A Última Nota

"The Last Note" is a Drama - History movie in which we watch the events of the 1st of May 1944 when German occupiers executed 200 Greek resistance fighters in Kaisariani after an ambush Greek resistance against Nazis.

Since I knew the story of the execution of those 200 people in Kaisariani I was curious to see how it will be presented and I have to admit that Pantelis Voulgaris who was the director did an incredible good job. He succeeded on both presenting the history correctly, and also showed us the backstory of it and the everyday life of Greeks during the occupation by the Nazis. The interpretations of Andreas Konstantinou who played as Napoleon Soukatzidis, André Hennicke who played as Karl Fischer and Melia Kreiling who played as Hara Lioudaki mad the difference. All in all, I have to say that "The Last Note" is a nice movie that presents a horrible event as true as possible.

I rarely give 10/10 to any movie, but this one really captivated me. I should mention first of all my special interest for Greece, its culture, history, language and everything, so it touched me more than any movie about WWII. The actors had performed very well, especially Andreas Konstantinou. The time was also reflected well. Watch it and see how Greece lived the Nazi occupation.

I really liked the first part of this film. It informed me about the occupation of Greece during WWII, something I knew little about prior to this. I especially enjoyed the way the German captors were portrayed. Some scenes were a little unnerving and I only assume they were based on historical sources. The reason I didn't give this film a higher rating? The last part of it was too melodramatic and drawn out for too long. It was just too obvious what was going to happen by that point. Other than shortening I'm not sure how else the ending could be improved & can't give a better score as it is.

As The Last Note is based on true events you watch it with different eyes. The story is different than in the usual world war II movies so that's also a bonus. This story is about the Greek resistance versus the Nazis. After an ambush from the Greek resistance against the Nazis there are reprisals that won't let anybody indifferent. The Last Note is an emotional movie, maybe a tiny bit too long in my eyes, but nevertheless it's an interesting movie with good actors. The movie is a bit predictable at one point but it doesn't really matter as it's more a historical drama rather than a mystery story.

Based on true facts, The Last Note is a moving account of the execution of two hundred Crete prisoners during World War II at the hands of German occupiers. Much of the movie is devoted to the sometimes strained relationship between the concentration camp Commandant and his Crete translator/interpreter. The movie examines that relationship both from the perspective of the Commandant and from the perspective of the interpreter. Divided loyalties exist on both sides of that relationship; in the end those conflicts are resolved the only way that it could be - through passive and active opposition, not reconciliation. The deliberate pace of the movie is essential to the impact of the movie. The courage and fortitude of the patriots, and how that courage is portrayed in this movie, will stay with you days after having seen this movie.