Hannah Arendt
Dir: Margarethe von Trotta
2013
*****
It's quite amazing to see the similarities and the differences in Margarethe von Trotta's films since her debut The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975) and her most mainstream film to date, 2012's Hannah Arendt. I dare say she has learn't more as a director and has developed her skills but The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum is an amazing film, Hannah Arendt is very different in style but just as amazing. I think the big difference in style is in the provocative 'devils advocate' attitude in much of her work. She was close to Rainer Werner Fassbinder and shares a deconstructive style often found in his work, I love what both have done but I think the passionate antagonist has now become yet another great German conductor. Most directors wouldn't touch Hannah Arendt's story with a barge-pole, the fact that her words are still misunderstood (and unread in their complete form) pretty much proves what she said was correct too. Margarethe von Trotta gets the balance of intelligent thinking and unspeakable loss and the passion (for want of a better word) that comes with it. Hannah Arendt was never going to convince everyone of her theories (even though she was in the best position to do so) and she probably never will, projecting this into a film and indeed, making a film about intelligent thought/theory/philosophy/an idea is terribly difficult, especially when it is about an idea rather than the person. Hannah Arendt is about both but the fact that Arendt herself remained relatively quiet about the reaction to her articles, it must have made it even harder. This is where great direction, screenwriting and performance come in and all are perfect in re-telling the story. Margarethe von Trotta very wisely uses real archive footage in the courtroom scenes which grounds the film in truth and was far more effective than any recreation could have been. It's a subject that isn't going away and is still relevant today, Arendt may have been forgotten by many but her political theories and philosophies on hate should be studied further and I thank and congratulate Margarethe von Trotta for bring it to the public's attention once more. Lest we forget is a line often uttered once a year, but only with learning and analysis can we know what it is we must remember. It's a battle, this film makes this clear perfectly and deserves a couple of hours of your time.