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Alone in Berlin

Ordinary heroism

When a working-class German couple (Emma Thompson & Brendan Gleeson) gets the news in 1940 that their only son has died on the front lines, they launch their own small-scale propaganda campaign, leaving hundreds of anti-Nazi postcards all over the city. Daniel Bruhl is the cop who must find them. While at times exhibiting a compelling sense of urgency, this competent tale of ordinary heroism is pretty dour stuff, cinematically speaking, and decidedly anti-climactic. And though there’s no “based on a true story” claim at the beginning, you can tell by its sheer stodginess that it is. Japanese title: Hitora e no 285-mai no hagaki (103 min)