Graham’s review published on Letterboxd:
1917: Abgeschossen
A bloodstained, mudsoaked reflection of a wartime hell from the German perspective. Eerily clear and painfully similar to the distressing violence visualised in many English language films over the years, All Quiet on the Western Front is the best German war film I've seen in ages.
The cinematography is stunning throughout, and as these excited young men head to the front line, the air of nervousness rises. Hearts thumping. Bodies sweating. Minds rushing all over the place until in a split second, their lives are changed forever.
"You'd better eat something. You'll be dead by dawn.
A captivating screenplay and sombre score come together to create a calm and genuinely moving film full of emotional moments and stunning action sequences. Watching as a soldier reads out the names on dog tags collected from tens of thousands of young lives taken on the fields of France was a real tearjerker.
I wasn't sure what to expect from All Quiet on the Western Front after all the hype in the lead up to its release but boy, director Edward Berger totally nailed it.
