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It is one of films who you just feel. Only feel. Because it is about family, past, Nazi regime, cold adaptation to the new realities, love, cinism and survive, art, truth and parenthood, about happiness and about be yourself. A beautiful film, many memorable scenes, great Sebastian Koch and Tom Willing and the fair story. And, no doubts, magnificent portraits . A film who, if you are real honest to yourself, can be only about you.

This is a fantastic movie, historical drama and philosophical essey on art at the same time. The runtime might seem a bit long, but once the movie gets your attention, it never lets you go. The well-written charcters are full of life, which delivers a complex yet relatable story throughout the history of XX. century Germany. The film is also beautiful, awesome cinematography. And an inevitable piece if you want to understand the thouhts behind modern art. While the english title is good (Never look away - the primary thesis of the movie), please also notice the original title (Art without author). Recommend 10/10

I watched this at home on BluRay from my public library. My wife skipped, she doesn't like to see movies with subtitles.

I studied German for two years in college, while I can't converse in it anymore I was able to fit the German dialog with the English subtitles.

While there are several intersecting stories the main thread is Kurt, a boy of 8 in 1937 Nazi Germany, being exposed to various forms of art by his 20-something aunt. As he grows, and WW2 comes and goes, he develops into a quite good painter. He eventually has to escape to West Berlin to be free to develop his talents. The story extends through the 1960s.

Part of the overlapping story is of the Nazi programs to purify their race, to see to it that even Germans who had some sort of affliction were terminated, and this was the fate of his aunt who had the occasional emotional malfunction. As it turns out Kurt unwittingly marries the daughter of one of the evil doctors who it seems had named his daughter Elizabeth, the same as Kurt's aunt.

This is a really good movie and at just over 3 hours didn't seem overly long, I can't think of any scene that I would cut. However I watched it over three different sessions with some overlap each time. In the extra on the disc the writer/director explains, in English, how he modeled his story off a real German artist who developed through this same period.

"Never Look Away" is essentially a film about three characters: a young artist, based on the life of Gerhard Richter, his wife, and his wife's father, a former Nazi who worked as a doctor committed to "purifying" the German race. So with the focus held so tightly on just three characters, it may seem surprising that it takes three hours to tell the story. But this film never left the feeling that too much was being told. It is a masterpiece of ideal personal relationships set against a background of truly evil and destructive behavior.

The story begins with the artist as a young boy in the care of his devoted but slightly strange aunt. We follow the artist into young adulthood and into a marriage that faces unique challenges. He carries with him his aunt's plea to "never look away."

While this tale begins at the onset of the Nazi era, much of what is presented is relevant to our contemporary world, though those political parallels are not drawn explicitly in the film.

Released in 2018, this film was honored with many award nominations and a few wins. Because of subtitles and a length of three hours, "Never Look Away" did not lend itself well to American tastes or to wide theatrical distribution. It is available on DVD or streaming and should not be missed.

I had time to check out this film yesterday and decided to go for it despite its 3 hour and 9 minute running length. I have seen von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others and The Tourist (the latter of which was awful). The Lives of Others was great though, so I was in anticipation to see what he would see next. Pay no mind to the running length of this film, its an astounding and really fantastically gripping film that is actually quite inspiring.

The film is about the life of an artist named Kurt from his childhood to adulthood and the events in his life that inspire him to become the artist that he is. Early in his life his aunt is euthanized during Nazi, Germany because of suspicions that she may be schizophrenic. Growing up he struggles to find his calling in life but little does he know that the events of his past are what are present in his current day life, unbeknownst to him. I know this wasn't a really in depth summary but that is intentional as I want you to go see this film and experience it for yourself.

From the opening moments in the museums art gallery to the closing moment of Kurt staring at the camera, this is an alluring viewing. Its beautifully shot and is inclusive of a wide range of emotions and life processes including love, hate, death, despair, ambition, and determination. I liked the love story in the film as well. Normally you would see couples in films bicker but in this film its pure love, passion, and support throughout.

Apparently the film is loosely based on the life of Gerhard Richter. I can't really comment on that accuracy but I will say that the blurred paintings of photographs that Kurt paints are absolutely wonderful. Its so nice to see him finally have that moment and find his true calling and his real motivation for painting. I was actually inspired by Kurt's journey in his life and finale finding that recipe for success. In many ways I can relate.

I was a huge fan of the moving score for this film. Especially in latter stages of the film where it was so effective and just so perfect fit. The acting is good all around and at times the film utilizes subtle humor. I could have actually sat through another hour of this film because it embodies so much of what I wish films would these days.

I'm not often really moved by pictures like I was with this. Every scene in this long film is important as it comes back later. Its just pure art in cinematic form. I rarely ever hand out ratings this high but I really feel like Never Look Away is very deserving of that honor. Indeed, its hard to look away from the beauty on display in this film. Just a truly moving experience that I recommend to everyone.

9/10