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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/p23108_v_v8_aa.png]]
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3''The Empty Mirror'' is a surrealistic psychological drama film released in 1996.
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5After World War II, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is trapped inside some sort of purgatory-esque cave, as he reminisces about his life and philosophies and interacts with phantoms from his past.
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7----
8!!Tropes:
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10* AndIMustScream: Implied to be Hitler's fate. After spending the whole film trying to justify his legacy and the atrocities committed in his name, a white-haired Hitler is eventually left alone with his thoughts, then the walls burst open and submerge him in a river of blood and human bones. By the end he realizes he's trapped, all alone, and can't escape his past as darkness moves in over him.
11* CentralTheme: Evil devours itself.
12* TheGrimReaper: Death appears several times as a woman in all black wielding a knife and apparently approving of all the destruction that the Nazis wrought, although Hitler is equally intrigued by and terrified of her.
13* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Aside from Hitler and his inner circle, UsefulNotes/SigmundFreud is a supporting character. Hitler at first dismisses Freud's psychoanalysis as "Jewish lies", but Freud's commentary eventually starts to [[SanitySlippage crack at Hitler's remaining sanity]].
14* LiterallyShatteredLives: When Hitler finally gets fed up with Freud's analysis of his character, he attacks him with a sledge hammer. This causes Freud to break into a dozen pieces as if he were simply a mirror.
15* MindScrew: The movie is largely metaphorical, seeming to take place either in some sort of Purgatory-like location, or inside Hitler's mind, with every other character being some sort of figment of his imagination.
16* NaziProtagonist: The whole film delves into the psychology of Adolf Hitler.
17* RuleOfSymbolism: ''Heavily'' runs on this. Many things happen randomly or just to be symbolic. Since the whole thing is implied to take place inside Hitler's mind, this makes sense.

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