A German submarine hunts allied ships during the Second World War, but it soon becomes the hunted. The crew tries to survive below the surface, while stretching both the boat and themselves to their limits.
Rated 4.8 / 5 from 2 logs on Katalog
The world is so desensitised to the horrors of war I feel like even the live streams of dead bodies can’t evoke empathy anymore. Or at least the fear of war. My news feed looks like this: another war started, a cheesecake recipe, bombing of humanitarian aid, latest skincare fad, corpses, dating advice, cinema awards. Art is so often disregarded as means of escapism, but I believe that, overwhelmed with all the information, it can be exactly the opposite. A couple of hours focused on a good war movie. A couple of minutes dedicated to literature, poetry written by soldiers. Perhaps art is a better way to show the reality of war since, unfortunately, actual reality is overshadowed by statistics and public tantrums of the ruling egomaniacs. I recently read some Ancient Greek poetry that shames those that survive war. Because there’s no greater thing than dying for your country. Nothing changed since then. Hollywood puts out crap that glorifies war by focusing on a single hero and you — yes, you — can be one of those. Men in suits praise soldiers as heroes. Not because they truly appreciate their sacrifice, but simply because they need to convince more men to do the same. There is nothing noble and nothing grand about war. As the naive journalist in Das Boot says: “They made us all train for this day. To be fearless and proud and alone. They told us it would be the test of a manhood... to need no one, just sacrifice. All for the fatherland. Oh god, just empty words.” I recently overheard two teenagers talking about joining the military being their only option because there no one cares they are school dropouts with tattoos, and it pays better than delivery services. These places are preying on the vulnerable and I honestly believe they have no idea what they’re getting into. Would watching these movies make them reconsider? Would the world get better if only the politicians in favour of war are sent into a field and forced to fight to death with nothing but their bare hands? When I feel mad and defeated, I daydream of this being a real option. Das Boot covers all these aspects, in a contained, claustrophobic environment. It’s focused and technical, but the message, despite not being out on the surface, is perfectly clear. Next time I play Battleship, I’ll feel much worse about hitting that submarine.
Watched the Director’s Cut (3 1/2h runtime) Incredible accomplishment and the pacing is really good. Feels like a submarine simulation, you begin knowing the spaces and the layout. It shows everything. The narrowness, the depths, the rations, the oxygen, the crewmen, the sounds, the silence, the illumination, the weaponry, the electronics, the fuel, the diving and resurfacing, the intensity of the ocean, the young and inexperienced, the seasoned and tough, the transition from one to the other. From beginning to end you feel like you’re on the crew. It’s terrifying. It’s claustrophobic. It’s got you rooting for the nazis. And what was it all for? What did they accomplish? Absolutely who knows. That’s not what this is about. They know almost nothing about what goes on outside the submarine, just like us, the audience. While similar themes kept repeating, each situation was so fundamentally different in its setup and pacing that I was never bored for a moment. Beautiful and terrifying. It hasn’t aged a day.
