Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Never Look Away Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 19, 2019

Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut feature-length film The Lives of Others was a landmark picture that explored life and Stasi surveillance under Soviet-controlled East Berlin. His third film, 2018's Never Look Away (the forgettable The Tourist falls in the middle), explores the life of an artist through the decades between the start of World War II and life under both the artistic constraints of post-war East Germany and his love's ex-Nazi father holding tight to visions of a genetically superior "perfect society" into which he does not fit. The film is at once both a terrible tale of human horrors but at the same time an uplifting story of a young man finding his voice through art in a world that would silence his creativity beyond accepted conformity.

A prominent Nazi physician named Carl Seeband (Sebastian Koch) is ordered to have killed any patient in his care who is considered genetically or mentally inferior; after all, hospital rooms are at a premium and wounded soldiers returning from the front should not be denied treatment in favor of any human being who is simply occupying space. One of the patients he orders killed is a young woman named Elisabeth (Saskia Rosendahl), a suspected schizophrenic. Years later, with the war long over, Seeband is held in a Soviet prison in East Germany. when he saves a Soviet officer's child during birth, he is given the royal treatment and total protection from persecution. He lives a life of luxury under Soviet rule but still clings fast to his fascist beliefs. When his daughter Ellie (Paula Beer) begins dating a young art student named Kurt Barnert (Tom Schilling), Seeband disapproves; Kurt's mouth is imperfectly formed, a clear sign of genetic deformation that he does not want to sour his superior line. Kurt does not know that it was Seeband who had his aunt Elisabeth murdered years ago.

At more than three hours long, Never Look Away certainly enjoys the freedom to fine tune the narrative, more purposefully explore its characters, and more precisely construct its themes. And the film uses every minute to its advantage. While the film may be considered "sprawling" by both its runtime and the timeframe in which the story unfolds, it is also an extraordinarily intimate tale of two men with differing theories on and perspectives towards life. von Donnersmarck fully explores both Barnert and Seeband and the intimate connection they share through the years, the former's experiences often constrained by the world the latter helped to shape. von Donnersmarck, who also wrote the screenplay, constructs the characters with great precision through both their external actions and internal rationalizations and reactions. The film is purposeful in its approach but not always transparent; there's certainly a demarcation between the artistic and personal freedom Barnert craves and the monstrous actions and reactions that define Seeband's character, but the film does not necessarily paint with broad strokes in every application. It's layered, nuanced, and well defined well beyond the obvious.

Tom Schilling's Kurt Barnert is a fictional character based on the real artist Gerhard Richter. Reports indicate that Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck interviewed Richter about the prospects of the film. "I told him clearly that I would not approve of a movie about Gerhard Richter," he is quoted as saying. Upon seeing the finished film, Richter says that von Donnersmarck "abuse[d] and grossly distort[ed] my biography." That's disappointing to hear, because the finished film is quite terrific, layered and compelling and very human within the prism of a horrible point in history and a monstrous outlook on life. But the film is grounded in both gloomy truth and hopeful reality as Schilling's Kurt finds his voice as an artist while under Seeband's scrutinization and disapproving eye.

The cast is uniformly excellent. Each primary unearths a distinct personality that builds the characters and drives the story through broadly defined arcs and more intimate details that the picture reveals with time, for Barnert exploring his heart in love and artistic soul in turmoil and for Seeband the lengths to which he will go to protect his vision for humanity, which includes hurting his daughter physically or emotionally if need be. And with the extended runtime, both Tom Schilling and Sebastian Koch have ample opportunity to explore their characters, facilitated, of course, by von Donnersmarck's script but also their obvious understanding of the characters that exists well beyond the scripted page.

Never Look Away Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

IMDB reports that Never Look Away was shot on the Arri Alexa XT Plus digital camera system, but the image certainly has the look and feel of film. That report is corroborated form Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel in this article that discusses his and Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's desire to shoot on film, the difficulty of finding a processing facility, and the ultimate decision to shoot digitally and add grain in post. It's a fascinating read for the technical details and for insights into both the film and Deschanel's workflow.

The image proper is quite nice. Sony's pressed MOD (Manufactured on Demand) 1080p Blu-ray captures the movie's Oscar-nominated cinematography with striking precision. The image certainly looks as if it was shot natively on film; the post work is seamless and the picture's faux grain structure is one of the defining characteristics. Textures are well defined with an intimate level of detail. Faces are obviously the most basic point of reference for the image's strengths, showcasing pores, freckles, moles, stubble, and other characteristics with just about as much clarity as the format can muster. Nazi military uniforms are notably crisp and dense with every fabric detail and adornment appearing tack-sharp and tangible. Environments are well defined across the board from museums to military offices, from intimate home interiors to various outdoor locales. The real highlights appear in various close-ups of Kurt's artwork. Viewers will note the canvas textures and the applied paint's ridges and brush strokes. The level of total clarity in such shots is astonishing.

Colors present with attractive tonal neutrality. Paints are again one of the color highlights, with the various colors appearing vibrant and with great accuracy on the canvas. Military uniforms and adornments again become points of reference, particularly the deep red Nazi armbands and a flag Elisabeth is given to wave after handing a bouquet of flowers to none other than Hitler himself. World tones -- building façades, natural greens -- are healthy and accurate. Skin tones appear true to actor complexion and black levels are appropriately deep and hold shadow detail quite well. The image reveals no encode or source flaws of note.

Never Look Away Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This is a well-versed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The film is dialogue heavy and the spoken word represents its primary component. Delivery in the native German comes naturally, with firm front-center placement and verbal clarity. The track folds in a few odds-and-ends details very nicely, including the rumble of a rolling bus and a larger, room filling precision symphony of blaring bus horns moments later, which represents, arguably, the most sonically demanding moment in the movie. Music is well defined and largely remains up front and presents with natural width. Small environmental details, like office din in chapter four, are realistically reproduced. A few wartime sound effects early in the film offer acceptable detailing.

Never Look Away Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Never Look Away contains a filmmaker Q&A and a trailer. No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does not appear to ship with a slipcover.

• Q&A with Writer Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (1080p, 41:59): The filmmaker sits down with WOR Radio's Joe Neumaier to discuss the film in detail.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:09).
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Never Look Away Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Never Look Away is a terrific film boasting first-rate characterization, a well-versed script, and a subject that speaks on multiple levels. The film was all but disavowed by its true-life inspiration but was rightly nominated for two Oscars, one for its cinematography and the other in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Sony's MOD Blu-ray delivers perfect video and audio. Extras are highlighted by a filmmaker Q&A. Very highly recommended.