Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. (2024)

[bunniefuu]

[musical swirl]

[music & hammer pounding]

[wing flaps]

[music & thunder]

[somber music]

YOUNG DIETRICH: You

never catch me, Walter!

No one will.

I'm so fast, I'm invisible.

WALTER: You may be faster than

a cheetah, little brother,

but I can see you plain as day.

And I will eat you for dinner.

You only think you can see

me. That's part of the spell.

Oh...

I told Walter I was invisible,

but I don't think

he believes me.

Yeah. He's right.

I mean, I can see

you standing here

with a grass stain on

your new lederhosen.

Just hurry. Mother.

I need another spell.

Lucky enough for you,

strawberries can make a

boy disappear completely.

- Really?

- Yeah.

Ha!

Special powers...

- From a strawberry?

- Invisibility.

Again?

- This one really works.

- Tell him, Mother.

Yeah. It takes a

minute to work.

Yeah, it takes a minute.

Oh.

Hi, Papa.

Hello, Dietrich.

Walter?

Yes.

Haven't given up yet.

Never.

Exactly.

You will never catch that boy.

You can't hide forever.

Ha!

Gotcha!

Dietrich!

[door slams shut]

[footsteps]

Shh!

[floor creaks]

Hi, Walter.

[running footsteps]

[man yells angrily in German]

GESTAPO: No talking.

[jet flies above]

GESTAPO: There

was a bridge here.

I swear to you, sir.

Bridges don't like bombs.

This means another 50 miles

just to find a way across.

Why are we stopping

in the middle of hell?

They mean to throw

us over the ravine.

No, no. That's not it.

There used to be a bridge here.

They are taking us

somewhere. Awaiting orders.

As long as we're on this bus.

We are safe.

Safe?

What is safe?

[expl*si*n in the distance]

[more jets flying above]

[explosions]

[jets flying and explosions]

We need to move, now.

[man yells angrily in German]

KNOBLAUCH: Get us north.

[somber music]

PAULA: It's not

goodbye, Walter.

You have everything

in your suitcase?

Yes, Mother.

Including the extra toothbrushes

you hid in my socks.

So now I have three.

You can give one to a soldier

whose mother is not so...

attentive.

KARL: It's the right

thing at the right time.

And you will come home a hero

to a country that will

always be grateful.

Well, I think things might

actually be quiet on the front.

Christel, don't be sad.

Susanne.

Klaus.

Sabine.

Dietrich.

You better stock

up on strawberries,

little brother,

because I will be home before

you know where to hide.

[engine starts]

YOUNG DIETRICH: Walter!

Walter! Stay!

Walter!

[music intensifies]

[somber music]

[thunder]

[soft piano music]

That is Walter's favorite song.

Don't stop. Sweetheart.

Walter loved that song.

Why did you stop?

I'll never play it again.

Of course you will.

No one listened

to Walter's song.

No one cared.

Everyone cares.

They're just swept up in

their thoughts of Walter.

I don't know what to do, Mother.

I know.

Walter asked me,

If he didn't come

home from the w*r...

he said, Tell little brother

that I underlined

all the good parts.

[emotional music]

Ahh.

Walter needed a

strawberry, Mama.

Yes. Yes, he did, my love.

[ominous music]

[dogs bark]

[prison cells open]

[Speaking in German]

[Speaking in German]

[Speaking in German]

PROFESSOR FOSDICK: Nearly

100 years. A century...

of excellence and learning

in the service of Unitas,

Veritas.

Caritas. 100 years.

This lecture has been going

on about one hundred years.

PROFESSOR FOSDICK: In 1836,

the founders of Union were

deeply impressed by the

demands of the world

upon the church

and forged a new vision

for theological education

right here in New York City.

Mr. Bonhoeffer.

I'm certain that the

German theologians

that sent their star

pupil from Berlin

would not want him

squandering his time

on small jokes and idle chatter.

Forgive me, professor.

Yeah.

DIETRICH: Inflicting

that level of boredom

should absolutely

get a man fired.

FISHER: If bad lectures

got a man fired at Union,

this seminary would have

been empty a long time ago.

I've been here three weeks,

and I feel like I could

teach most of these classes.

That's what happens when you

study the words so closely.

You forget there's

a god behind them.

Then what brought you here

all the way from Alabama?

I didn't come for Union but

the city in which it resides.

New. York. City.

You know, D, not every

church has a steeple.

[background conversation

& traffic]

MAN IN QUEUE: What do you say?

DOORMAN: Good to

see you, Frank.

[women speaking in background]

[jazz music starts]

FISHER: Hey.

Good to see you.

Yo. I'll have the same

one. On the spritz.

Hey, baby.

AVA: Frank Fisher.

FISHER: Ava. I love your dress.

AVA: Have I heard

that line before?

[trumpet soloist begins]

What is this?

This is jazz.

I've played piano

since I was a child,

but I feel like until now

I've never heard music.

ARMSTRONG: If you

can play, come on up.

Let's see what you got.

[soft piano music]

[gospel choir begins]

Leave it there.

If you have all your faith

and the Lord

is always here.

And you have to get along

with meager fare.

Just remember,

in His word,

How He feeds

the little bird.

Take your burden

to the Lord,

leave it there.

And that's why Pinocchio...

is the greatest fictional

character ever created.

- Anna: Excuse me, Mr. B.

- Yes.

Mama said this is supposed

to be Sunday school.

- Oh, this is Sunday school.

- Just more school on Sunday.

And every day is a day to learn.

Veronica: I already know

what that story means.

Don't lie

or your nose will grow like

a snake made out of wood.

HENRY: Not a snake

made out of wood.

The lesson is, if you

want to be a real boy,

it's a lot harder

than being a puppet.

Henry's exactly right.

It's difficult to be a real boy.

To tell the truth.

To love.

To have compassion for others.

That's what makes

you fully human.

But if you live by love,

then you don't want to lie.

You want to be real.

And your strings...

[makes popping sound]

get cut.

And you don't get a snake made

out of wood as a nose either.

Yes, that's a side benefit.

[children laugh]

We sneaking out early to

go hear the choir again?

Call your souls away.

If you're fighting,

striving for the right,

you shall wear

a golden crown.

- I shall wear a crown.

I shall wear a crown.

