Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- paranoid
- oppressive
- foreboding
- historical thriller night
- political drama viewing
What critics said
Critics found the adaptation effective in reproducing the novel's alternate-history plot and atmosphere, with strong performances and detailed world-building offset by a predictable revelation and an overly upbeat ending.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story takes place in a 1964 Germania created by Nazi victory in the Second World War.
Xavier March searches for evidence of Nazi extermination crimes that officials are trying to destroy.
Germania seeks an alliance with the United States while concealing genocide to secure peace and diplomatic legitimacy.
German signage, advertisements, propaganda aesthetics, and Nazi government infighting build the film's authoritarian social world.
Films like Fatherland, and why
The Man in the High Castle
alternate history, political conspiracy, and investigation into suppressed state crimes
Inglourious Basterds
Nazi counterfactual history, espionage tension, and revisionist political intrigue
The Lives of Others
investigative thriller centered on authoritarian secrecy and historical atrocity
Movie Details
- Director
- Christopher Menaul
- Release Date
- 1994-11-26
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (144)
Cast
- Rutger Hauer
- Miranda Richardson
- Peter Vaughan
- Michael Kitchen
- Jean Marsh
- John Shrapnel
- John Woodvine
- Bob Mason
- Clive Russell
- Neil Dudgeon
Common questions
- What is Fatherland about?
- In a Nazi-dominated 1964, an SS detective and an American journalist uncover a conspiracy to erase proof of genocide before a crucial peace summit.
- What is Fatherland like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fatherland as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Fatherland violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Fatherland as moderate.
- What did critics think of Fatherland?
- Critics found the adaptation effective in reproducing the novel's alternate-history plot and atmosphere, with strong performances and detailed world-building offset by a predictable revelation and an overly upbeat ending.
- Which films are like Fatherland?
- Films with a similar feel include The Man in the High Castle, Inglourious Basterds, and The Lives of Others.
- How long is Fatherland?
- Fatherland runs 106 minutes.
