Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- grave
- harrowing
- morally urgent
- historical film study
- serious evening viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film morally urgent and strengthened by Ulrich Tukur's powerful performance, while its deliberate pace and long runtime reduced its impact.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Riccardo Fontana repeatedly presses Vatican leaders and the Pope to acknowledge and oppose the Holocaust.
Kurt Gerstein turns against the SS system after discovering that Zyklon-B is being used to murder Jews.
Gerstein's sanitation work and administrative contacts place technical procedures alongside concentration-camp extermination.
The film contrasts the urgency of Gerstein and Fontana with the Vatican's reluctance to publicly confront genocide.
Films like Amen., and why
Schindler's List
shared World War II setting, Holocaust subject, moral resistance, and grave historical drama
The Pianist
shared Holocaust history, institutional complicity, Catholic moral questions, and somber European drama
Sophie Scholl – The Final Days
shared World War II atrocities, political conscience, resistance, and morally urgent historical filmmaking
The Reader
shared Holocaust representation, bureaucratic evil, religious ethics, and courtroom-like moral confrontation
Movie Details
- Director
- Costa-Gavras
- Release Date
- 2002-02-27
- Runtime
- 132 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (391)
Cast
- Ulrich Tukur
- Mathieu Kassovitz
- Ulrich Mühe
- Michel Duchaussoy
- Marcel Iureș
- Ion Caramitru
- Friedrich von Thun
- Antje Schmidt
- Günther Maria Halmer
- Hanns Zischler
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Cohen Media Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Amen. about?
- A sanitation engineer and an idealistic Jesuit priest risk everything to confront Nazi genocide and Vatican silence during the Holocaust.
- What is Amen. like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Amen. as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Amen. violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Amen. as graphic.
- What did critics think of Amen.?
- Critics broadly found the film morally urgent and strengthened by Ulrich Tukur's powerful performance, while its deliberate pace and long runtime reduced its impact.
- Which films are like Amen.?
- Films with a similar feel include Schindler's List, The Pianist, Sophie Scholl – The Final Days, and The Reader.
- How long is Amen.?
- Amen. runs 132 minutes.
- Where can I watch Amen.?
- In United States, Amen. streams on Cohen Media Amazon Channel.
