Darkly seductive and claustrophobic, Great Freedom blurs the years of post-war Germany into a multifaceted character study of Hans Hoffman as he finds himself in and out of prison for “perverse” homosexual attraction. Dehumanized by police and alienated by prisoners, Hans forms a complicated bond with a convicted murderer as he resigns himself to an endless cycle of incarceration.
Pulling at forgotten threads of queer history, this surprise hit at Cannes stunned audiences as it slowly unraveled the “romantic drama” genre to expose complex relationships between desire, authority, and transgression. Meise’s subtle direction creates an intricate emotional puzzle intensifed by Franz Rogowski’s quietly anarchic performance which solidifies him as one of the few truly captivating actors of his generation.