113. Great Freedom (Grosse Freiheit); movie review

 

GREAT FREEDOM (GROSSE FREIHEIT)

Cert 18

117 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong sex

I was shocked to the core. Gay men were thrown in jail AFTER they survived Nazi concentration camps?!

Even though the Allies had liberated everyone else, the end of the war did mean the end of their persecution.

Indeed, West Germany continued to use the 1935 Nazi version of the notorious Paragraph 175 which criminalised gay people until 1969.

This is the focus of Sebastian Meise's Great Freedom and the story of Hans (Franz Rogowski) who found himself in and out of jail for nearly 25 years.

In 1967, he finds himself in the same prison as a young man with whom he was accused of illegal behaviour but attempts at reigniting their liaison end with brutal punishment by its guards.

Meise's film then flicks back 20 years when Hans was initially imprisoned after the Second World War and the astonishment of a cell mate (Georg Friedrich) that his incarceration has continued.

The latter has been jailed for murder and is initially wary of Hans but an unconventional long-term friendship emerges.

Great Freedom demonstrates the brutality which was meted out to men for simply being attracted to those of the same sex.

Rogowski is remarkable in the stoic and even heroic lead role and responding to its huge physical demands.

Friedrich also impresses as a man who finds redemption when he leasts expects it.

Meanwhile, Meise has created a more realistic prison drama than the norm. Presenting jail as bleak, cold and unfriendly.

His film is thought-provoking and realistic. Its only negatives are the gratuitous sex scenes during the opening and closing credits and the speed at which it moves back and forth from decade to decade.

But, overall, Great Freedom is a brave and compelling movie.

Reasons to watch: Unusual and well handled subject

Reasons to avoid: Gratuitous sex scenes

Laughs: None

Jumps: One

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? During the Nazi era, between 5,000 and 15,000 men were imprisoned in concentration camps as “homosexual” (“homosexuell”) offenders. This group of prisoners was typically required to wear a pink triangle on their camp uniforms as part of the prisoner classification system.

The final word. Sebastian Meise: "In Germany alone, at least 100,000 lives were destroyed in this way. It was a bit of a shock to know nothing about it, but we did many interviews with people who had experienced this back in the ’60s or who had experienced being imprisoned for being gay.” Deadline

Share this post