- When the trumpet sounds

- When the trumpet sounds

- Oh Lord

When the trumpet sounds

I shall wear a crown,

I shall wear a crown

I shall wear a

robe and crown.

- Let the church say amen.

- Amen.

- Amen.

- Amen.

- Amen.

- Amen.

DIETRICH: Three months

I've been coming,

and I still can't believe

church can be like this.

REV POWELL: I take it

that you don't have

churches like us in Berlin?

Oh, not in Berlin or in

Paris or in all of Europe.

Well, God asked us

to attend a party.

To partake in fellowship.

To love.

And sometimes love can be loud.

Especially here in Harlem.

So where were you when

you first met the Lord?

Met?

I don't understand.

I'll tell you where I was.

I was playing craps in the alley

in Cabin Creek, West Virginia.

Losing money like I

could print it at home.

By midnight I was down a hundred

and only my fast feet

were gonna save me from

the back end of a jail.

So I ran,

but I found myself not

more than thirty yards

from a Baptist revival tent.

And you know who was

waiting for me inside?

The Lord.

He was in every lit-up

face of the gospel singers.

He was in the salty words

of that traveling preacher.

He was in the sweet loving hands

of that grandmother

that led me to my seat.

But he was also in

the broken souls

of every liar, cheat and sinner

in that blessed tent.

Because Jesus...

was with His people.

Just like He promised.

And, Dietrich, he

filled that place,

so as to tear at the

very seams of that tent.

And he filled me up to

overflowin' ever since.

I want that.

Well, it's simple, son.

Taste.

And see that the Lord is good.

I know He's good.

REV POWELL: But do

you know how good?

A man can waste a

whole lifetime...

saying God is good

and never asking Him to show

the fullness of His glory.

- Hallelujah.

- Hallelujah!

Whoa.

But hallelujah ain't

gonna do all the work now.

And there is so much

more work to be done.

- Amen.

- That's right.

REV POWELL: Did you

see that black flag

hanging from the building?

Yes.

FISHER: That's for Thomas

Shipp, innocent man,

lynched three days ago

in Marion, Indiana.

We may be free in our souls,

but there's another

freedom that we seek.

A God-given freedom

that man has deigned

to take away.

I am so sorry.

FISHER: We don't need

you to be sorry, D.

We need you to tell the world.

- Yeah, son.

- You think we invited you

just to show you the

good places to eat?

Ha ha!

We should take him

to South Carolina,

see if he still wants

to hang out with us.

How about south of 110th Street?

Dietrich don't know

he in n*gro heaven.

REV POWELL: That's

a brilliant idea.

Frank, why don't you

take him on a road trip?

How far you think we should go?

REV POWELL: I think to

be safe, let's say DC.

He can see Lincoln statue

and the white man's statutes.

See which one speaks louder.

- Got you again.

- Olly olly oxen free.

Goose Goslin with the goner.

Our friendship is not as...

alien as you predicted.

We haven't asked

for anything yet.

Go book a room, pay for

it, come get me after.

- Good evening.

- A room. Just for a night.

That'll be $2.

Two dollars, huh.

Seems fair.

Let's go see how fair.

No rooms to let.

- Good night.

- Kind sir.

My friend just booked a room.

He paid a good two dollars.

He invited me here.

Whoa, whoa, sir.

Who in hell...

would wanna be friends

with a tar baby like you?

DIETRICH: He's my

friend. I have a key.

[intense musical buildup]

Sir, by the cross on the wall,

I can see that you're

my brother under Christ.

As my friend Frank here is too.

Surely our love of

the Lord unites us.

I paid for this room,

and Frank and I,

we are going to stay in this...

How dare...

you animals interrupt

my quiet evening

with your violence.

The next one comes from

the other end of this g*n.

Hey, hey, slow down, man.

Dietrich. Where you rushing to?

I should have torn that

cross off his wall.

Oh, now, now. Dietrich...

How many cheeks

you have to turn?

Hold on, now. Dietrich!

How many maniacs do I

have to save you from?

There's always an inn at

the end of the search.

- Always. That much I know.

- Dietrich. Listen to me.

Sometimes there's just a manger.

DIETRICH: I'm so embarrassed.

I put you in danger.

No more danger than

I face any day.

How could I think it would work,

simply because I

wanted it to work?

It's alright, D. It's alright.

I could not raise a hand

against another man.

This kind of hate...

takes something

stronger than a punch.

Sometimes a punch makes

some necessary noise.

And sometimes...

it's just as useless as

spitting in the wind.

We're so fortunate not having

anything like this in Germany.

My brother,

hate comes in every color.

Your eyes just haven't

been opened yet.

Our hosts must have

a special distaste

for you and me, Herr Bonhoeffer.

I don't know you.

Doctor Sigmund Rascher,

once the Fhrer's

championed scientist.

And you are Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

the pastor who forgot

to love his enemy.

Yeah. I know why I'm here.

But you, you...

were his golden child.

DR RASCHER: The

Fhrer thanked me

for studying the

Juden's final moments.

To make the choice

to stop a heart.

That is my greatest

accomplishment.

For what is a life...

if we do not

comprehend its ending?

Alas, there was no cure

for my Fhrer's jealousy.

Jealousy.

I made the fatal mistake

of not pretending that

he was smarter than I.

So for all my work,

I get a trap door

and a piece of rope.

[intense music]

That's what we all get.

I should be fitted

for a crown...

one day.

Our season may have ended,

but it will come again.

Your season

ended long ago.

'The light came into the world,

and the darkness did

not overcome it.'

Look around you, my friend.

How much light do you see?

Oh, I've just found joy

I'm as happy as a baby boy

With another brand new

choo-choo toy

when I'm with my

sweet Lorraine.

A pair of eyes

That are bluer than

the summer skies

When you see them,

you'll realize

why I love my

sweet Lorraine.

Oh, I'm so happy

When it's raining

I don't miss the sun

For it's in my

sweetie's smile

Just to think that

I'm the lucky one

Who will lead her

down the aisle

Oh, each night I pray

That nobody takes

her heart away

I can't wait until

that happy day

When I marry sweet Lorraine

It's all right to clap now.

That music is...

It's called jazz.

And it reinvents your

ears with every note.

I'm glad you're home, brother.

