The Captain (Der Hauptmann)

They say the clothes make the man, but is that really true? An unlikely answer comes in the form of Herold, a young German soldier wanted for desertion during the final days of the Third Reich. But when he finds and dons a Nazi Captain’s uniform, everything changes. Suddenly Herold is ordering—and performing—sadistic acts of cruelty, and he finds a perverse attraction to the authoritarian power. Hollywood veteran Robert Schwentke (Red, The Time Traveler’s Wife) revisits his German roots with this true story, which is stunningly shot, darkly evocative, and universally resonant. We won’t lie to you, The Captain can be a rough watch, but also a rewarding one, finding a haunting way into the Nazi psyche without asking us for any sympathies. IN PERSON: Director Robert Schwentke (Sun).