In its native country, this German TV miniseries has had an impact similar to the 1977 broadcast of “Roots” in the States.
While it’s easy to see how this engrossing epic reeled in viewers, the reasons why some Germans have hailed it as a spur to soul-searching may remain opaque to an American watching all 4 ¹/₂ hours in a theater.
Five friends, all in their 20s, are introduced in 1941.
They are Greta (Katharina Schüttler), who yearns to be the next Marlene Dietrich; Charlotte (Miriam Stein), who’s signed up to be a nurse on the frontlines; Wilhelm (charismatic Volker Bruch), a Wehrmacht lieutenant; his brother Friedhelm (a standout Tom Schilling), a soldier who packs poetry for the Russian front; and Viktor (Ludwig Trepte), Greta’s Jewish boyfriend.
Trepte gives a vivid performance, but his character’s mere presence indicates punches pulled. Not one of his pals is a true Hitler worshipper; if nothing else, this seems statistically unlikely.
Atrocities occur, but they are either committed by snarling Hollywood-issue Nazis, or are foisted on the youngsters by circumstance.
Instead of another “Roots,” what we have here is “North and South,” where Patrick Swayze’s Southern planter owns slaves, but tries to be nice to them.
The densely plotted “Generation War” sweeps past implausibilities and offers the can’t-put-it-down qualities of a superior airport novel; its last third is affecting. But a bold confrontation with the past? Not so much.