Germany was emptier without you.

Can you tell us one more

thing before I go up?

One thing we couldn't

imagine about America.

Alright. It's this.

In the German church,

I was headed into the

dead end of religion.

[radio plays news]

Father, did you hear me?

Yes.

DIETRICH: I don't want to

pursue theology any longer.

KARL: Thank God.

Such a fine mind was always

too good for the church.

DIETRICH: In Harlem, I

finally saw real faith,

instead of dead religion.

And now I plan on teaching the

German church all about it.

Wait. The church?

But you just said you

were done with religion.

I am. As should be the church.

KARL: I like that, son.

You're still c*ck.

Trying to teach the church?

They sure could use some

damn instructions at the moment.

Karl.

HANS: The Nazis rise to power

has everyone a little

anxious, Dietrich.

The Nazis?

They only got, what was it,

eighteen percent in '30?

And that was a mirage.

Well, this year's

mirage will double that.

I don't believe it.

KARL: That's because

you were away

while Hitler used

the Versailles Treaty

like his personal weapon.

Every bad thing that

ever happened in Germany

landed on the doorsteps of

the Jews and the communists,

and there were

enough working people

begging for bread to believe it.

There's no chance that

this loudmouth from Austria

will have fooled

enough Germans by then.

But Hitler only has

to fool the Germans

who come out to vote.

But he's still only one man.

If he does somehow

manage to sneak in,

we'll vote him out next time.

Just like we did with

Ebert, and Simons.

See? Your mother

still believes in

the wisdom of people.

Unfortunately, that's

how tyrants win.

So now it's my fault that Hitler

will become chancellor?

KARL: Things have

changed, Paula.

The country has grown angrier,

and people are falling prey

to this nationalism

and paranoia.

HANS: And the Nazis

feed off that.

They've been systematic,

fighting for every

local election,

each tiny hamlet,

prying the country

from our hands

while few were even watching.

And the church, no

doubt, bears some blame.

KARL: Oh, yeah.

Hitler and his new Bishop Mller

now call it the Reichskirche.

The Church of the Third Reich.

One man cannot change the

name of the whole church.

KARL: He already has, Dietrich.

HANS: I've heard via my

office that the Nazis plan

to identify and

dispose of people

with mental disabilities.

Father, that can't be true.

DIETRICH: You speak

in nightmares.

Well, surely rumor and

rage cannot win the day.

Unless the day is already lost.

[footsteps]

SABINE: Shouldn't smoke in bed.

DIETRICH: When we were little,

I used to steal

father's cigarettes

and pretend to

smoke them up here.

Me too.

Never got past one puff.

I guess we've graduated.

Remember, we would lie here

staring at the ceiling,

call out to Walter in heaven.

Yeah.

Every night for years.

Eternity. Eternity. Eternity.

Eternity.

Like a song. An invitation.

- Eternity. Eternity.

- Eternity.

It never worked.

It worked for me once.

You never told me.

I didn't want to

make you feel bad.

He was wearing his uniform.

He was walking away

towards an umbrella.

On a beach.

He took off his hat.

And left it in the sand.

And he walked on.

Towards the sea.

Must be true what

they say about twins.

Then you're as afraid as I am.

I am.

But I don't know why.

Something's coming.

Something unstoppable.

Nothing is unstoppable.

SABINE: Eternity.

Eternity. Eternity.

Eternity.

SABINE: Eternity.

Eternity. Eternity.

Eternity.

Eternity.

Eternity.

[intense music]

Eternity... eternity.

Walter, where are you?

Sabine, I can't do this alone.

MLLER: Finally, my

friends, we know who we are.

How long have we

waited for this moment

when we can finally hear

Germany's heart beat again?

At last we have read the writing

on the walls of

this country's soul,

and the words are:

Chancellor Adolf Hitler!

God sent Germany a prophet.

And more than that.

A true Savior!

To speak of any Savior but

Christ from the pulpit...

blasphemy.

Dietrich, everything new

needs a moment to settle.

We're in God's house

and the bishop is

celebrating a man.

I don't need time

to let it settle.

MLLER: So that we can

solve the great challenges

facing our people.

To combine our shared power

so that we can

achieve this together.

Alright.

Alright, you don't

support Hitler.

Many don't.

But that doesn't mean that

you can make a distraction...

DIETRICH: They are

building an idol to Hitler

inside those walls in real time.

NIEMLLER: You're

exaggerating, Dietrich.

You've been away quite a while,

while this man has

been building...

building what?

An army of clergy, blinded by...

I don't even know what.

This man is without charm,

without character or charisma.

He has captured the nation's

imagination, Dietrich.

And our churches are fuller

than have been in years.

But it's not about how many,

Bishop, it's about who.

Don't you realize handing

a man this kind of crown

will come with a terrible price?

I can't agree.

Both for us...

and those he so aggressively

targeting, the Jews.

Yeah. Surely Herr

Hitler will resolve

the Jewish question too.

Why must there even

be a Jewish question?

This is our national cathedral.

Dietrich,

it has long been our policy

that politics and the

church should not intersect.

[audience claps in background]

Listen to that applause.

They already have.

What if I speak to

Chancellor Hitler?

We both fought in the Great w*r.

He might listen.

Then tell him the church

does not belong to him

or any man.

It belongs to the living God.

Not everything needs to

be a fight, Dietrich.

Your heart is moving

faster than your mind.

Yes, speed matters.

If no one warns

the German people,

they might think

the entire clergy

agrees with Bishop Mller

and his sycophants.

I have the pulpit at Kaiser

Wilhelm in two weeks.

At Jacobi's invitation.

In fact, that might be

the perfect opportunity

to speak up against...

Now, listen closely,

young friend.

Everyone will be

paying attention.

Including this bishop that

still remains your superior.

I advise you recall

the words of the English

writer William Shakespeare.

Discretion is the

better part of valor.

Yeah, I prefer the words

of a Jewish writer, Paul.

'God has not given

us a spirit of fear.'

If you don't take

your fear from God,

perhaps you should take

it from your bishop.

[church bells ring]

KARL: I never understood kites.

All this effort and

they take you nowhere.

DIETRICH: I think the idea

is they get you to look up.

KARL: Oh. My optimistic son.

