Before the Fall (Napola: Hitler’s Elite)2004

Director
Dennis Gansel

Acters

Max Riemelt (Friedrich Weimer)
Tom Schilling (Albrecht Stein)
Jonas Jaegermeyr (Christoph Schneider)
Leon A. Kersten (Tjaden)
Thomas Drechsel (Hefe)
Martin Goeres (Siegfried Gladen)

Friedrich’s boxing skills gets him in an elite Nazi high school in a castle in 1942. He enrolls against his dad’s wish as it promises a brighter future. It’s not what he expected.

Germany, 1942. When seventeen-year-old Friedrich, an aspiring young boxer from Berlin’s working class, is recruited by the Nazis to come train in one of their elite schools, Napola, he eagerly accepts despite the objections of his father, who adamantly opposes Hitler. But inside the Napola, Friedrich’s training quickly shifts from fighting to killing, and he’s not sure whether his conscience can take it.

Director Dennis Gansel has transformed his award-winning screenplay, co-authored with Maggie Peren, into the gripping, nuanced portrait of a friendship between two young men caught in the barbaric mechanisms of the Nazi system.

“To call this movie brilliant is an understatement. A MUST SEE.” – All About War Movies

“Moving, shocking but also entertaining moments, which imprint into our memories.” – Cinestar

“Powerful storytelling! Excellent performances!” – Genre Magazine