The Square Life

Sophie Scholl continues to inspire me. When I was first introduced to
her story last summer at the Washington, D.C. Holocaust Museum, I was
so inspired that I convinced my wife that we should name our first
daughter after her. Recently, I was able to view a movie portrayal of
her erroneous Nazi trial, and the bravery she showed when she was
interrogated by the Gestapo.

Sophie Scholl—The Final Days
is not a movie I recommend you watch on a date, but it is a flick you
should watch. It is a story about a brave young member of the White
Rose. The White Rose was a notorious German Resistance group during
World War II which fought underground to (as Marley would put it)
emancipate the Germans from mental slavery. The movie details what
happens when Sophie and her brother are caught passing out leaflets denouncing Hitler and his cause. In it, Julia Jentsch masterfully
portrays Sophie, and gives new life to a person who died far too young.
Director Marc Rothemund accurately and beautifully depicts one
semi-bright spot amidst an incredibly dark era of German history, and
he does it without excess or dramatization. The movie is remarkably
real.

While we don’t live in a
Fascist regime today, thank goodness, it is my humble opinion that we
need more people like Sophie today. So go rent this movie tonight, and
take notes. It’s a German movie, so it’s in subtitles, but you can
handle that right? It’s worth it. Or it’s not…you can think for
yourself.

Starring: Julia Jentsch, Alexander Held