Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s film borrows much from the life of the renowned German artist Gerhard Richter (if you missed his show at GOMA you missed out) without mentioning his name, but like so many German stories that cover such tumultuous times it is riveting and engrossing.

On one level, Never Look Away is the story of the evolution of an East German painter; on another, it’s about the depravity of the Third Reich and the regimes that followed in East and West Germany. The moral impact is massive and as a film it is mesmerizing. The performances are incredible and the direction and cinematography at another level again. 

It is the only German film, other than Das Boot to receive multiple Academy Award nominations and it is as unforgettable as that wonderful piece of cinema.

Please note the earlier starting time! It runs for 3 hours and unlike most films of that length it is worth every minute of it. It’s triumphant. 

Dankeschon to the Festival patron who recommended we get this film and to everyone who supports the Festival. The film culture we deliver doesn’t get much better than this.