Political drama has always been Costa Gavras signature theme. "Z" and "L'aveu" from the late sixties and "Section Special" from mid seventies remain important and powerful political thrillers reflecting the era of cold war and the damage of communism in East Europe.
"Amen" is his first attempt with the Second World War. Made in 2002, this coproduction between Germany, Romania and France contains no scene of violence. However, through the journey of Chemist Kurt Gerstein, an SS officer who discovers with horror his developed Zyklon-B pellets are being used to kill thousands of jews cramped in the deportation camps, the audience becomes a witness of these atrocities.
Based on true events although slightly fictitious (Gerstein made suicide after the war has ended)"Amen" brings forward another distressing thesis; the role of the Catholic Church that was too slow to act. The movie has a second important character, an italian priest based in Germany that will try from his end and through his strong contacts to inform the Holy Father about the ignored daily tragedy.
Numerous movies are made about the Second World War. "Amen" brings however a different approach. From one side the main character is a sympathetic German SS officer utterly disgusted on what his own people are doing for the sake of a total extermination plan and on the other side the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and the lack of strong condemning position that still today remains a disturbing matter.
"Amen" is a confronting drama with an absolute honnest look on the darkest period of the last Century.
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