What an excellent movie!  My dear sister-in-law, Courtney, gave me “Sophie Scholl” for Christmas, and a few days ago I watched it with Katie and my mom.

I found out about it from Steven Greydanus’ DecentFilms.com review.  He gave it his highest marks in every category, including Moral/Spiritual value.  But it is a German film that only played at one small theater in Austin, and Katie and I weren’t able to see it.

Sophie Scholl is a real woman who lived in Nazi Germany during World War II.  The movie depicts the last days of her life, which finds her protesting against the Nazis with her brother and friends, disseminating tracts about the horrible things that the Third Reich is doing. 

She is captured while doing so, and then she is interrogated, tried, and condemned to death.  The movie ends with her and her brother’s execution (depicted powerfully but tactfully).

Sophie is a Christian and prays during her ordeal numerous times in a very honest way.  Her martyrdom calls to mind that of Edith Stein (St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross) and St. Maximilian Kolbe, two other Christians murdered by the Nazis.

Like all good movies, “Sophie Scholl” made you forget you were watching one.  The dialogue and the acting are excellent, and though the movie is straightforward with no plot-twists or surprises, the very fact that things happen so startlingly quickly is surprising.

“Sophie Scholl” has found a home in our movie collection as a rare film that is both edifying to our faith and well-made.