Controversial film about Dietrich Bonhoeffer excited in Austria

Controversial film about Dietrich Bonhoeffer excited in Austria

The publication of the film "Bonhoeffer" has been causing excited discussions since its premiere in Austria. The Protestant theologian and resistance fighter Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) is portrayed in the work of director Todd Komarnicki as a lonely hero, which is regarded by critics as a distorted view. Gunter Prüller-Huntereufel, a Catholic and theologian from the University of Vienna, expressed in the ORF religion magazine "Orientation" that the film false the central aspects of Bonhoeffer's motifs and presented him as someone who justifies violence. Prüller-hunting devil explained: "I learned from Bonhoeffer that hero figures are often the opposite of responsible persons."

The representation of Bonhoeffer's attitude regarding an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler is problematic and undifferentiated according to the Prüller-hunting devil. While Bonhoeffer rejected a bloodshed on the one hand, he could have called for a murder under extreme circumstances, said Prüller hunting devil. With its dramatic staging, the film, which severely distorted the image of the theologian, caused outrage. Already in the run-up to the US premiere in November 2024, various voices expressed themselves about a "cultural appropriation" by the theologian through evangelical circles, which interpret him as a key witness against liberal democracy, so reports

The emotional staging of the film, which commutes between different narrative forms, met with criticism. Bonhoeffer is shown as someone who is ready to sacrifice his principles to help others. This visual freedom, with which the film Bonhoeffer's time interpreted in resistance, is characterized as a "strong tobak". Critics describe the new film as a pathetic history cinema, which lives up only to a limited extent. While the film recognizes the legacy of one of the most important theologians of modern times, the question remains whether the true ideal Bonhoeffer is met. kathpress.at continues that the film has stimulated to deal with Bonhoeffer's ideas.