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For centuries, millions of ethnic Germans had lived side-by-side with Czechs in a narrow region known as Sudetenland. This changed drastically once Hitler’s Germany annexed it in 1938. For a wealthy German mill owner this change means the destruction of everything he loves in the tragic war drama Habermann.

August Habermann (Mark Waschke) is an unassuming man whose family has been employing Czech workers at a mill in the Sudetenland for 110 years. Waschke projects an attitude that implies August, who is supposedly based upon a real person, thinks he is doing the locals a favor by giving them work. However, it is easy to see from the beginning that behind the smiles on his workers' faces is a deep sense of class envy and resentment towards him.

As August prepares to marry a Czech woman named Jana (Hannah Herzsprung, The Reader), his best man Karel Brezina (Karel Roden, The Bourne Supremacy, Hellboy), who is also Czech, makes a discovery along with the town mayor that Jana, unbeknownst to her, is half-Jewish. They both know this could pose problems because of what the Nazis might do if they ever occupy the Sudetenland.

Habermann’s pacing is hurried and uneven during the first half of the film as the story progresses quickly through August and Jana’s early years as a couple and the town’s Nazi occupation, headed by Sturmbannfuhrer Kurt Koslowski (Ben Becker). There is a growing tension between all involved until 1944, when it reaches a fever pitch as the war goes bad for the Nazis.

Koslowski is played with a sadistic calmness by Becker and if you had never seen a World War II film you would think it was a terrific performance. However, it is the same portrayal given nearly every Nazi officer portrayed on film. There is nothing new or audacious about it so Koslowski comes across as a boring stereotype.

Waschke is bland until the film’s tragic climax as August does everything he can to save as many Czechs as possible from Nazi reprisals. Ultimately it does not do him or any other ethnic Germans any good as the Czechs turn on them and drive them out of the Sudetenland with the same vitriolic hatred the Nazis had towards Jews. This is best exemplified by Jana’s fate as she and her daughter are first sent to a concentration camp, and then return home only to be called a German whore.

Herzsprung and Roden both deliver solid performances but it is not enough to save a film that while intriguing lacks cohesiveness. Its suspenseful climax is ultimately unsatisfying and lacks the kind of heart-gripping drama you might expect for the subject matter at hand. 

On a letter grade scale from “A” being excellent to “F” for failing Habermann receives a C+.

Habermann is unrated and has a running time of 104 minutes.

Now showing through October 13 @ 
Glenwood Arts
9575 Metcalf
Overland Park, KS
Visit www.fineartsgroup.com or call 913-642-4404 for more information.

By Michael D. Smith

Indie Film Editor

Michael D. Smith earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri followed by a Master of Arts in history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Inspired by such critics as Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, Michael started reviewing films in 1992 for College of the Ozarks's student-run newspaper. After returning to the Kansas City area in 1994, he continued film reviewing by writing for the Cass County Democrat Missourian in Harrisonville.

In 2000 Michael joined Sun Publications in Overland Park, Kansas where he served as its film critic and Arts and Entertainment Editor. During his tenure there, he was also the film critic for the "Fine Arts Radio Hour" and "Celebrity Scoop" radio shows on KXTR. After leaving the Sun in late 2002, he became the A&E writer for the Olathe News in Olathe, Kansas. He also worked as a freelance writer for The Squire in Leawood, Showcase Publishing in Lake Ozark, Missouri and the Kansas City Star.

Michael is currently a member of the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, a professional film critic organization established in 1966 by the late Dr. James Loutzenhiser.