Synopsis for
Untergang, Der (2004)

Set in the last days of Nazi Germany, Downfall opens with a video clip of the Austrian documentary "Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary". It shows an interview with the real Traudl Junge who expresses anger at herself for working as Hitlers personal secretary. Then we are taken back to the last days of WWII. As Soviet bombs and troops begin the final conquest of Berlin, Hitler (Bruno Ganz) and his top officials are forced to lead whats left of the German military in an underground bunker. During the beginning of these last ten days, Hitlers has his 56th birthday reception while the Soviets are only 12 kilometers away. His top official, Heinrich Himmler (Ulrich Noethen), urges Hitler to seek a diplomatic solution with the Red Army but Hitler outright refuses to. The character of Eva Braun (Juliane Köhler) is introduced by the remark He is the Fuhrer showing her blind loyalty to this now visibly aged, nervous, and shaken old man. One night, Eva decides to hold a party for the inhabitants of the bunker but this doesnt last long as a shell explodes nearby and shatters the windows. The scene then moves to the battle field, where General Helmuth Weidling (Michael Mendl) is accused of retreating to the west. Being only a single kilometer from the front lines, he decides to appeal to the Fuhrer himself. As he makes his way into the bunker we see how organized and complex this place actually is. When he finally reaches the Fuhrers quarters Hitler is so pleased by his report that he puts him in charge of Berlins defenses. Not so pleased with this position he remarks, Id rather be shot than to have this honour. Later, when Hitler meets with all his generals, he learns that General Steiner cannot mobilize enough men to reinforce Berlin. This sends him into a fit of rage as he rebukes all of them saying that he would prefer to shoot himself rather than to surrender. When the family ofJoseph Goebbels (Ulrich Matthes) arrives at the bunker, his wife Magda (Corinna Harfouch), himself, Hitler, and Eva meet privately to decide how best to kill themselves. Hitler first proposes that they shoot themselves through the mouth. However, Eva suggests that they take cyanide since it would be painless. We are then shown various scenes of Berlin; some young Hitler Youth committing suicide and doctors struggling to operate on screaming patients. As Hitler and his generals learn that the Russians are breaking through everywhere and that they are now only 400 meters from the Chancellery, Hitler refuses any attempt to escape and reassures the officers that General Wenck is on his way to save them. Knowing this to be absurd, they argue as to what they should do next with the little hope they have. Some time later, Hitler and Eva get married in the bunker. Upon receiving a final report of the battle, Hitler learns that every division is surrounded. He then forbids everyone to surrender and then retreats to his quarters. He tells his officer Otto Günsche (Götz Otto) that he is about to commit suicide. Günsches task is to gather 200 liters of petrol from the vehicles in the underground parking garage in order to dispose of the remains. After Adolf and Eva Hitler commit suicide Magda Goebbels decides that she does not want her 6 children to live in a world without national socialism so she poisons them in their sleep. She and her husband later shoot each other outside the bunker. As a final attempt to escape, Traudl Junge (Alexandra Maria Lara) and the remaining German officers try to sneak past the enemy lines. They fail and are eventually captured by the Russians. Traudl and a young boy manage to slip past them and get away. As the film concludes we are taken back to the interview with the real Traudl Junge who is now quite old. She states regretfully that if she really tried to find out about things she would have acted differently.