Everything always

pointing to the sky.

You realize I come

for these walks

to take a break from giving

out advice, don't you?

- I'm sorry.

- I can figure it out myself.

I'm sure you already have.

I guess I'm just seeking

permission to be brave.

You don't need anyone's

permission, son.

You already are.

Thank you.

KARL: Don't thank

me until after.

DIETRICH: After?

KARL: After whatever is

requiring all this courage

in the first place.

[ominous music]

They won't eat you, Dietrich.

At least not until

after the sermon.

[dramatic music]

Woe to you, hypocrites,

You white-washed tombs,

outwardly beautiful,

inwardly full of

dead man's bones.

You serpents, you vipers.

How can you escape damnation?

These violent words

are not my own.

They come from the

mouth of our Lord.

And His harshest words

were not for sinners

but always reserved

for the religious.

Because there has never

been anyone in history

who hated religion

more than Jesus Christ.

He never wanted our religion.

All he ever wanted...

was us.

Our full selves.

But we, the German church,

are on the verge of giving

ourselves to another.

Of choosing full pews

over full hearts.

The church should be

a place of refuge,

a place of sanctuary,

not a place of power.

The German church must

stand on God's word alone.

Not any man's word,

and especially not

a Fhrer's word.

[dramatic music intensifies]

DIETRICH: Turn with

me in scripture

to Matthew chapter five.

It's been a long time

since I've heard truth

preached from their pulpit.

Thank you.

I wish you were

preaching every Sunday.

Might actually get my

Otto back to church.

What a privilege

to be with you all.

- Oh, yes, it was a privilege.

- One squandered.

But now you have people's

attention, Dietrich.

Perhaps that's everything

you've ever wanted.

I'm sorry if...

The truth doesn't

apologize for being true.

The truth also separates

marrow from bone.

You are on the other side of

those words now, Dietrich.

Beware,

you're not standing on the

same ground you were yesterday.

I'm so proud.

Just brilliant, brother.

- Thank you.

- Brilliant.

Mother. Father.

Courage needed, Son.

Courage shown.

You were wonderful, son.

But it looked like you were

painting a target on your chest

with every single sentence.

Better a target than a swastika.

Why does there have

to be a target?

There were not so many

in the church today.

A message like that,

it's not the size of the crowd

but who's been paying attention.

[crowd cheers]

For the members of the church

under Hitler, the Reichskirche,

demand the immediate cessation

of the publishing

and dissemination

of the Jewish Bible in Germany.

- Per order by the Fhrer!

- Mein Fhrer!

KRAUSE: The Christ of the new

German Bible will be Aryan,

with no Jewish roots.

No Jewish weakness.

The church must clear away

all crucifixes, Bibles

and images of the saints,

and replace them

with our leader's

glorious words.

And it must be superseded by

the only unconquerable symbol,

the swastika!

[crowd cheers]

[Speaking in German]

[men argue in background]

[Speaking in German]

[Speaking in German]

Matthias?

Matthias.

Matthias.

Matthias. Hey,

you don't think I know it's you

just because you're

playing dress-up?

Rudolph, enough

of this Karneval.

Boys, what is this?

Catechism is in five

minutes inside. What...

Wilhelm.

Heinrich, look at me.

This is madness!

This is not a joke to be played.

Hey, I don't need

your hands on me, sir.

- You need more than that.

- They are children!

Go back inside, pastor.

The church youth are

now the Hitler Youth,

as it should be.

Some problem here, Max?

Only that this clergyman

seems to have lost his flock.

[car door slams shut]

JACOBI: Dietrich, listen to me.

The church youth is now

costumed as the Hitler Youth.

I mean, how long until

the entire country is

painted black?

So what can we do? Because

do something we must.

It's not what we can do.

It's what you can do.

Sit down, Herr Bonhoeffer.

My every move is being watched

since I gave you that

Sunday at Kaiser Wilhelm.

We need someone young

who has staked a claim

for the truth already.

No one's been interested

in speaking to me

since the last time

I opened my mouth.

You may not know

it, but your sermon

not only angered the Nazis,

it also galvanized a whole

raft of seminary students

and made you friends in places

where they never

even go to church.

Good. Because more than

the church's life

is on the line.

This is a knife to the

heart of the nation.

Bravery is a rare

commodity, Dietrich.

[dramatic music]

Especially when it's

needed the most.

Can you rally more than

your words to this cause?

I'm ready for anything, sir.

I'm about to ask you to

save the German church.

To save it,

we'll have to split it apart.

You will go to

England as our spy.

Bishop Bell, he's

already waiting.

JACOBI: Your job

will be simple.

Tell him the truth so

we can set it free.

DIETRICH: If the

river gets any higher,

we're going to have

a second baptism.

Well, it's the

first day in a month

it hasn't rained in West Sussex.

You keep an eye out for Noah.

Thank you for meeting with me.

I know I'm too young to be a

messenger for Germany's worries.

David was a teenager.

Moses was an old man.

God calls when He calls.

DIETRICH: What

good is the church

if it doesn't speak for

the victims of the state?

For those who have no voice.

The Jews.

RECTOR: The Jews?

DIETRICH: We cannot stand by

while the Jews are

being persecuted.

BISHOP 1: You

bring us a problem

of which there is no proof.

How do we know that this is

simply not Jewish propaganda?

DIETRICH: I have seen

the yellow stars,

the violence in the streets.

Hitler has carved

them out of society.

Left them stateless,

unprotected.

So look me in the eye

and call me propaganda.

I have secreted myself

here to tell you

that the true German

church has no alternative

but to break away from the

false church of the Nazis,

their Reichskirche.

We need to let the world

know what the Nazis are

doing to the Jews.

And if the church

does not speak now,

we will lose our voice

for a hundred years.

BISHOP 1: This is

a German problem,

not an international one.

Hitler took Germany

and her church

without firing a single b*llet.

How many will he

have to fire at you?

BISHOP 3: But you

speak of b*ll*ts

when you should be

planning diplomacy.

BISHOP 4: The church's job is

to kindle peace, peacefully.

Oh, You mean silently.

If need be.

Our silence in the face

of evil is itself evil.

Not to speak is to speak.

Not to act is to act.

[background conversation]

BISHOP BELL: I

agree with Dietrich.

