Bonhoeffer (2024)

Bonhoeffer has one of the most remarkable true stories of the last century, and it smooths it into a tidy thriller. The polish costs it some truth. Jonas Dassler plays Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and theologian whose older brother Walter died in World War I. As a theology student in America, he’s brought to Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church by his friend Frank Fisher, and the sermons of Reverend Powell Sr. on justice change him for good. Back in Germany, as the Nazis bend the churches to their will, he won’t bend with them, and he starts a secret seminary at Finkenwalde to train pastors. As a thriller it mostly works. Bonhoeffer scholars objected to liberties the film and its marketing took with his story. Opening crowds gave it an A CinemaScore, and critics landed at 66% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 5.8 because the courage is real and the telling is too glossy. $91.04 says it starts a long, quiet conversation at your house about where each of you would have drawn the line.

What works: The story of a pastor who refused to bend to the Nazis is genuinely stirring, and as a thriller it keeps you leaning in.

What doesn’t: The glossy, formulaic treatment flattens a complicated life, and Bonhoeffer scholars objected to the liberties it takes with the record.

Who it’s for: Church groups and history buffs looking for an accessible first look at Bonhoeffer, with a reading list to follow.