User reviews

You're not like them, incarceration is imposed, you have no right to act in ways you're predisposed, it's an outrage, a disease, we will use our expertise, into the cell, you'll go to hell, you've been exposed.

It's important to remember the inhuman things governments (often elected but not always) did to people who didn't conform to their misguided beliefs, doctrine and dogma. Here, the always impressive Franz Rogowski gives us Hans, a perpetually convicted gay man who spends most of his adult days behind bars, just for being himself. Ably supported by a host of fine performances, you're left wondering how many people over the ages have been persecuted in this way and how many are still living in fear today in some parts of the world.

First, it's not true this is the first film that deals with the infamous Paraghraph 175 of Germany. Just to name a few (because I can't claim I watched all the films in the world), there's cinema verite style 'Jagdszene aus Niederbayerm', 70's melodrama 'Die Konsequenz', and the whole dedicated documentary 'Paragraph 175'...

But unlike in the UK media where the anniversary of 1967 legalization of homosexuality is celerbrated with TV specials and dramas, Germany has been definitely sluggish to recognize the victims of Pink Triangle that carried into post war West Germany. Only in 2018, the German president officially apologized about the unjustly penalized gays in the past... so overall it is a welcome in itsef that we finally see a major production that portrays the misery and consequence P.175 created.

It is polished, well acted, pretty down to earth and at times hard hitting film. But it's also slow, not particularly innovative or gripping. I can't vision this film becoming a world wide sensation a la 'the Brokeback Mountain'.

But what this 2 hour long film does clearly demonstrates is how a taboo and penalization against nature can kill the free spirit of a person... While we see Hans getting somewhat more comfortable in the prison environment and even learn to use the system to his advantage over the 3 decades of in and out of impresonment, we see how the experience has killed his spirit in the last scene where he is supposed to savour the 'great freedom' that has finally arrived. I'm from the culture where homosexuality remains a huge taboo if not illegal... and even now living in a different country where 'it's OK to be gay', I find myself still constantly self-regulating and cover up about my sexuality. It is unimaginable what kind psychological damage the genration who suffered what Hans has carried in them.

As miserable as is, I think it's always important to address the past. For the generation who thinks gay right is the given right and the Pride means just a party, it is important to watch such a reminder of how fragile our freedom really is, the impact of a single law can have on an individual's life, and thus, in extension, the importance of our political choice... especially living the current time of the regression.

Most prison movies do not ackowledge the fact of same-sex love. Most prison movies go out of their way to ignore it. There are exceptions, such as Fortune and Men's Eyes (1971), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), and the jail episode of Todd Haynes' portmanteau work Poison (1991). Grosse Freiheit rises above all of these by dint of its complete absence of sentimentality, the power of its performances, its complex but clearly-told time-frame, and its commitment to effectively portraying love in the hearts of otherwise lost souls. It carefully weaves imagery that would not be out of place in a novel into the story of Germany's incessant persecution of homosexual men, which only stopped when the hated paragraph 175 of the German Penal Code was reformed in 1969.

The film runs on three time lines, in the three decades during which the central character, Hans Hoffman, finds himself in jail for pursuing his desires. Production design and, especially, make-up and costume, work with enormous tact but great effectiveness to conjure up each era. The structure of the film, its story-telling, is really beautifully put together.

There are really only four main characters, of which two are our main concern. They are played brilliantly by Georg Friedrich and, as Hoffman himself, Franz Rogowski, in as shattering a screen performance as you'll ever see.

The final section of the film is perhaps a little glib, but it's a very small flaw in an otherwise masterly movie.

For two hours I chose to sit through incessant violence, injustice, humiliation, most horrible expressions of human weakness in order to see the gem of a human soul. I would refer to this one as genocide-themed or even the Holocaust but there's so much more to it. Despite the obvious background, it is all about endurance, fearlessness and as simple as it is: a Human Heart.

Remember how much pain you were in after watching Brokeback Mountain? Well with this one it's going to feel 100x worse.

In my opinion everyone should consider watching this movie. To my knowledge it is the first movie (not documentary) about how lgbt people were treated in Nazi and post-war Germany. And so in a way it's a bit of an educational movie for people who are unaware about those parts of history. The acting is pretty good and perfectly communicates tentative intimacy and affection in such a harsh environment. I hope the leading stars get to act in more movies.

In the screenings I attended there was no one under the age of 35 and my same-age peers expressed they did not want to see it because it sounded too miserable. I will not lie, it is miserable until the very end. But I believe it depicts a very important and part of lgbt history where the brutality should not be downplayed.

