Overview
In the aftermath of World War II, love blooms amidst the ruins of a shattered city.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- somber
- melancholic
- haunting
- historical cinema night
- serious film discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a powerful and largely successful postwar reckoning with German guilt, trauma, and moral responsibility, despite some period-authenticity concerns.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Hans Mertens must confront Ferdinand Brückner, the former captain who ordered a wartime massacre, while Berlin rebuilds amid the ruins.
The characters inhabit and move through the physical ruins of Berlin, making the devastated city a persistent emotional landscape.
Mertens is depressive and alcoholic after the war, while Susanne returns from a concentration camp and attempts to resume civilian life.
Susanne and Mertens's shared apartment and developing love gradually encourage him to move beyond despair.
Films like The Murderers Are Among Us, and why
The Third Man
postwar moral reckoning, ruined urban landscapes, and an accused war criminal confronting responsibility
Germany Year Zero
somber postwar drama centered on guilt, trauma, and the difficulty of rebuilding intimate life
The Pawnbroker
European war aftermath, damaged civilians, and a tense moral confrontation shaped by occupation and violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Wolfgang Staudte
- Release Date
- 1946-10-15
- Runtime
- 81 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (74)
Cast
- Hildegard Knef
- Wilhelm Borchert
- Arno Paulsen
- Robert Forsch
- Albert Johannes
- Ursula Krieg
- Wolfgang Dohnberg
- Erna Sellmer
- Michael Günther
- Christian Blackwood
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- FlixFling
- Rent
- FlixFling
- Buy
- FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Murderers Are Among Us about?
- In the ruins of postwar Berlin, a traumatized doctor and a concentration-camp survivor find love while confronting the captain responsible for a wartime massacre.
- What is The Murderers Are Among Us like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Murderers Are Among Us as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Murderers Are Among Us violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Murderers Are Among Us as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Murderers Are Among Us?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a powerful and largely successful postwar reckoning with German guilt, trauma, and moral responsibility, despite some period-authenticity concerns.
- Which films are like The Murderers Are Among Us?
- Films with a similar feel include The Third Man, Germany Year Zero, and The Pawnbroker.
- How long is The Murderers Are Among Us?
- The Murderers Are Among Us runs 81 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Murderers Are Among Us?
- In United States, The Murderers Are Among Us streams on FlixFling.
