This is probably one of the most intense and interesting German movies of the last years. It has everything that a good movie needs: Credible characters and actors, dramatic sequences, a lot of action and tension, a philosophical touch, elements touching romances, friendships and rivalries, an intense atmosphere and a great showdown.

But the best thing is that this is not a simple good movie, but a piece of German culture and history as it tells a true story. The movie is both entertaining and teaching without losing its neutrality towards the very problematic topic. In a country of severe political correctness like Germany, this was probably the most important and difficult thing to consider in this movie. The fact that the actors do not even seem to be actors and fill completely the role of the real people who had lived in the seventies in Western Germany, raise the authenticity and credibility of this movie a lot. Especially Moritz Bleibtreu, who already played great roles in the German cult movies "Knockin' on heaven's door" and "Das Experiment", does once again a brilliant job here.

Another great thing is that you do not even need to know the historical German background of the movie, because every thing is explained and shown in this movie without making this movie too dry and transforming it into a boring documentary movie. As comparable groups and events exist in other countries (in Canada or Québec, it has been the FLQ that is very similar), it is not difficult to watch this movie, understand it and get addicted to it.

I would recommend this film to anyone who likes political and historical topics, that is interested in foreign cultures or who simply wants to see an intense and action filled drama with credible actors.

I watched this movie at a little cultural exposition and festival with my French class and expected the usual French sentimental comedy-drama kitsch, but I got positively surprised by the movie.

It is indeed a comedy-drama with a very social-critic and philosophic touch, but the actors all do a very good job here and this is what rates this movie up. Especially Dany Boon shows his entire talent in this movie. You really begin to care about the profound and tragical characters in their search for friendship, respect and integration. It's true that the twists and the ending are quite predictable, that there are many clichés shown in the movie and that the movie shows nothing new or innovating but I like the straight honesty of the film. It is taken out of the real life and that's why everybody is somehow slightly touched by this movie. It is surely not a very intense movie that really makes you think and analyze your own life, but it is a very entertaining and sympathetic movie and easy to watch.

I would recommend this movie to everyone who likes the French cinema, who likes realistic movies taken out of the real everyday life and who is looking for some sentimental entertainment. Those who expect an innovative movie, a masterpiece or who are not interested while reading the movie's resume shouldn't watch this.

This movie is another socio-critical movie that comes from Germany after the brilliant "Das Experiment" and "Goodbye, Lenin!" before, "Die Welle" heads for the same direction and is also based on true elements that happened in the United States of America. The German script players transfered the actions into their own country and imagined the worst case scenario.

This creates a very natural and realistic movie with credible actors and a well elaborated story line and a very philosophical movie that questions our society and our values. Why and how do people create, get into or identify with groups or social networks? How stable are those groups, our lives' basis and our society in general? Who is to blame when everything falls apart? The movie's answer is as simple and shocking: Autocracy and dictatorship are still possible dangers and can easily be developed and get out of control no matter what we have learnt from our past. Once the situation is out of control it is almost impossible to stop the movement and the final solution is almost always heavily disturbing and radical. When we try to solve and analyze the things that happen, nobody has seen anything coming, everything seems to be based on coincidences or fate and nobody wants to be blamed. Humanity simply can't change and history will always happen again. The key message of this movie is tragical and seems negative, but very realistic and at least, the movie shows us the naked truth, wakes us up, shocks us and makes us think about morality and society.

The film really achieves its main goals and it is interesting to watch and discuss about it. The movie is very philosophical and intellectual.

From a more cinematic point of view, there are some secondary elements missing, though. The story is very predictable and that's why the movie is not very intense or surprising. A part of three well developed main characters (the initiator, the evil one and the good one), the other young actors do not have much to say and much talent to show. There are no really interesting or touching side stories, no surprising moments that may give you a break from the main story. There is also a lack of innovating camera shots or an intense movie score that could have underlined or supported the movie and its intentions.

Everything is somehow concentrated on the main story. If the main story seems interesting to you, you should watch this movie, but if you hope for an interesting movie about the German youth, a few interesting side stories and intense twists, you may get disappointed. The movie really offers you what is written on the back of the DVD or shown in the trailer, not more and not less.

