Great Freedom

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1:46

Great Freedom

2022,

1h 56m,

Drama

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97%

62 Reviews

Tomatometer

91%

50+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

62 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

In Germany after WWII, the liberation by the Allies did not mean freedom for everyone. Hans (Franz Rogowski) has been found guilty of something the government deems a crime: he is gay. Under the 19th-century German penal code known as Paragraph 175, homosexuality is grounds for imprisonment, and Hans--over the course of multiple decades--is spied on and repeatedly jailed solely for his sexuality. As he returns to prison, again and again, Hans develops an ever-closer relationship with his cellmate Viktor (Georg Friedrich), a convicted murderer serving a life sentence. As their charged rapport blossoms over time into something far more tender, GREAT FREEDOM explores love, lost time, and the tenacity of the human spirit.

Critics Consensus

With intelligence and sensitivity, Great Freedom draws on past injustices to present a beautifully crafted tribute to the persistence of the human spirit.

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Michael O'Sullivan

Washington Post

Apr 21, 2022

4/4

Gradually, a story of bittersweet beauty and unexpected tenderness emerges.

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Mar 16, 2022

3/4

Sometimes a modicum of dialogue works best. That’s seems to be a basic strategy for Austrian writer/director Sebastian Meise and co-writer Thomas Reider. Show first. Tell second.

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Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

Mar 15, 2022

4/5

A quiet and carefully constructed story about the sheer absurdity of the criminalisation of homosexuality, and about the denial of humanity that criminalisation required.

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Atreyo Palit

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jul 9, 2026

4.5/5

A beautiful ode to the struggles of the men Hans represents, Great Freedom is possibly one of the best films to be made in 2021.

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Stephanie Bunbury

Deadline Hollywood Daily

Sep 16, 2023

Without these actors, a film so uncompromisingly true to its subject would wither on the vine. With these two, however, the subtle play of feeling between them is gripping.

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Agustín Acevedo Kanopa

La Diaria

Oct 30, 2022

8/10

Meise performs all the signature movements of Almodóvar, Wong Kar Wai, Reynaldo Arenas or Pedro Lemebel adding an extra delay, as in a tragic tai-chi of Hanekian discipline.

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Janet

Mar 21, 2022

Odio labore natus dicta at.

Jerrell

Mar 21, 2022

Possimus cum dolores commodi fugiat nemo animi aut.

Verner

Mar 21, 2022

Ea molestiae eos ipsum voluptates est eos quidem sit fuga.

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Sebastian Meise

Director

Franz Rogowski

Hans Hoffmann

Georg Friedrich

Viktor Kohl

Anton von Lucke

Leo

Thomas Prenn

Oskar

Johannes Cramer

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Great Freedom: Trailer 1

1:46

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Synopsis

In Germany after WWII, the liberation by the Allies did not mean freedom for everyone. Hans (Franz Rogowski) has been found guilty of something the government deems a crime: he is gay. Under the 19th-century German penal code known as Paragraph 175, homosexuality is grounds for imprisonment, and Hans--over the course of multiple decades--is spied on and repeatedly jailed solely for his sexuality. As he returns to prison, again and again, Hans develops an ever-closer relationship with his cellmate Viktor (Georg Friedrich), a convicted murderer serving a life sentence. As their charged rapport blossoms over time into something far more tender, GREAT FREEDOM explores love, lost time, and the tenacity of the human spirit.

Director: Sebastian Meise
Producer: Benny Drechsel, Sabine Moser, Oliver Neumann
Screenwriter: Sebastian Meise, Thomas Reider
Distributor: MUBI
Production Co: FreibeuterFilm, Rohfilm
Genre: Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 4, 2022, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 6, 2022
Box Office (Gross USA): $68.6K
Runtime: 1h 56m

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