All Quiet on the Western Front - 9 nominations

Best International Feature Film Germany

Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling Heike Merker Linda Eisenhamerova

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) Volker Bertelmann

Best Sound Viktor Prasil Frank Kruse Markus Stemler Lars Ginzel Stefan Korte

Best Achievement in Visual Effects Frank Petzold Viktor Muller Markus Frank Kamil Jaffar

Best Motion Picture of the Year Malte Grunert (producer)

Best Adapted Screenplay Edward Berger Lesley Paterson Ian Stokell

Best Achievement in Cinematography James Friend

Best Achievement in Production Design Christian M. Goldbeck Ernestine Hipper

It is 1917, three years into World War One.  The film follows Paul, a young idealistic German teen who enlists in the army with his friends, all of whom have been inspired by the tropes of war - fighting for freedom, fighting for country and fellow Germans.  The realities of war become harshly real from the first day in the trenches, when one of Paul's friends and fellow recruits is killed in their first moments in battle.  Meanwhile, armistice negotiations begin as the German command becomes weary and recognize that they are losing the war.

Paul persists and endures hardships, battles, starvation, and the deeply painful loss of fellow soldiers and friends.  Sadly, once the peace negotiations conclude and the end of the war is near, a battle hungry commander orders a final battle and for the Germans to continue fighting until the last moment of 11 a.m. when the armistice takes effect.  

The challenge of this film is to remember that the allies were fighting against the Germans, that they were the enemy, and that we are not rooting for the Germans to win the war (and of course, most people watching know that they didn't win the war) but with the pull of the protagonist narrative, it is hard to keep in mind that we are watching "the bad guys" and we want them to lose. Isn't that a great example of what movies can do - they can shift our lens to see the other side and their hopes, dreams, patriotism, and humanity even when we know intellectually that the outcome the protagonist is yearning for is decidedly not the one we would want in real life.

The film is gritty, the visuals are stunningly real.  There is no romanticizing war here, there is only loss.  In fact, this film is characterized as an anti-war movie, which is ultimately the point of the story. It's a long film at almost 2 and a half hours, but it doesn't feel long.  The Academy has a long love affair with war films and I think we will see this joining the ranks of other epic films nominated and loved by Hollywood.  

It is rare for an international film to break into the Best Picture category and though an incredible achievement in film making, I'm not sure that I would place this film in my 10 best of the year.  It is worth seeing, but if you only have so much time, this film would not be a top contender in my book.

You can stream it now on Netflix.