"Große Freiheit" must become a cult. Because of the great performances of all the actors, and the extraordinary performance of Franz Rogowski. Because of the deeply moving and tender stories of love and friendship it is about. Because of the historical accuracy with which the system of oppression against homosexual people in Germany is described, a system that survived unaltered from the Nazi regime to post-war Germany until the abolition of infamous law 175 in 1973. Because of the force with which the existential condition of prisoners is portrayed, as well as that of outcasts of society, a force that finds its equal and source in Genet and in Fassbinder, among many others. Because it is a cry for help, and a cry for justice at the same time, because it shows pain and endurance, violence and strength, dispair and its antidote - the wondrous human ability to feel compassion.

In 1980 Frank Ripploh gave us "Taxi zum klo", a raunchy, rather self-satisfied (albeit slightly mocking) look at the gay scene in Berlin of that time, with a singular focus on the bulimic sexual doings of Ripploh, playing himself as one of its committed denizens. With his terrific Austro-German "Great Freedom", Sebatian Meiser takes us back to that period and to all that had gone before and gives a corrective, eschewing all the clichés about gay life, prison life, German life, or just-plain life and love that you can think of. Freedom, he seems to be telling us, comes from within and must be conquered individually, against the massive odds that society puts up against it. Toward the end of this new film, we are given a glimpse of the pseudo-freedom in which Ripploh gloried. Meiser tells us that this Great Freedom is not the real thing at all, and that affirming your sexuality alone, without an understanding of your whole self and the constraints of the world you live in, is meaningless.

At a Q&A at NYC's Film Forum last night, Meiser stated that he had had Franz Rogoski in mind as the protagonist as he was developing the project, and that if Rogoski had turned him down he didn't know what he would have done. Since Hans, Rogoski's character, is present in almost every frame of this picture (including ones shot in total darkness), we are never left in doubt as to why Meiser felt this: Rogoski gives us what has to be one of the most intelligent, committed, uncompromising performances of that past decade, at least. Hans, we learn (or are led to infer), had been convicted of lewd homosexual acts by the Nazis and thrown into a concentration camp (details of all that, and of how he survived, are left to our imaginations) only to be imprisoned again in 1945 under the post-war Allied occupation, to serve out the balance of his sentence. From then onward, his life largely unfolds behind bars, as the German penal code's Paragraph 175, outlawing gay sexual activity, ensures that whenever he gets out of jail and asserts his right to be himself, an unapologetic gay man hungry for connection, he ends up back in prison. Which is where most of the film takes place, within a perfectly realized, relentlessly grim carceral world which differs from the grim outside world only in its details and rituals.

Forget any notions you've gained from redundant genre films about gay people (tormented and/or triumphant), or of any prison film you have ever seen, or of any love story you can think of, or indeed any expectations at all. Rogoski's realization of Meiser's uncompromising vision is note perfect, and therefore harrowing. He has been compared to Joachim Phoenix, and I see the point, but, much as I admire Phoenix when he's in the right hands, Rogoski goes farther and deeper into his character than I have seen Phoenix do. (Though perhaps Phoenix has never gotten to work with a director of Meiser's talent.)

There's plenty of violence here, physical and psychological, but it is treated as being the in the natural order of things: we are not invited to be shocked, or scandalized, but rather to reflect on how banal it is, and on how little prison differs from life outside. In this way, "Great Freedom" (has any movie title ever been as ironic?) takes us back to the existentialists: to Sartre's "Hell is other people", to Camus' Dr. Rieux in Oran under quarantine.

This is a film about being true to yourself, in life and in love, set against a world that has other ideas about who you are and who you are expected to be and that will grind you down every chance it gets. It' a masterpiece.

A bitter and painful story about being gay in an intolerant time. The pain and bitterness I can endure, but not the slowness. The movie was stretched for too long. So many unnecessary scenes which can be summarized in 10 minutes. Also there was no strong chemistry between Hans and the teacher. I don't know if that's the actors fault or the director's. Bottom line, there's much room for improvements in this movie. I don't really like this drama. I gave it 6 for the historical aspect.

We're tired of Pride!", "Why Pride?" "We don't want any more Pride". Yes, I have read and heard this a lot this year, 2023. In my home country of Norway, in 2022 there was even a terrorist attack against a gay pub. Two innocent people were killed.

This film perhaps clearly shows why Pride, why Pride and gay rights are about human rights. We are not free until everyone is free. This film is strong and very current. It shows what happened to homosexuals who practiced their sexuality in the 50s and 60s. Prison where they received degrading treatment from both other inmates, staff and society's moral pointer.

