In an age when Nazis are taking power around the Americas and Europe, In the Fade recalls a time when their violence was still underground rather than sanctioned by the powers that be (as Charlottesville was). In the Fade is timely for a dark era, one where it's looking increasingly like any optimism people will be able to learn from history is a lost cause forever.
In addition to being timely, In the Fade is technically well done, and Diane Kruger's Best Actress Award at Cannes is well-earned. However, In the Fade's screenplay feels like a rough draft in ways; while it is mostly interpreted as a revenge tale, the bulk of its runtime is actually a courtroom drama, as if the filmmakers hadn't fully decided which it was supposed to be before cameras started rolling. I actually wouldn't have minded if it were longer and spent more time on the revenge, but the drama here is largely unspoken and implied (do we have a miscarriage?) and the conclusion after contemplation comes across as nihilist. Rather than show us what happened, I think it would also have been more effective to leave that to the imagination.
In addition to being timely, In the Fade is technically well done, and Diane Kruger's Best Actress Award at Cannes is well-earned. However, In the Fade's screenplay feels like a rough draft in ways; while it is mostly interpreted as a revenge tale, the bulk of its runtime is actually a courtroom drama, as if the filmmakers hadn't fully decided which it was supposed to be before cameras started rolling. I actually wouldn't have minded if it were longer and spent more time on the revenge, but the drama here is largely unspoken and implied (do we have a miscarriage?) and the conclusion after contemplation comes across as nihilist. Rather than show us what happened, I think it would also have been more effective to leave that to the imagination.