War movie from the German side. I must say it looks odd. Germans running and crying all the time, scared of den Ivan. Thou I understand it was tragedy for all the mankind.
The most frightfully captivating aspect of this film is the lack of embellishments. There is no romance, no plot twists, no wartime antagonism between soldiers of different sides, no blind patriotism, no insipid and callous heroism, no happiness, no joy, nothing at all. Because this is what war was like - walking into the unknown, equipped with the harsh instinct of self-preservation, armed with fear and human weakness, and embracing the abyss. They stare at the abyss. The abyss stares back.
The fantastic thing about this movie is that there is no real story. It just follows the horrible fate of a group of Wehrmacht veterans lead by a new lieutenant. No heroic crap, no patriotism, no happy endings or retarded twists. Simple and pure depiction of life in the Stalingrad-kessel. Not 100% historically accurate but good enough.
Average ww2 war movie. Interesting to see a movie made from the german perspective. Don't expect big action or plot twists or drama . It's just a narrative of a group of german soldiers struggling to survive. It's a bit like 'when trumpets fade' (which I liked more).