As I write this, there is an increase in the number of countries where homosexuality is banned and queers are persecuted. So we need movies like this, as a constant reminder of how NOT to treat difference and gays.

The film is also an experience in itself. Character actor Franz Rogowski carries this film, mostly with what he doesn't say, but shows.

Strong stuff here.

I'll get this anomaly over and done with right from the start. This film echoes the storyline in many respects of the porn feature film "Gefangen" (Locked Up). Both feature naive younger guys taken in hand by an older inmate doing life for murder. The final scenes of both films are identical right up to the shop and decision taken.

This film is the more interesting in terms of teaching about an often hidden past however it was far heavier going than the other and I've given them the same marks despite their being completely different types of films. Great Freedom is saying far more and telling a far more profound tale yet it plodded at times for all that.

Some shocks that i hadn't known about. German inmates had the paragraph they were convicted under pinned to their cell door. The Americans reimprisoned "pink triangle" detainees after the war. It had never occurred to me that gay camp inmates had a tattooed number on their arms.

The acting here was fine and the actors made the tragedy of their lives hard to watch. A good film but not a great one though.

Despite all the awards and accolades this movie has gotten the only redeeming value for me was when it ended after 2 hours. Being a gay man I have seen LGBTQ movies in most film festivals globally and this one was the worse to date.

Liberation by the Allies does not mean freedom for all until Paragraph 175 of the penal code is lifted. Over the decades, the 2 leading men develop an unlikely bond which starts as revulsion but grows into affection. Their daily routines are tedious as would be expected in prison but the repetitiveness takes too much film time becoming boring. I will not spoil the ending but it sure does not give gay men much hope if they are newbies in the gay world.

The movie "Great Freedom" emphasizes how a simple paragraph of the German Criminal Code punished same-sex relationships for more than a century in Germany. Director and writer Sebastian Meise purposely place two incarcerated individuals in the same prison cell for a certain period of time: one for being a criminal and the other just for being homosexual. Two marginalized characters who accept their fates and the bitterness of their lives.

The sad and lonely life of homosexual Hans Hoffmann, from suffering in concentration camps to prison in the 20th century, hasn't changed anything: the tortures, prejudices, and tattoos marks were the same, whether under the Nazi regime or under the American allies regime post-war.

It's impossible not to think about so many real gays who went through the same or even worse situations.

Actor Franz Rogowski as the homosexual Hans Hoffmann and Georg Friedrich as Viktor are spectacular, their performances are breathtaking, and they emanate originality and precision throughout the movie.

This movie is a great tribute to everyone who hasn't been able to experience love simply because their partner is of the same sex. It's sad to read some reviews of the movie, I don't think the movie is perfect myself but watch it with Paragraph 175 in mind and the historical value this movie carries, we wouldn't speak freely about LGBTQ+ today.

This film is fictional but history teaches this film is more of a documentary.

This superbly made prison movie is one of the few that put homosexuality in the epicentre. Great Freedom centers around the postwar life path of a German homosexual which more often than not leads him to incarceration whenever he exercises his Freedom of choice. The irony of the German modernity miracle is plain to see.

The protagonist's -played by Rogowski- pathway intertwines more and more with another inmate's, a drug addict played by Friedrich. Both actors performances are exemplary and the latter shines particularly towards the end.

The film has a low profile, recreating a realistic and moody representation of 1950s- 1970s. There are few colours, just a dark grey and washed away blue are used that help acclimatise the viewer. The incorporation of the 'Great step for mankind' into the prison's microcosm is another brilliant moment.

Understandably, many people will consider this a movie about true love. Whatever that means. More generally, it is a story about human condition and the effort to retain one's defining qualities, our humanity in the most arid wastelands. Ultimately, as Rilke would have put it, this can only be a tale about loneliness.

An emblematic scene arises at the court when the judges clinically y summarise Rogowski's moral crimes and deprivation. The bureaucratic onslaught carried out with impeccable bureaucratic professionalism and disregard for human life leaves the audience numb and speechless.

To capitalism critics the movie offers a striking parable to former-communist countries collapse. The Great Freedom they were promised, never realised. This can explain the last scene, which I nevertheless find more convincing than Moonlight's far-fetched virginity supposition.

Summary:

This remarkable film by Sebastian Meise is not the typical prison film full of harassment, violence and brutal sex, but one where nobility and love can make their way through the cracks in a system where the lack of freedom looms over its protagonist inside but also outside of prison, thanks to a legal system that penalized homosexuality in Germany from 1875 well into the 20th century.

