Germania Anno Zero

"Filled with haunting images and unforgettable performances by real citizens (non-professional actors), Rossellini suggests the damage which had been done to an entire generation through the relentless brainwashing of fascism."
-summary from the back of the DVD.

Just finished watching this. It's set in Post-world war 2, Berlin. Germany Year Zero tells of Edmund Koeler, A twelve year-old child, And his family's struggle for Survival. His Father suffers from malnutrition and a fatal disease. His brother, Karl-heinz, Is a former Nazi soldier hiding from the police because he thinks he's going to be arrested if he surrenders and his sister, Eva who has turned to semi-prostitution. Shows life after the war, extreme poverty; how they can't consume more than 10 watts of electricity a month and where hot water is a luxury.

Here's a memorable line in the movie. Apparently the only one I wrote down. lol. I quote:
(Edmund's Father talking about the war/Hitler) "We saw disaster coming and did nothing to stop it. and today we suffer the consequences.." It's very sad, add to it that this came from an old suffering man tired of war.

Edmund Koeler walking away from kids that refused to play with him

I'll end this post with an excerpt from the beginning of the movie

"This movie aims only to be an objective and true portrait of this large, almost totally destroyed city where 3.5million people live a terrible, desperate life, almost without realizing it. They live as if tragedy were natural, not because of strength or faith, but because they are tired. This is not an Accusation or even a defense of the German people. It is an objective assessment. Yet if anyone, after watching Edmund Koeler's story, feels that something needs to be done- that German children need to relearn to love life-- then the efforts of those who made this movie will be greatly rewarded."

Great movie. Buy it.