Hitler is a threat

to all humanity.

The church

should be the first to

make that announcement.

Not the last.

BISHOP BELL: Now, Dietrich

is going to speak,

and the scrivener

is going to write,

and unless you have

anything to add,

I suggest we all

enter a silent period.

[suspenseful music]

We, the Confessing

Church in Germany,

reject the false doctrines

of the German Reich church.

We declare that the church

does not belong to any man and

that it is under the

authority of God alone.

WIFE: The church exists

not merely for its members,

but more vitally, for

those who are not.

PUBLICAN: God calls the church

to be the conscience

of the state

and where there are victims

to bind up their wounds.

CLEMENTINE: I do hope the frost

doesn't punish my Comices.

CHURCHILL: Listen

to this, Clemmie.

And if the state

harms and oppresses,

and for Germany,

this means the Jews,

then the church must

stand against the state,

must put a stick in the

very wheel of the state

until it stops.

CLEMENTINE: It sounds like

Mr. Bonhoeffer and his merry men

just did what England

are too afraid to do.

What is that, darling?

Declare w*r on Hitler.

[plane takes flight]

Over here!

MAN: Dietrich Bonhoeffer?

Who needs to know?

DIETRICH: You can't just

kidnap a German citizen

upon a German airport.

DRIVER: Turn around.

We leaked that you were

arriving via Amsterdam.

It gave us just enough time

to meet your flight

from Belfast.

MAN: Germany is no longer

safe for you, Herr Bonhoeffer.

For any of us.

And where is?

[tense music]

I didn't know

anyone in the church

still wanted to see me.

NIEMOLLER: Not

the Reichskirche.

But the Confessing Church, yes.

And I have much to confess.

I had it completely

wrong, Dietrich.

Can you...

Can you find it in your

heart to forgive me?

Bishop, of course.

Come.

NIEMOLLER: It takes

courage to face the dark.

And you faced it.

I was too busy closing my

eyes, covering my ears.

The church you tried to save

had become religion

without Christ.

But what we need is

Christ without religion.

You know, my father used to say,

When you board the wrong train,

there's no use

running down the aisle

in the opposite direction.

He's right.

But you also can just

jump off the train

and start all over again.

We have smuggled the

finest seminary students

from all over Germany here.

And we have brought

them our finest teacher.

I'm so glad it's you.

No, it's not me, Dietrich.

It's you.

You have been called

for such a time

as this, Dietrich.

Look. This is the new

n*zi Bible. Take a look.

Jesus is now an Aryan.

And the Ten Commandments

have become twelve.

DIETRICH: Honor your

Fhrer and master.

Keep the blood pure

and your honor...

This is the

definition of unholy.

Dietrich,

I am expected on my pulpit

in Dahlem every Sunday.

I can't hide.

Or they will start

looking for me

and discover all of this.

DIETRICH: I'm a

young man myself.

What could I possibly

teach these students?

Teach them your heart.

- My heart?

- Yes.

My heart is broken.

Then teach them that.

See, this is not a

spiritual escape.

This is a literal escape.

Every young man down there

had been ticketed for

the Eastern Front.

So you brought us all here

so we could be kept

in one place safe.

A prison

No, this is not a

prison, Dietrich.

This is a haven from which

to launch our attack.

EBERHARD: Pastor Bonhoeffer.

My name is Eberhard Bethge,

one of the 23 students

chosen, excommunicated,

by the German Church

and Herr Mller.

We are honored to have

you as our teacher.

Then I think it's time

for your first lesson.

Ready?

[joyful music]

Don't touch the ball. Come on.

Wake up!

Let's go. Come on.

Hey! Come on.

Come on.

DIETRICH: So my new friend

Eberhard just informed me

that he knows his way around

Gumpelzhaimer's Agnus Dei

and some few choice

works of Heinrich Schtz,

which to me all sounded like

some sort of punishment.

So what will you play

for us then, Dietrich?

An evening this

sweet calls for some

pure gospel music.

Gospel?

No more words.

All you have to do is listen.

[gospel music begins]

Swing low, sweet chariot

Coming for to carry me home

Swing low, sweet chariot

Coming for to carry me home

Swing low, sweet chariot

Coming for to carry me home.

Swing low, sweet chariot

DIETRICH: Coming

to carry me home.

Lord.

Carry me home now.

Lord, I'm ready.

To see Walter.

I'm ready to see you.

Take me home.

Lord.

Take me home.

[men yell in background]

PRISONER: Dietrich! Over here!

Dietrich! Over here.

DIETRICH: Check the locks.

DIETRICH: Gunther,

free the others.

DIETRICH: Check the locks.

Free the others. Come on.

PRISONER: Watch.

DIETRICH: Stay close.

Watch for the guards.

PRISONER 1: Should we escape?

The garrison in the next

village will sh**t us dead.

PUNDER: This country is

too big to escape from.

PRISONER 1: So we

wait here to die?

Shh!

PUNDER: What do we do?

We wait. We pray.

We act.

[tense music]

No, no.

No no no.

[g*nsh*t]

GESTAPO: Stop!

[somber music]

EBERHARD: Dietrich.

This was three days ago.

That's why Bishop Bell

rushed it by secret courier.

He must have known

the German papers

wouldn't be covering it.

I'm going to Berlin.

- That's madness.

- You'll be arrested immediately.

Eberhard, I can't

keep pretending that

praying and teaching is enough.

[car engine]

[dogs bark in background]

GESTAPO: Have

your papers ready.

[man yells in background]

EBERHARD: There's no other road

into Berlin from the north.

We'll make our own road.

GESTAPO: We don't have

all night. Come on!

[somber music]

NIEMOLLER: The

Gestapo is here today.

Make sure you welcome them.

Hand them a hymnal.

Or maybe they only know how

to sing their own songs now.

Indeed, our friends in

uniform are fellow worshipers,

just not of the same God.

For years they have

been saying now

that this country is infested.

And I finally agree.

But this infestation

comes from within,

and not by the Jews who

are our spiritual brothers

and to whom we owe

an unpayable debt,

but by those who

claim a higher office

than the Lord Jesus

Christ himself.

Look at me.

Have the courage to look at me.

Go tell your Fhrer that

he's not bigger than God,

And for daring to

claim His throne,

there awaits a punishment

beyond his understanding.

