Reader’s Digest UK – July 2019

118 • JULY 2019 READERSDIGEST.CO.UK/CULTURE/FILM

© MODERN FILMS

Now, don’t get us wrong; Florian Henckel
von Donnersmarck’s latest epic is not the
lightest watch in the world. At three and
a half hours it requires a certain amount
of physical stamina just to sit through. It
also tackles several demanding thematic
undercurrents: politics, art, love,
history—it’s all of life’s foundations and
nuances encapsulated in one film. But
man, can von Donnersmarck pull it off.
The story revolves around the life of
Kurt Barnert, starting with his traumatic
childhood in the 1940s, plagued by
tragedy and loss, through to his adult
years as a gifted, discerning artist whose

Human drama and history unravel on
a grand scale in Florian Henckel von
Donnersmack’s latest masterpiece

life is an endless stream of trials and

cruel curveballs. Dissatisfied with the

limited opportunities and narrow

world view dominating East Germany,

he escapes with his young wife to the

West but his painful past under the

Nazis follows him wherever he goes.

Von Donnersmarck ploughs us with

an unrelenting stream of cutting human

emotion that you’ll feel with every fibre

of your being. Each reflection, glance

and word is nothing if not relatable on

the most cellular level to anyone who’s

ever lived, breathed and felt something,

with many wise but never-patronising

messages to chew on and treasure.

Never Look Away is a huge cinematic

feat and, trust us, even after three and

a half hours, you won’t want it to end.

NEVER LOOK AWAY

H H H H H