‘Lived Out the Gospel’: BONHOEFFER Director Talks Movie’s Real-Life Inspiration

Published: November 22, 2024

‘Lived Out the Gospel’: BONHOEFFER Director Talks Movie’s Real-Life Inspiration

By Movieguide® Contributor

The writer and director of BONHOEFFER: PASTOR. SPY. ASSASSIN is sharing his thoughts on the real-life figure behind the movie.

BONHOEFFER: PASTOR. SPY. ASSASSIN tells the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who “is swept into the epicenter of a deadly plot to assassinate Hitler,” per a description on the Angel Studios website. “With his faith and fate at stake, Bonhoeffer must choose between upholding his moral convictions or risking it all to save millions of Jews from genocide. Will his shift from preaching peace to plotting murder alter the course of history or cost him everything?”

Todd Komarnicki, who wrote, directed and produced the movie, called Bonhoeffer “the beautiful voice that stood on the hill and warned the world.”

“You’re just drawn to the guy,” he told Movieguide®. “He’s so magnetic, he’s so charismatic, he’s funny, he’s brilliant, he’s fearless, but he’s also honest and candid about his doubts.”

Komarnicki pointed out Bonhoeffer’s struggle with his doubts about the German government’s plans and how they related to his Christian faith.

“Your faith is not something that’s an island that you get dropped off on once you meet Jesus and that’s where you stay,” he explained. “It’s actually a living, breathing thing, and it takes a lifetime to work out, and Dietrich represents for me that kind of faith. He was unafraid to follow the call that he felt in his heart from God, and he was unafraid to put himself in the way to protect the Jews of Europe, and any group that was under pressure or forgotten. He really lived out the gospel, and very few people live out what they believe.”

Komarnicki continued, “He had so much to lose by taking a stand and taking a stand so early against Hitler…and he didn’t blink. He just said, ‘This is wrong.’”

In a statement obtained by Newsweek, Komarnicki emphasized the timely message of the movie, saying, “Political courage has essentially disappeared in 2023. We live in a time where to open your mouth, let alone your heart, will unleash a trap door beneath our feet.”

“Twitter hasn’t made us bolder with our opinions, but has caused us to shape them to fit our notion of the crowd,” he continued. “We love to pile on, but we dare not stand out. There has never been a better time to show the world that courage is not a luxury, or a fad, it is a necessity if society is to keep from destroying itself. Dietrich Bonhoeffer still stands as a lighthouse, to remind us that we need each other. That we are all connected. And where one man suffers, we all do.”

BONHOEFFER: PASTOR. SPY. ASSASSIN is already being praised by critics, with Premier Christianity Magazine calling it “one of the more impressive films you’ll see released by Angel Studios, with genuine drama and provocative insights.”