This was a riveting, powerful and at times, very moving documentary about the brief flowering of a time and a place where all aspects of sexuality were welcomed, accepted and celebrated – viz Berlin in the 1020’s/30’s prior to and during the rise of the Nazis.
The makers followed several stories throughout the film which was a very good and engaging device – and even, amazingly, spoke to one person who lived through and experienced it, he now being a little over 100 years old!
However the programme was marred for me by the use of an all-too-popular device in documentaries these days – that of the insertion of flashbacks (invariably in soft focus, occasionally in slo-mo and with actors that too often seem to be trying to hard to convey the appropriate emotion to back up the story. This dev ice is invariably not needed as the story itself should be engaging enough on its own terms – and this one most certainly was. Here there use was an irritating distraction.
Viewing this also recalled the many references these days to this time in terms of political extremism, particularly with the Trumpists in the USA (although in too many other countries, such types are also on the rise e.g. Italy). At times I have felt when reading comparisons being made between these groups and the Nazis that perhaps the comparison is a, little too extreme – but seeing this reminded me that this wasw not thme case as the playbook b eing used in terms of approaches/devices/strategies is almost exactly the same here as it was there. For both there is the (understandable) desire to be given answers to difficult situations and circumstances – a characteristic of conspiracy theorists too. It’s a disturbingly seductive appeal.