Hannah Arendt
A formidable thinker risks her reputation and relationships when her interpretation of Eichmann’s crimes challenges the moral certainties of her age.
Overview
A profound exploration of morality and the human condition unfolds as a philosopher confronts the darkest aspects of history.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- cerebral
- contentious
- melancholic
- historical film night
- serious discussion night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as an accessible and gripping dramatization of a complex public intellectual, led by Barbara Sukowa’s powerful performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Arendt develops the concept of the banality of evil while observing Eichmann’s trial and confronting its implications.
Arendt’s New Yorker articles provoke a bitter controversy that forces her to defend her interpretation before critics and peers.
The film’s central thesis presents Eichmann as an unthinking functionary whose obedience helped sustain the Nazi regime.
The Eichmann trial material and Holocaust imagery are integrated into a restrained dramatization of Arendt’s writing and debate.
Films like Hannah Arendt, and why
The Lives of Others
biographical drama about an intellectual confronting the moral consequences of totalitarian history
The Reader
serious Holocaust-era historical drama centered on moral responsibility, judgment, and difficult public debate
The Lady in the Van
thoughtful European biographical drama about a controversial woman intellectual defending her ideas against hostile institutions
Judgment at Nuremberg
courtroom-centered historical drama examining complicity, justice, and the psychology of perpetrators
Movie Details
- Director
- Margarethe von Trotta
- Release Date
- 2012-09-11
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (296)
Cast
- Barbara Sukowa
- Axel Milberg
- Janet McTeer
- Julia Jentsch
- Nicholas Woodeson
- Ulrich Noethen
- Leila Schaus
- Claire Johnston
- Michael Degen
- Friederike Becht
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Chai Flicks
- Rent
- Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Hannah Arendt about?
- A formidable thinker risks her reputation and relationships when her interpretation of Eichmann’s crimes challenges the moral certainties of her age.
- What is Hannah Arendt like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Hannah Arendt as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Hannah Arendt violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Hannah Arendt as mild.
- What did critics think of Hannah Arendt?
- Critics broadly praised the film as an accessible and gripping dramatization of a complex public intellectual, led by Barbara Sukowa’s powerful performance.
- Which films are like Hannah Arendt?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lives of Others, The Reader, The Lady in the Van, and Judgment at Nuremberg.
- How long is Hannah Arendt?
- Hannah Arendt runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Hannah Arendt?
- In United States, Hannah Arendt streams on Chai Flicks.
