Part of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s mission is to foster greater understanding through world cinema. This year 72 Foreign Language films were submitted for Golden Globes consideration. Here is an overview of one of them.

Long before Claus von Stauffenberg attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1945, there was a young carpenter named Georg Elser in Southern Germany who tried to blow up the Führer and his top brass at the Bürgerbräukeller in Munich where he was to give a speech. The year was 1939. And had Elser succeeded – his bomb missed Hitler by 13 minutes, hence the English title – the world would have looked quite different.

It is not surprising that the film was directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel who made the Academy Award nominated The Downfall and is an expert on the subject of World War II: “I am always the first one they ask. I really did not want to make yet another movie on the Third Reich, but then I got the script and was surprised how good it was”, says Hirschbiegel. What fascinated the director most was the man himself: “Georg Elser was the first one in Germany who recognized what was happening. He’s still a mystery. There are so many question marks about his life. The construction of the bomb fascinating. The bomb was so perfect it would not have just killed Hitler, it would have killed the whole leading party. And he wanted nothing in return. He was not political, he didn’t want to change the regime, he just saw the catastrophe coming and felt the need to do something about it.“

Hirschbiegel cast Christian Friedel – who also appeared as the teacher in Michael Haneke’s White Ribbon – in the leading role and has nothing but praise for him: “He is without a doubt on the same level as Bruno Ganz.” The director refers to his lead in The Downfall, the actor who played Hitler in the bunker. Hirschbiegel draws parallels between Elser’s story and current events: “It is so important because it is a reflection on what civil courage means today. Look at (Edward) Snowden. Everyone knows that something that is happening is wrong, but no one does anything about it. Until one lone man comes along. There is, for me, a direct line between Elser and Snowden.

Elisabeth Sereda