[audience clapping]

[dramatic music]

This is not your house!

NIEMOLLER: I know

I've been your pastor

for almost 13 years now

and my job is to

lead this flock.

But I failed.

Because when the Nazis first

came for the socialists,

I didn't speak out because

I was not a socialist.

And when they later came

for the trade unionists,

I didn't speak out

because I am not a unionist.

And then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak out,

not soon enough,

because I am not a Jew.

So when they come

to knock at my door,

will there be anyone

left to speak out for me?

NEIMOLLER: It was

reckless of you to come.

But nevertheless,

I'm grateful you did.

Everything is different now.

After what they

call Kristallnacht.

I still need you outside.

I think today

this was my last sermon.

ELSE: But you finally

said it in public.

What we've been

discussing at home.

And you said it to

their wicked faces.

I thought it was

brave, and beautiful.

[cars approach]

[somber music]

It's all good.

We're just going to

say goodbye to Daddy

for a little while.

Yes.

Listen, Jan, I'm very sorry,

but I have to go away.

- You don't. Stay.

- I want you to stay.

I want to stay too.

My boy. My son.

My precious son.

Please. Papa, Papa, stay.

- Look...

- Please.

I'm going to stay, but here.

Right here.

Always.

Always.

[banging on door]

JAN: Please.

[suspenseful music]

It is me whom you seek.

Leave the rest alone.

HOBLE: We shall take and leave

whomever and whatever we like.

You already stole this country.

What else do you want?

This is not your house.

Put the pastor in the car.

- Martin.

- No! no!

No, no.

EBERHARD: Dietrich.

No.

Once you finished your

search, burn it all.

EBERHARD: No! No. no.

EBERHARD: Leave him be!

ELSE: No!

EBERHARD: Stop.

[footsteps]

PAULA: It's just the way my

mother made Sptzle-Fass.

CHRISTEL: It isn't

fair. You have to

start writing your recipes down.

Tell her, my love.

It's true.

Dietrich. What happened?

PAULA: Hey, hey.

PAULA: Dietrich.

Hey, are you alright?

Are you alright?

Hey! Hey!

Christel, help him.

PAULA: Hans, what does it say?

HANS: They're

under house arrest.

KARL: Paula, we need

more gauze, please.

They turned our

house into a prison.

They've turned the entire

country into a prison, Father.

We have word from Finkenwalde.

The seminary was destroyed.

And the students who

wouldn't acquiesce

were forced into uniforms.

Either military

or for the camps.

Dietrich will be devastated.

He's lucky to be alive.

If he hadn't gone to Berlin,

they might have ex*cuted him

in front of his

students for sport.

EBERHARD: Dietrich.

Finkenwalde is gone.

DIETRICH: Everything I thought

God called me to pursue...

burnt to ash.

Life is loss.

And building again.

Everything in the world

has been built on top

of what came before.

DIETRICH: The

disciples all scattered

after Jesus was arrested.

I never understood

why, until now.

The disciples scattered

on Friday, yes.

But by Sunday,

they were on their way

to changing the world.

DIETRICH: Hans. My father said

you had something to discuss.

I'm ready to listen.

HANS: As a mole

inside the Abwehr.

I have it on absolute authority

that the Jews have been

targeted for total extinction.

The Nazis have set up

concentration camps,

forcing them to

die from disease,

hunger and hard labor.

Dachau,

Buchenwald, Flossenbrg,

Ravensbrck.

Bishop Niemller is in

a concentration camp

just like these,

at Sachsenhausen.

The Abwehr is

military intelligence

for the defense department.

While Hitler has

created the Gestapo

to be his own plaything,

The Abwehr works

independently of the Fhrer.

The Nazis plan to imprison

or front-line every pastor

that won't bow the

knee to Hitler.

DIETRICH: Yeah, tell me

there's something we can do.

HANS: There is.

Dietrich, I need

you to understand

that your life will

not be the same

after I speak these words.

- Even if you don't join us.

- DIETRICH: Yes. Speak.

HANS: This is not like when the

Resistance met in your house

and you offered theology

instead of action.

You Christians only know how

to keep your hands clean.

I hated hearing it then, and

I hate remembering it now.

HANS: This will

take dirty hands.

That's all I have left to offer.

Gentlemen,

we have devised a plot to

assassinate the Fhrer.

EBERHARD: Hans,

you're talking to

pastors, not K*llers.

Dietrich? Tell him.

Here I am, Hans.

Send me.

EBERHARD: Dietrich,

you're an avowed pacifist.

And David was a shepherd

when he slew Goliath.

The will of God is

that men should defeat

their enemies by loving them.

HANS: Who wrote

that empty promise?

DIETRICH: I did.

And I was right.

Before Hitler.

Is Hitler the first evil ruler

since scripture was written?

DIETRICH: No.

But he's the first

one I can stop.

What do you require of me?

EBERHARD: Will God

forgive us if we do this?

Will He forgive us if we don't?

In order to destroy the Fhrer,

you must first

swear allegiance...

to the Fhrer.

I've spent two years

ingratiating myself

with the Abwehr.

HANS: If you want to help,

this is our last angle to play.

Otherwise, you sit

home in forced silence,

or get sent to the

front to fight for him

instead of against him.

I guess sometimes the only way

to defeat the father of lies

is to lie better than he does.

[dramatic music]

BAMLER: Do you love the

Judensau more than the Germans?

It is not a difficult question.

One loves the Jews or

one loves the Fatherland.

HANS: The Fatherland.

BAMLER: I'm more

interested in the answer

of your new recruit here

who has been parading

with Niemller

for the Confessing Church.

I'm here to confess.

I didn't see what the

rest of the country saw.

And what is that,

Herr Bonhoeffer?

That the time had come

for Germany to rise

and for the rest of

the world to bow down.

- Heil Hitler.

- Heil Hitler.

The only problem

is, Herr Bonhoeffer.

I don't believe you.

So you must do me

one little favor

in order that I don't order

your immediate execution.

Your favor is my honor.

BAMLER: Neutral Switzerland

is becoming a problem.

[Speaking in German]

And since they are a neighbor,

this is the worst

problem of all.

I need you to take seven

Juden into Switzerland

and guarantee that they

deliver one message.

The Fhrer's message.

[Speaking in German]

[Speaking in German]

[Speaking in German]

[Speaking in German]

[Speaking in German]

Each prisoner will

tell the Swiss officials

that they've been

treated as guests

by the National Socialists.

Never felt safer,

more protected...

HANS: 'To ensure

the Swiss understand

the Germans have built

humanitarian camps

to guarantee the madness of w*r

shall not touch

the Jewish people

from now or going forward.'

It was so insane, I had

to memorize every line.

Words aren't words

anymore, Dietrich.

They're nooses,

b*ll*ts and knives.

My name is Hans,

and this is my

brother-in-law, Dietrich.

DIETRICH: I am a pastor.

I love the God of your fathers,

the God of Abraham,

Isaac and Jacob.

All of whom would be

in the gas chambers

if it were up to

Christians like you.

If you were speaking to many

members of my broken church,

you would be right,

but you are not.

HANS: When you cross

the border, you're free.

MOSES: Free?

What is free?

DIETRICH: What is your name?

MOSES: You animals,

you stole my name.

Crossed it out with

ink under my skin.

All that's left of my name

is a sound in my head.

Please, tell me your name.

I am Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

That's my name.

That's who I am.

Who are you?

Kiefer is my father's name.

My mother named me Moses.

It's an honor to

meet you, Moses.

HANS: We've brought

you here so you

can tell the Swiss the truth

about what is being

perpetrated by Hitler.

DIETRICH: We have church

contacts in Geneva

who will help upon your

arrival in the city.

MOSES: What if I

don't believe you?

DIETRICH: Neither would I.

But we only need you to believe

it long enough, Moses...

to see it.

HANS: By the decree

of the Fhrer,

in agreement with

President Etter.

Yes. We have been

expecting you.

These are free men, to be

welcomed in Switzerland.

That's the agreement we have.

Is it?

DIETRICH: We were

told they would be

taken by car to Geneva,

where they can wash and rest.

We are glad to

help our neighbor.

But, Jews?

Is that really the

best you can offer us?

We can offer invasion

if you prefer.

The French welcomed that

without a second debate.

DIETRICH: Hans, back of the

truck. The white box. Now.

SWISS GUARD: You Germans

think you own the world,

but you can do nothing

against a neutral country

without drawing in England,

and even the United States.

SWISS GUARD: Out.

SWISS GUARD: Seven Jews.

I guess that amounts

to 100,000 marks.

So the Swiss make money

on more than

chocolate and watches.

Seems being neutral

can be very lucrative.

Now... Switzerland

welcomes the Jews.

- Does anyone have a drink?

- We should toast this moment.

Why not?

[animal noises]

HANS: Dietrich, where

did you get the money?

Our friends in

Sweden and Ireland.

We are not totally alone, Hans.

Hans...

Today, we saved seven lives.

Millions more to be saved.

But seven is a beautiful start.

GESTAPO: Do not

move. All of you.

[Speaking in German]

Keep still. Put your arms up.

Hands up!

KNOBLAUCH: Herr Bonhoeffer,

you will put your hands up.

BEST: Dietrich, please

raise your arms.

I'm tired of lifting my arms

for Hitler and his believers.

If he wants to

sh**t me. He can.

KOKORIN: He wants to sh**t us

all. Don't give him permission.

- The w*r's over.

- The w*r is over.

You heard the planes.

You hid from the bombs.

Just like us.

We are all Germans.

KNOBLAUCH: Please don't.

I forgive you.

No matter what you do.

How dare you. Forgive me?

How do you dare?

You son of a b*tch!

DIETRICH: Why am

I being sent away

at the decisive moment?

Because you're worth more alive

in America than dead in Germany.

We need your charisma

in a pulpit in America,

not lighting a fuze in Berlin.

And you will return. Dietrich.

You're asking me to run when

I'm needed here the most.

HANS: Dietrich, the Nazis

are tracing the money

we used in Switzerland.

It's only a matter of time until

they find your fingerprints.

DIETRICH: You know

this to be true?

The Abwehr is lit

up with the search.

They don't know who they're

looking for yet, but they will.

This is your last chance, son.

Take it.

PAULA: I beg you, Dietrich.

I beg you, please.

You will travel as

Elgin Beckenbauer.

HANS: Hitler would be

coming to view the armory

at Zeughaus,

and we've arranged for

Rudy to be his guide.

You will have a glass

vial in each coat pocket.

Once you break them,

the fuze is lit and you

will have ten minutes

until detonation.

This is a trigger that

cannot be unpulled.

Not just for Rudy,

but for all of us

in the Resistance.

RUDY: I'm honored to be chosen.

If I could die twice

for my country, I would.

I won't stop speaking

until the world knows

why we've done

what we had to do.

TRESCKOW: Pastor

Bonhoeffer, would you pray?

DIETRICH: God of

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Thank you for your

faithful servant,

Rudolf-Christopher.

And though what we are

about to embark upon

feels utterly alien,

it also feels precisely what

you have called us to do.

So guide our hands.

Guide our trembling hands.

DIETRICH: Frank.

FRANK: Finally

got you back home.

Shall we drop the suitcase

and take this town like

it needs to be taken?

I need to make a stop first.

And I need your full attention.

Come.

Go on now.

I didn't come to

hear you rehearse

how to shuffle papers.

Nine years ago,

I learned in this very building

that faith without action

is no faith at all.

[suspenseful music]

DIETRICH: And I've returned

to tell you, and

anyone who will listen,

that the time to rescue

the Jews of Europe,

and to end the madness of a man

who has dared to

call himself a god,

is now.

But how?

How can we act when we face

this kind of terror,

this kind of despair?

Because all our Savior

ever asked of Peter was...

follow Me.

Two words.

But where does

Christ bid us follow?

And can we set

aside all our plans

and do as He says?

Because when Christ

calls a man, He bids him,

Come and die.

RUDY: More than a thousand

Vickers machine g*ns

captured from France.

Every Hotchkiss M that

Belgium surrendered.

And countless T-26 tanks

from the fall of Kharkov.

These are your spoils from

more than a dozen countries

brought to their knees

by your strength alone.

Europe is burning.

In Kiev, n*zi k*lling

squads shot dead.

33,000 Jews in two days.

That's how far the

devil has gone.

But...

how far have you gone?

Most courage is wasted,

Herr Gersdorff.

Don't you agree?

All the way to the cross?

Because beyond the cross

is the resurrected life.

And that's the place to

which He calls each of us

since before the

beginning of time.

So...

Will you follow me?

[music intensifies]

Will you follow Him...

all the way to the cross?

REV POWELL: All the way to

the cross. Right, Dietrich?

Yes, sir. Yes.

Only problem,

Your cross isn't in America yet.

It's in Germany.

I too remember understanding

what I was preaching

only the moment the

words left my mouth.

DIETRICH: Reverend,

I'm not running away.

I'm running towards.

That's fair enough.

Towards what?

And where...

where is your finish line?

[phone rings]

HANS: Dietrich? DIETRICH:

Is this a clear line?

The only one left.

Hans...

I'm coming home.

- You can't.

- I thought we decided...

God didn't agree

and neither do I.

Is it done?

No.

No. The fuze was lit,

but Hitler sensed something.

He was gone before the

work could be finished.

- Gersdorff?

- Is alive.

Somehow. A miracle.

But we need help from

England. From Churchill.

And there's no safe

means of reaching him.

- Have you asked for help?

- HANS: Yes.

Another b*mb, two if necessary.

But our communications are down.

He may be standing by,

ready to light our fuze,

but there is no way of knowing.

Now, listen, my ship

stops in London first.

I know Bishop Bell

would help me.

I don't want you coming home

to be arrested or worse.

I want to.

Hans...

I'm coming home.

London is crawling

with n*zi spies.

They're watching everywhere.

Good.

I like getting away.

[dramatic music]

BRIT: Wait here.

Why write what no one reads?

BISHOP BELL: Your

books have been read

more than you know, my friend.

DIETRICH: So, please tell

me England will listen.

He cannot provide

the b*mb you request.

Cannot or will not.

Churchill sees

Germany as a whole.

Says he can't afford

to see the small

threads in the tapestry

when the whole

cloth is n*zi brown.

There is gold amidst

the dark, my friend.

We cannot be forgotten

or burned with the rest.

I gave it everything,

reputation included.

He's afraid that a b*mb

traced to England would mean

invasion or worse.

DIETRICH: Invasion? Invasion?

My country was

invaded from within!

Does Churchill know

what that feels like?

And please don't tell

me you agree with him.

Of course not.

I bent his ear and his

heart till breaking.

Nothing.

God doesn't always give

answers, my friend.

But He always gives Himself.

And you are here. You are safe.

Oh, my safety is a prison.

I'll return to Berlin

unarmed but full-hearted.

Now, look, are you

sure you won't stay?

Your voice could be louder

than loud from our pulpits.

I've learned, finally, Bishop,

that people don't hear what

is shouted from the pulpit

as much as they hear what

is whispered in the street.

My prayers go with you, my son.

Then pray what I pray.

For the defeat of Germany.

HANS: You shouldn't

have come home.

I had to.

To tell me Churchill

has turned his back?

You could have done

that from London

and then gone and lived a life.

It isn't over yet, my friend.

What are we going

to do, Dietrich?

England was our last chance.

And don't say pray.

GESTAPO: Faster now.

Moving on into the bus.

- Straight lines.

- Moving all the way in.

- Faster now!

- Moving all the way in.

DIETRICH: No, no, please.

[Speaking in German]

GESTAPO: We have

13 bodies to fit.

DR. RASCHER: What do you

think, Herr Bonhoeffer?

Why this traveling circus?

And the Allies are

getting closer.

Perhaps they want some

prisoners alive to barter with.

You've been praying

for a rescue.

I hear you in the

middle of the night.

What if your God fails

you this one last time?

[speaking in German]

KNOBLAUCH: Take the Bible.

Thank you.

KNOBLAUCH: There will

be absolute silence.

No talking.

[car door slams shut]

[engine revs]

PAULA: No. No. No.

[speaking in German]

Here I am.

HOBLE: Halt!

What has become of the church

when a pastor has

turned into an assassin?

DIETRICH: If a driver were

running over children,

would it not be everyone's

responsibility to stop it?

PUNDER: Dietrich?

What is it, friend?

Knoblauch wanted to warn.

It happens at dawn.

He asked to see you.

He said it has to be now.

KNOBLAUCH: We only have a few

moments, but I can help you.

You don't have to end this way.

I have a spare uniform,

nearly your size.

I have food coupons and money.

We walk out together

after sunset.

Just two guards headed

into the village.

Tonight.

It is not too late.

There's an old

railway overgrown,

where a car won't even be heard.

I can't escape.

What? Why? You deserve to.

We all deserve to.

But I wouldn't make

it out of Germany.

My family would be k*lled.

You and your family.

Listen, every act of

courage carries a cost.

I made my choice 12 years ago,

long before I knew

what it would mean,

and I've been chased ever since.

But now...

I'm ready to meet my destiny.

[somber music]

DIETRICH: Once upon a

time, I was a pastor.

KOKORIN: Will you

be our pastor today?

I will.

The Lord Jesus, on the

night he was betrayed,

took bread,

and when he had given thanks,

he broke it and said,

This...

is my body,

which is broken...

This is the body...

for you.

For our Lord Jesus Christ.

'Do this for the

remembrance of me.'

BEST: We can't allow...

It is not our table.

It is the Lord's,

And He has invited us all.

Lift your head.

This is the body of our Lord.

'This is my blood,

spilled for you.

Do this whenever you drink it

for the remembrance of me.'

[eerie music]

DIETRICH: For me,

this is not the end...

but the beginning of life.

GESTAPO: Bonhoeffer,

to the gallows.

DIETRICH: You will get

these to my mother.

I know you will.

Tell her I couldn't

find a strawberry,

but my words did.

[wind blowing]

GESTAPO: Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

for money laundering

and your role

in the conspiracy to

assassinate the Fhrer

on July 20th,

you're sentenced to

death by hanging.

[Knoblauch cries]

DIETRICH: Blessed

are they that mourn,

for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the merciful,

for they shall receive mercy.

Blessed...

are the pure in heart,

For they shall see...

God.

[Bonhoeffer hangs]