History Film / Amen

* [[DeadLittleSister Dead Little Niece]]: Kurt's mentally ill young niece Bertha is euthanised during the Aktion [=T4=] programme, which contributes to his HeelRealization.

* DownerEnding: All of Riccardo and Kurt's efforts come to naught, [[spoiler: Riccardo is gassed at a camp, Kurt is implicated by the Denazification Courts for his membership of the [=SS=], despite his efforts to expose the Holocaust, and he commits suicide out of guilt and despair. And in the final scene, the Doctor is shown preparing to catch a boat to Argentina.]]

* BlackAndGreyMorality: The horrific evil of Nazi atrocities is condemned in no uncertain terms, but on the other hand, the film explores the uncomfortable reality that, in terms of concrete action, the Allies were fairly ambivalent towards the suffering of the Jews, Gypsies, and others. The Swedish diplomat Göran von Otter tells Kurt that his efforts to get the Americans to accept 2,000 Jewish children have been in vain, and several times the Doctor at the extermination camp remarks, "German towns and cities are bombarded every night, but here the heavens are clear."

* DownerEnding: All of Ricardo and Kurt's efforts come to naught, [[spoiler: Ricardo is gassed at a camp, Kurt is implicated by the Denazification Courts for his membership of the [=SS=], despite his efforts to expose the Holocaust, and he commits suicide out of guilt and despair. And in the final scene, the Doctor is shown preparing to catch a boat to Argentina.]]

* TitleDrop: The Doctor gives Ricardo a HannibalLecture, claiming that the Nazis are the new "chosen people", to which the priest responds with a bitterly ironic "Amen!"

* ReverseMole: What Gerstein becomes in his efforts to expose the Holocaust.

* DespairEventHorizon: When the Nazis occupy Rome, [[spoiler: Riccardo dons a yellow star and boards the transport headed for a death camp. On his arrival, the Doctor discovers that he is a Catholic priest and places him in the ''Sonderkommando'', the unit responsible for burning bodies of the murdered. Gerstein finds him starved, weak, and utterly broken by what he has witnessed.]]

However, when Father Fontana hears Gerstein's story, he vows to alert Pope Pius [=XII=] in person, as the two men are certain that a clear condemnation from the Holy Father will rouse German Catholics into action once again. Meanwhile, Gerstein returns to Poland to observe the mass murder and provide further testimony. He tells Fr Fontana, "I will be the eyes of God in that hell." But he quickly finds himself unable to passively watch, and begins risking his life to sabotage and slow down the killing in any way he can.

* GoodSheperd: Father Riccardo Fontana.

* NaziProtagonist: Kurt Gerstein wasn't just a Nazi - he was a member of the [=SS=], the principal perpetrators of the Holocaust.

However, when Father Fontana hears Gerstein's story, he vows to alert Pope Pius [=XII=] in person, as the two men are certain that a clear condemnation from the Holy Father will rouse German Catholics into action once again. Meanwhile, Gerstein returns to Poland to observe the mass murder and provide further testimony. He tells Fr Fontana, "I will be the eyes of God in that hell." But he quickly finds himself unable to passively watch, and begins risking his life to sabotage and slow down the killing in any way he can.

However, when Father Fontana hears Gerstein's story, he vows to alert Pope Pius [=XII=] in person, as the two men are certain that a clear condemnation from the Holy Father will rouse German Catholics into action once again. Meanwhile, Gerstein returns to Poland to observe the mass murder and provide further testimony. He tells Fr Fontana, "I will be the eyes of God in that hell."

2002 German/French/Romanian film directed by Costas-Gavras which explores the links between NaziGermany and the {{Vatican}} through the eyes of two characters - the RealLife [[ThoseWackyNazis Waffen-SS]] Officer Kurt Gerstein, and a fictional young Jesuit priest named Riccardo Fontana.