“All Quiet on the Western Front” is a 2022 German epic anti-war film based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. It is the third film adaptation of the book, following the 1930 and 1979 versions. The film was directed by Edward Berger and stars Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, and Daniel Brühl.
The story follows the life of an idealistic young German soldier named Paul Bäumer during World War I. After enlisting in the German Army with his friends, Bäumer finds himself exposed to the realities of war, shattering his early hopes of becoming a hero as he does his best to survive. The film adds a parallel storyline not found in the book, which follows the armistice negotiations to end the war.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2022, and was released to streaming on Netflix on October 28. It received positive reviews with praise directed towards its tone, the cinematography, the makeup, the performances, Volker Bertelmann’s musical scores, Berger’s direction, and the relevant anti-war message. However, critics were divided over the film’s faithfulness to Remarque’s source material.