This movie seems to be an anti-war drama, but it is essentially a philosophical film about free will.
The only conflict in the film is whether the male protagonist should listen to his inner voice and refuse to swear allegiance to Hitler.
The male protagonist is a trivial person, and his choice objectively does not change the war, but after suffering both physical and mental torture, he still listens to his inner voice——“Don’t do what you think is wrong in your heart. "——Even if you give up your life for this, and even the happiness of your loved ones.
From the point of view of a rational person, the male protagonist is a bit stupid. Does it mean that he must do bad things with all his conscience when he swears allegiance to Hitler on the surface? If you think so, the only conflict of the story is reconciled at the real level, which is not what the director wants to express. The theme of the story is not about how to solve real problems, but about free will. Therefore, the male protagonist must use his personal insignificance to harden the strength of the whole world, sacrifice all of his personal life, and practice his own inner proposition.
The process of execution is very long, and people are looking forward to a miracle all the time. The male protagonist may be spared, but in the end the miracle did not happen.
The male protagonist never made a rhetoric, did not vigorously, or even resisted fiercely, but he never gave in half a step and never compromised.
The film is adapted from real events, and at the end, a passage from Eliot is quoted to the effect that it is precisely the small goodness of individuals that keeps the world from falling into the abyss of evil. The male protagonist is loyal to his heart, transcends beliefs, travels through time and space, and hits the heart directly.
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