Führer Ex

Germany, Italy

2002

105 Min

Color

1.85:1

German

Currently 2.9/5 Stars.
1
2
3
4
5

|

EXEC Clementina Hegewisch, Brooks Riley

SCR Winfried Bonengel, Douglas Graham, Ingo Hasselbach

CAST Christian Blümel, Aaron Hildebrand, Julie Flierl, Detlef Kappulusch, Harry Baer, Marco Schulz, Luci Van Org, Dennis Grabosch, Jürgen Lingmann, Max Richter, Steffan Haja, Jasmin Aksan, Dieter Laser

SOUND Oliver Grafe

Venice (Competition), Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema), São Paulo, Berlinale (German Cinema)

Synopsis

The chilling allure of neo-Nazism is exposed in this unflinching portrait of a young man’s transformation from a sensitive teenager to a hate-filled fascist thug. Similar in theme to the Hollywood hit, American History X and based on the autobiographical experiences of co-screenwriter and ex-neo-Nazi Ingo Hasselbach, this harrowing drama looks at the still vibrant underworld of the hate-filled neo-Nazi movement in Germany. Teenagers Heiko (Christian Blümel) and Tommy (Aaron Hildebrand) are best friends living in 1980s East Berlin. When they try but fail to escape the Iron Curtain, they are sent to a harsh communist prison. Tommy acclimates to prison life when the blond, still child-like Heiko undergoes a drastic change, finding refuge in fellow inmates who share Nazi sympathies. After his release, Heiko’s rage continues unabated. Hard-hitting, unflinching and disturbingly real, Führer Ex examines the politics of hate and the values of friendship and loyalty. –TLA Releasing