I decided to watch this movie because I have read many excellent critics and because this book is used in Quebec's "cegeps", some kind of a post-high-school, and my girlfriend talked about it with me. Indeed, I am very happy to have seen this intense movie. It is really a great and close to perfection. Even though I have even seen one or two better films this year, this movie is at least the best drama I have seen in the last five years.

This movie is absolutely convincing. It has very intense images and words and has a very slow paced and sad atmosphere. The movie begins very calm but the tension raises very fast and you really feel more and more with the tragic characters. This movie makes you cry, it makes you angry, it shocks you. Once again, it is a Quebecker movie that is cut into pieces and may mix you up a little bit in the beginning. You see scenes from the present where Jeanne and Simon are first parallely looking for the truth and trying to fulfil her last will, you see scenes from the dramatic past of her mother at different stages of her life and you also see scenes from the past of her family. The movie shows not only a couple of interesting and diversified characters (played by mostly unknown and indeed extremely talented actors), but also magnificent and intense landscapes, shocking crime and war scenes and insights of a foreign culture and the clash of the generations and ideologies in the past and the present. The movie is much diversified and very intellectual.

Many people were surprised by several twists and a very intense and dramatic ending. It is true that the development the movie takes is really shocking but I have seen a few things coming and wasn't that surprised in the end, but that almost does no harm to the atmosphere and tension of the movie. The movie tells in a very philosophical way about the irony of fate, peace and war, love and hate, vengeance and forgiveness, saints and sinners. It is uneasy to watch the movie and you still think about what you have heard and seen for quite a while after the movie.

Almost everything is perfect in this movie. There are two minor reasons why I don't give the best note. First of all, I was somehow able to predict some of the punches at a certain point in the movie and I have already seen more intense and shocking dramas that very even more uneasy and heavier to watch than this one, for example "The pianist". Second, some scenes in the beginning of the movie are not done very well by the camera man. In the scene where Jeanne is in her mathematic class and when she looks for some accessories in her room, the camera is disturbingly shaking and moving all the time but not to create an effect of uneasiness, because there are no similar scenes later in the movie during way heavier scenes. Those two scenes (that would not have been complicated to produce or film again) are just not well done and the director should have seen and corrected that before sending the final product to the festivals and cinemas. In a perfect and intense masterpiece, this little detail is really something that could harm the reputation and professionalism of the whole brilliant work. The next time, they should be more concentrated on the movie's perfection and keep their eyes open or invest the money in a good camera director instead of some war scenes.

But all in all, I think that we can really talk about an extremely good movie here! It is surely worth watching it and I agree with those ones who would like to see this movie represent Canada at the Oscars.

First of all, I am someone who is very interested in history and especially in the Cuban revolution and the life of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, so I expected a lot of this movie divided in two parts...

Well, I am very disappointed about the result. First of all, it would have been interesting to present Che Guevara before the beginnings of the revolution, to explain his reasons, his first contacts with corruption, submission, poverty, politics and revolution. One should have shown the youth of this man, one should have talked about his voyages, of the events that forged his mind and his ideology. Instead of this, the viewer is introduced to the Che Guevara as he is already formed and forged just before the revolution.

If they hadn't enough time to do a more profound portrait of this legend, I ask myself why the films shows many unnecessary dialogues and scenes in the Cuban jungle during the guerrilla fights. This whole beginning of the movie seems just to be a recitation of Che's most famous speeches, but doesn't look beyond and is sometimes without any chronology. The movie seems just to be based on a lot of intelligent words and speeches, without showing the true intention of it. The few fight scenes which interrupt the endless dialogues, seem somehow poor and there is not just a lack of action or tension, but also of emotion during the little combat scenes that would show us why all this was worth dying for.

In the end, the movie ends as strange as it began, the real arriving and the real triumph of the victorious revolution and the development of Che's personality during his implication in a new government is not shown and the film seems to be quite incomplete, as if a little chapter of a giant book was chosen without reading or telling its beginning or continuation. The second part of the movie works the same way, but it finishes at least with something concrete.

All in all, I am really disappointed about this movie and would have expected more about it.