In the biographical drama “Bonhoeffer”, writer-director Todd Komarnicki attempts to tell the fascinating true story of German pastor, theologian, and vocal anti-Nazi dissident Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Jonas Dassler is given the weighty task of portraying the titular lead character whose significant life was marked by courage, resilience, persecution, and eventually martyrdom.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born February 4, 1906 in Breslau, Germany (now Poland) and grew up in a large and loving family. By age 21 he was completing his Doctor of Theology degree and at age 25 he was ordained to ministry. But the course of his life changed with Adolph Hitler’s rise to power and the spread of Naziism across his country. Not only was Bonhoeffer instrumental in defending the sanctity of the church from the Third Reich’s influence, but he stepped beyond the pulpit to aid oppressed Jews and even helped in devising a plan to assassinate the Führer.

Anyone attempting to chronicle the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer automatically has a lot of ground to cover. And if “Bonhoeffer” has one noticeable flaw, it’s its use of elements from conventional biopic formulas to help cover as much ground as possible. But while Komarnicki may borrow from other biopic blueprints, he doesn’t rely on them. He incorporates many of his own ideas both narratively and structurally. And ultimately it’s the power of Bonhoeffer’s rich and inspirational true story that Komarnicki leans on most. The results are gripping, provocative, and deeply affecting.

Komarnicki takes a non-linear approach to telling Bonhoeffer’s story, beginning in 1914 at his childhood family home in rural Germany before quickly shifting to 1945 Bavaria where he is imprisoned for his Nazi opposition and more directly his involvement in the plot to kill Hitler. As he awaits his fate, he begins reflecting on his tremendous life.

From there Komarnicki transports us back to key points in Bonhoeffer’s journey. We witness how 12-year-old Dietrich’s life was impacted by the death of his big brother in World War I. Years later we follow him to Union Seminary in New York where he attends as Berlin’s star theological pupil. There he befriends a Black man named Frank Fisher (David Jonsson, “Alien: Romulus”) who introduces him to a new kind of spirituality, jazz music, and an eye-opening bigotry and hatred that Dietrich never knew existed.

But reality truly sets in after Dietrich returns home and learns of Hitler’s ascension. Among the many troubling aspects of the Führer’s systematic power-grab is the Nazi influence on the church. It included the removal of the Jewish Bible and all imagery, as well as the promotion of pastors who were sympathetic to the Nazi cause. It doesn’t take long for Deitrich’s blind optimism and naïveté to give way to a principle-driven boldness to speak out, not only against the current trend of the church, but against Hitler himself.

Dietrich’s unwavering courage immediately puts a target on his back. Yet he continues to fight, pushing for the church to stand on the truth and to reject the false doctrines of the German Reich Church. Among those inspired by Dietrich’s conviction is his friend and fellow pastor Martin Niemöller (played by August Diehl – brilliant in 2019’s “A Hidden Life”). Together they’re instrumental in creating underground seminaries and helping to found the Confessing Church.

Komarnicki goes even further, showing Deitrich’s efforts to smuggle Jews out of the country with his brother-in-law Hans (Flula Borg) and his work in Sussex, England, secretly encouraging pastors to share the truth of what’s happening in Germany to the outside world. And then there’s his part in the plot to assassinate Hitler and the moral dilemma he faces as a pastor and a pacifist. Some of these endeavors could have benefited from more attention, but they all help give us a better grasp of Bonhoeffer’s extraordinary life.

As history informs us, Deitrich Bonhoeffer was executed on April 9, 1945 at the age of 39, mere weeks before Germany surrendered to the Allies. While the finer details surrounding his death have been debated, “Bonhoeffer” chooses a more sanitized yet no less powerful approach to his final moments that stresses the impact of his enormous sacrifice. It’s a stirring punctuation mark on a true story that emphasizes the refusal to keep silent in the face of unspeakable evil.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS