All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)
War isn’t about who’s right, rather who’s left.
Presentation:
This is one of the most impressive displays of visual spectacle for a war film. It covers the horrors of World War I through the German’s perspective and ultimately succeeds in making us feel empathetic for their soldiers. Shot on Arri and Red, Edward Berger implements a lot of symmetrical framing, closeups and contextual shots with Arri DNA ultra wides to capture the expansive beauty of the battlefield. As gorgeous as the shots are, I think the visuals draw too much attention to itself especially with its strong color grade. It’s a beautiful company3 style split-tone look, but after 2.5 hours it feels heavy and over-saturated. Although this one has visual diversity on its side, 1917 feels more balanced overall with a more focused plot line. The cinematographer takes many cues from Deakin’s cinematography including the midnight rail, fire at night, lighting and color palette. Even the characters have strong resemblance. It’s hard to shake the feeling that it’s highly inspired by 1917, which is overall the better film because this one tries to cover so much ground. There’s just too much going on in a disorganized way, seemingly rushing to present as many cinematic angles as possible turning into more of a cinematic reel montage rather than solidifying its emotional drama. The music is also a bit corny with over-dramatic drum beats and thriller trailer themes. There are many similarities in presentation to be made with his other film Conclave.
Conclusion:
Breathtakingly beautiful, this is an anti-war film that you can’t help but admire the visuals of. It feels long especially because of the abundance of melodramatic segments. There will be many hard hitting moments, but after a while it does start to get numb and not in a good way. The audience can only care about so many tragedies after tragedies until it loses impact. There are also some lulls where it feels like a drama that happens to be in a war setting but overall does accomplish everything it sets out to do. It should make you empathetic of the German perspective especially with regards to the Treaty of Versailles, the indifference of ranking generals for glory and the senseless cycle of death. Although many films cover the horrors of war, this film convincingly illustrates it in one of the most visceral ways since Saving Private Ryan. A world war film from the German perspective could trouble some viewers, but rest assured it never tries to justify any side. War isn’t about who’s right, rather who’s left.
Recommendations
Mood piece for romantics of Taipei cinema.