In a nutshell: Like the other german arthouse film which was screened in theaters recently (i.e. Downfall), Napola is also set during the time of Nazi Germany. This isn't a testosterone-charged war-drama like the former however; instead, Napola is an artfully disguised coming of age story about the friendship and eventual disillusionment of two young men with opposite backgrounds, who bonded together in an elite school steeped in the teachings of Adolf Hitler. 3 reasons why you should watch this film:
1) If you find history interesting and would gobble up anything that's related to Hitler, then you would love this film. Apparently, such a school really did exist in the 1940s but was closed soon after the end of the second world war.
2) Though this is pretty lightweight compared to the aforementioned Downfall, Napola is still loads better than the fluff which is flooding the local cinemas right now. Furthermore, I think the market is already too saturated with Japanese or Jap-inspired horror movies.
3) Move over Leonardo Dicaprio and Toby Macguire! The couple of unknowns in the lead roles here are wayyyy more talented and engaging; they managed to distract audiences from the trite storyline which began to lose its credibility during the last fifteen minutes or so. Too bad I couldn't understand a word they were saying.. LOL.
3 reasons why you should NOT watch this film:
1) If you have problems reading subtitles and watching onscreen action simultaneously, then film is NOT for you.
2) This is like one of those Dead Poets Society kind of movies -- only the students here carried rifles instead of books!
3) There is no happy ending. Thus, if you don't like films that end in the middle of nowhere, then this is not for you...
my overall ratings -- 3.5/5 stars!!!
