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The Natural History of Destruction (2022)

Documentary | 110 minutes
3,85 10 votes

Genre: Documentary

Duration: 110 minuten

Country: Germany / Lithuania / Netherlands

Directed by: Sergey Loznitsa

IMDb score: 7,3 (250)

Releasedate: 23 May 2022

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This movie is not available on US streaming services.

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The Natural History of Destruction plot

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Using archival material from the Second World War, this documentary asks the question: Is it morally acceptable to use a civilian population as an instrument of war? Is it possible to justify mass destruction simply on the basis of higher 'moral' ideals? The question is still relevant as it was 80 years ago and the urgency is tragically visible in today's wars.

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avatar van De filosoof

De filosoof

  • 2449 messages
  • 1664 votes

On the one hand, the documentary is very impressive: the images shown are often remarkable and physically transport you to Germany in World War II, with Loznitsa focusing on the war machine (on both sides) and its destructive power that bombs entire cities to rubble. On the other hand, certainly in recent years, we see comparable but current images of war zones such as Syria and Ukraine in the news almost every day, and the documentary does not have a voice-over, so that the endless images of labor in arms factories, destroyed buildings and fleeing Germans also are monotonous and the documentary becomes a bit boring.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van mrklm

mrklm

  • 11374 messages
  • 9897 votes

Compilation of World War II archival footage contains many images that are very familiar to enthusiasts of the subject. But this monumental masterpiece stands out in two crucial ways. First, this consists largely of uninterrupted shots, including a car ride through a German city destroyed by a bombing raid and (for me the most impressive segment) a nighttime bombing, filmed entirely from one of the participating aircraft. Secondly, the images are stripped of the accompanying comments. Watching a series of explosions unfold silently from the air for several minutes, and later seeing an equally long drive through a ruined city center, the impact of such an event sinks in considerably more deeply than a flashy montage of statistics and comments. Big praise also for the sublime sound editing and the sparing, but effective use of music.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original

avatar van jorrit3

jorrit3

  • 88 messages
  • 595 votes

Impressive but ultimately also a bit monotonous. The moral question: can/may you involve innocent civilians in war, I think you have to answer with a counter-question: can/may you stay out of it, then in Berlin now in Moscow? Pretending it's none of your business, and being able to do it because it doesn't affect you.

dutch flagTranslated from Dutch · View original