developed by Hitler. He wants to prove her wrong and save herself and in turn convince himself. The untold psychological war between him and Sophie is the scenes to watch for his enigmatic and thoughtful portrayal of the character.

What does “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days” offers to the viewers? What does it offer apart from brilliantly occupying the viewers by their seats? It is plain and simple; Freedom. The idea of freedom which had been mishandled and shattered by the mindless molded people. It is the display of nerves been altered to believe the unbelievable. The film is the example of peace. It is the solution not only to the war but to the process of stopping it. Sophie Scholl was young and influenced. It is not that she was made to believe in peace, but it was her experience and by it her own independent decision. She knew how it is and she wanted the people of Germany to feel the same. The film exactly brings out that in heart shaking dialogues and excellent acting.

The film has minimal locations and within that confined piece of area, they rattle the camera work to apply the maximum use of it. They swing back and forth between the characters during interrogation with such ease that the viewers are placed in between them. The placement of lightings to get the best complexion of reactions and the editing to assist those come with unison. They struck so well and as the viewers are enjoying those, the screenplay with its impressive dialogues lifts it to further heights of mesmerizing tones.

“Sophie Scholl: The Final Days” is a film of exemplary employment of peace. It is the depiction of how age does not attach to wisdom and the idea of conscience. It is the functionality of how education should and be addressed. It is the power of strong and peaceful words. It is how Sophie Scholl with her minimal time in a world of suppressed ideas tore the sheets of hatred with peace and through her life.