Review:

The film follows the three stays in a German prison of Hans Hoffmann, convicted of the application of paragraph or article 175 of the German Penal Code that considered homosexual relations between males illegal since 1875, whose penalties the Nazi regime intensified and that followed in force for several years in what was West Germany.

This remarkable film by the Austrian Sebastian Meise (winner of the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival) could be framed between two ironic situations, corresponding to the beginning and the end of the narrated odyssey. The first irony, related to the title of the film, is that the occupation of Germany by the allies did not mean freedom for Hans, since they continued to apply German law. The second (and risky on the part of the director and co-writer) will be left to the viewer's consideration.

Great Freedom takes place in different decades, almost entirely in the prison where Hans is serving his sentences, the way in which the director hits the jumps between the different timelines being original. There we see the evolution of his relationship with Viktor (Georg Friedrich) throughout those stays and his links with Leo (Anton von Lucke, whom we saw in Babylon Berlin) and Oskar (Thomas Prenn, actor in the series Biohackers) .

In a moving but harsh way and with such an Austrian dryness, the film shows us a protagonist willing to channel his desire and even love, with all the noble that it can imply, in the adverse conditions of the prison environment. But Meise's film is not that typical prison film full of harassment, violence and brutal sex, but one with men trying to help and also love each other through the loopholes that the system allows them and where the lack of freedom looms about the protagonist inside but also outside the prison and about the spectator.

Within a very good cast, the extraordinary performance of Franz Rogowski (Undine, Transit, Franz) stands out, capable of transmitting with gesture, voice and body (and its physical transformations) and with a concentrated sobriety all the suffering, the nobility and love of his Hans.

It's curious to think that it is only fairly recently (1994!) that West Germany abolished it's odious "paragraph 175" legislation that imposed criminal penalties on homosexual men. Franz Rogowski is "Hoffman", a serial cottager who is frequently imprisoned for breaching this law. The film tells the rather bleak and depressing tale of his life spent behind bars: of his loves whilst there - notably with "Oskar" (Thomas Prenn) and "Leo" (Anton von Lucke); of his developing friendship with the straight and initially hostile "Viktor" (Georg Friedrich) and of the brutality of the prison system that reduced his quality of life to little more than that of street vermin. Rogowski (who reminds me a little of Joaquin Phoenix) is on good form as the story pans out; his character runs an whole gamut of emotions from love, despair, frustration and - very occasionally - joy, he even thinks of breaking out! By the time he is declared "legal", the character has become so institutionalised that freedom is nowhere near as attractive as he had expected it to be. It's not an easy film to watch, this one - made more potent by the fact the for much of the period he spent incarcerated, there were American soldiers guarding the jail too! The pace is slow, and the narrative switches timelines from time to time, so I needed to concentrate, but it is worth it if you are remotely interested in the ordeals of a man jailed just for being gay!

This film and the performances were stunning beyond words. To deal with the injustice that was handed out in these days is commendable. Some people here complain about no fun and in those days, such nonsense. I was born in 1960 and remember the injustice still being handed out in the 1980s when I protested against Thatcher. The young gays today, in some countries, have it easy thanks to older guys who fought for their rights. This brave film had me gripped from the the beginning and the ensemble give tremendous performances especially Frank Rogowski. The difficulty they had having to hide their feelings, the brief tender moments they had together were both shown so well. Paragraph 175 was evil beyond words. Films such as these should help people never forget that these days of great injustice in Europe were only 70 years ago. By not forgetting, we stay strong. I hope many men watch this great movie.

This really is a powerful film, which I would watch again. Well made and good to look at, the movie has some superb performances from the lead actors. Be prepared for an emotional ride...

Really boring, the film and the conversation. The biggest problem with movies (and by extent most media) today is that they try so hard to make a big statement/lesson instead of being a fun escape from reality.

This explored something rarely seen in prison movies, same-sex love more specifically in a post-Nazi Germany before they abolished Paragraph 175, a German law that criminalized sexual acts between men.

Emotional, slow, tender, powerful, violent, unpleasant, and tense with great performances by everyone while navigating multiple timelines effortlessly.

I was not aware that the US sent gays directly from Nazi concentration camps to German prisons after the Nazis were defeated. This is a powerful film about a man who never loses his capacity to love another human being or to distinguish between right and wrong. In his quiet way, he is a hero. With each film, Rogowski, is more amazing.