At the end the hope - DVD

Movie: Berlin taxi driver Katie (Marie Zielcke) is given the unusual assignment of driving her grandma Elisabeth (Rosemarie Fendel) to Oslo, where a sunken World War 2 submarine has just been found off the coast. It's not just that Katie balks at the distance. The idea of spending a long time with her grandmother, with whom she doesn't really have a good relationship, also sends shivers down her spine. But it won't be an easy journey for Elisabeth either. For she is forced to remember her past, a time when she was caught between two men and two convictions as resistance fighter Ellen (Yvonne Catterfeld).

During a secret leafleting operation, she was discovered by the Nazis, but managed to be rescued by doctor Robert Elbing (Stephan Luca). In the process, it turns out that Robert is an undercover British agent who is trying to recruit Ellen into the secret service as well. A love affair of sorts quickly develops between the two, but it is put at risk by Ellen's first assignment. For she is to spy on the young naval officer Hans Mertens (Max von Pufendorf), who will soon set sail on the U-864 to transport a highly explosive cargo to enemy waters. Although Hans stands for everything Ellen abhors, she falls in love with the man who is doomed by her work. Now she must decide whether to follow her convictions and help the resistance, or save the life of the love of her life.

Am Ende die Hoffnung is a lavishly produced TV movie that clearly takes its cue from James Cameron's Titanic in terms of narrative style. Here as there an old lady remembers her great love in the present, in both cases the story is embedded in a historically real setting and in both cases a piece of jewelry plays an important role. To be sure, Thorsten Näter's film can't keep up with the show value, the acting performances and the dramaturgy of the blockbuster, which won eleven Oscars.

Even though the set designers and the special effects team have visibly made an effort to get the best possible out of the available budget, the end result always seems artificial somehow. This is especially evident in the scenes set in Norway. Here, only the landscapes and rear views of the main characters were shot on location with the help of doubles. The actual actors then acted in front of a green screen and were copied into the action, which is very apparent in the film, precisely because it didn't have the budget of a major cinema production at its disposal. The interior shots of the submarine, the bombed city districts or the tracking shot over the Norwegian landscape at the beginning of the film, on the other hand, are completely convincing.

The actors make a good effort to play against the rather weak dramaturgy. Yvonne Catterfeld is good, but she's just too good-looking to be convincing as an emaciated woman scarred by war. On the other hand, she and Max von Pufendorf have great chemistry. And even if some of the scenes between the two seem rather implausible, such as the sizzling flirtation in the air-raid shelter during a bombing raid, sparks convincingly fly between the two, so that this love is conveyed quite comprehensibly.

Below the line, Am Ende die Hoffnung plays roughly in a league with event movies like Hindenburg. However, despite good ambitions and an effortful cast, the film rarely makes it above the level of an elaborate TV romance. Those who value authenticity will certainly be disappointed. But if you're just looking for a nice tearjerker for the heart and don't mind the TV character of the film, you'll certainly be well entertained.

Picture + Sound: Apart from a few small weaknesses in the sharpness especially in the darker scenes, where here and there also slight image noise can be discerned, the picture with its atmospheric coloring is overall on a good TV level. The audio is dominated by dialogue and music, the occasional sound effects are decent but can't fully develop with the stereo mix. Nevertheless, there is still a decent: Good!

Extras: As the only extra, the DVD has to offer a nearly 23-minute making of, which has some interesting information to offer, especially in terms of special effects and locations. Good!

Conclusion: In the End the Hope has high ambitions and some potential, but only rises above the level of a TV romance in a few moments. The good actors, the decent set and the convincing sets make up for some weaknesses. If you liked TV movies like Hindenburg, you can safely take a look here as well

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp