I first learnt about Hannah Arendt two years ago and since then she has become one of the most influential contemporary philosophers who has developed the way I think. Having read a few of her works, I was happy to discover this biopic and was hoping that it would help me understand her work better. I was also hoping that it would be nice introduction into the work of Hannah Arendt for some of my friends or family members (I've mentioned her to them several times).
The movie succeeds in the first part but fails disastrously in the second attempt. As an personal already acquainted with her work and her life, I found this movie to be easy to follow and very well produced. It introduced some characters like Hans Jonas and Gershom Scholem whom I had not known about earlier. However, I don't think this movie serves as a good jumping point for a viewer who is completely unaware of Hannah, her work during the Eichmann trial and the repercussions that followed. The director assumes that the viewer knows all this (including the concept of 'banality of evil') and instead focuses on the milieu Hannah was in and how she came to the understanding how totalitarian societies can produce people like Eichmann. That said, a person like my father, who knows nothing about Hannah or her work would not be able to get all this simply because the movie does not provide enough exposition about these concepts (until the last 10 minutes of the movie).
So, who is the movie for? I think this movie is made expressly for a college professors who are teaching contemporary western philosophy to their undergraduate students and want to increase the understanding of their class. The movie would serve as a wonderful teaching accessory that may spur some students to read about Hannah further. However, it does not offer the ordinary layman who is unaware of Hannah Arendt anything much of significant value.
6.5/10
The movie succeeds in the first part but fails disastrously in the second attempt. As an personal already acquainted with her work and her life, I found this movie to be easy to follow and very well produced. It introduced some characters like Hans Jonas and Gershom Scholem whom I had not known about earlier. However, I don't think this movie serves as a good jumping point for a viewer who is completely unaware of Hannah, her work during the Eichmann trial and the repercussions that followed. The director assumes that the viewer knows all this (including the concept of 'banality of evil') and instead focuses on the milieu Hannah was in and how she came to the understanding how totalitarian societies can produce people like Eichmann. That said, a person like my father, who knows nothing about Hannah or her work would not be able to get all this simply because the movie does not provide enough exposition about these concepts (until the last 10 minutes of the movie).
So, who is the movie for? I think this movie is made expressly for a college professors who are teaching contemporary western philosophy to their undergraduate students and want to increase the understanding of their class. The movie would serve as a wonderful teaching accessory that may spur some students to read about Hannah further. However, it does not offer the ordinary layman who is unaware of Hannah Arendt anything much of significant value.
6.5/10