Film about hero executed by Nazis faces accusations of abetting Christian nationalism
‘Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin’ portrays a real-life minister martyred for standing up for his beliefs, but critics including his descendants say it hides a political message
Almost 80 years after his untimely death during the final throes of WWII, Dietrich Bonhoeffer is back in the headlines again — but not everyone is happy about how the German pastor and critic of Hitler is being presented to contemporary audiences.
Bonhoeffer paid for his opposition to the Nazis with his life when he was executed in April 1945 at age 39. By then he had written 34 books that had contributed greatly to the field of theology, but it’s his clandestine activities against a tyrannical government that have made him popular again.
Quite a few recent Bonhoeffer enthusiasts are on the far-right, which has sparked criticism from Bonhoeffer family descendants and scholars. They lament that a right-wing author, Eric Metaxas, made Bonhoeffer the subject of a 2011 book — “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy” — and that Metaxas continues to use Bonhoeffer’s name in opposing “woke” policies from Democrats. And when a separate project was announced, a film by Angel Studios titled “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin,” they stood in opposition to that, too, as its title sounded similar to Metaxas’s book.
Released in theaters November 22 and currently streaming, the film is a spirited portrayal of Bonhoeffer, with Jonas Dassler in the title role and Todd Komarnicki pulling off triple duty as director, producer and writer. (A prior production of his also got some extended screen time this past holiday season: The 2003 Will Ferrell comedy hit “Elf.”) Distributed by Angel Studios, the production company that has backed such Christian-themed hits as “The Chosen” and “Sound of Freedom,” the film prioritizes deeds over words.
“His years of efforts, speaking and preaching did not do anything to stem the tide … he needed to activate his courage to the next level, stand in the way against darkness,” Komarnicki told The Times of Israel in a phone conversation. “Sometimes you have to go face-to-face with the devil.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/film-about-hero-executed-by-nazis-faces-accusations-of-abetting-christian-nationalism/