Hannah Arendt
Seen it?2012 | 113 min | Drama
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (88% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- One for fans of a good courtroom showdown and anyone who likes knowing it really happened. The best scenes are battles fought with words. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Harrowing.
- The pace
- Gives its people room to develop, at 1 hr 53 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in German, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Not the one if you want explosions or easy laughs.
A portrait of the genius that shook the world with her discovery of “the banality of evil.” After she attends the Nazi Adolf Eichmann’s trial in Jerusalem, Arendt dares to write about the Holocaust in terms no one has ever heard before. Her work instantly provokes a furious scandal, and Arendt stands strong as she is attacked by friends and foes alike. But as the German-Jewish émigré also struggles to suppress her own painful associations with the past, the film exposes her beguiling blend of arrogance and vulnerability — revealing a soul defined and derailed by exile.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
88% on Rotten Tomatoes, 69 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
Our audience score: 61%
- AwardsWeak
0 wins and 1 nomination from smaller awards and festivals
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$7 million worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 21K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
More like this
The Zone of Interest
Friday Night FlickAnother critically acclaimed drama.
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days Sunday Safe BetAlso stars Julia Jentsch, in another drama, and a safe bet for a quiet night.
The Eichmann Show
Weeknight WatchAlso stars Nicholas Woodeson, in another drama, though it's more of a weeknight watch.
Denial Sunday Safe BetAnother drama, and a safe bet for a quiet night.
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser Sunday Safe BetAnother drama, and a safe bet for a quiet night.
Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks
Cast & crew
Directed by Margarethe von Trotta
- Barbara SukowaHannah Arendt
- Axel MilbergHeinrich Blücher
- Janet McTeerMary McCarthy
- Julia JentschLotte Köhler
- Nicholas WoodesonWilliam Shawn
- Ulrich NoethenHans Jonas
- Leila SchausLaureen
- Claire JohnstonMs Serkin
- Michael DegenKurt Blumenfeld
- Friederike BechtYoung Hannah Arendt