User Reviews

A religious cult in Chile run by ex-Nazis?!? It may sound like a bizarre work of fiction, but the location portrayed in the historical drama "Colonia" (NR, 1:50) was all too real (except for the fictional romance at the center of the film). But before I get into my plot summary, I think that a little historical context is in order: In September 1973, a U.S.-backed military coup wrested control of the government of Chile from democratically-elected socialist president Salvador Allende and placed power in the hands of army commander-in-chief Augusto Pinochet. Under his 17-year rule, dissidents were persecuted, arrested, kidnapped, deposed, tortured and murdered. Pinochet's government used the remote Colonia Dignidad (Colony of Dignity) as a place to torture and murder some of the regime's political opponents. The public face of the colony was that of a charitable and educational organization. It was actually a religious cult where former Nazi medic Paul Schäfer imposed a strict Baptist interpretation of the Bible on all of his followers, many of who had emigrated with him from Germany. He forced them to live in dormitories segregated by gender, and with parents separated from their children, whom Schäfer sexually molested.

Daniel Brühl plays Daniel, a political activist from Germany who has been living in Chile for a few months working with a group of young people supporting President Allende. Daniel's girlfriend, Lena (Emma Watson), is a flight attendant who takes advantage of her week-long stopover in Santiago to spend time with Daniel. When a military coup suddenly drives Allende from power, the new government starts rounding up political dissidents, including Daniel – and Lena, who happens to be with him when he's arrested. In a soccer stadium, a man wearing a black hood identifies Allende supporters, including Daniel, who is whisked away in a van. Lena is able to trace the markings on the vehicle to the secretive and remote "Colonia Dignidad" compound, about 200 miles south of Santiago. She makes her way there and asks to join. "I want to know the way of the Lord," she says, wearing a small cross around her neck.

In her attempt to rescue her lost love, Lena is sacrificing her freedom – and putting her very life at risk. A harsh old woman named Gisela (Richenda Carey) takes her to meet the cult's leader, German expatriate and lay preacher Paul Schäfer (Michael Nyqvist). "Once you join us, you must remain," explains Schäfer. Lena agrees, in spite of observing his Christian fanaticism and some of his innate creepiness. Gisela relieves Lena of the small bag she had brought with her, gives her a few items including a set of linen, and assigns her a bed in the female dormitory. Most of the women show no interest in talking to the new arrival, but Lena befriends another young woman named Doro (Jeanne Werner) and, later, another named Ursel (Vicky Krieps). As Lena joins the women in their daily work in the fields and in other food preparation activities, she learns what she can about the camp and keeps her eyes peeled for Daniel.

Daniel has survived severe physical abuse at the hands of the Chilean secret police in the colony's subterranean torture chamber, but he is a bit worse for the wear. Besides his physical injuries, his speech is slurred and he now talks and acts like a child. Lena finally catches sight of Daniel when she steals a glance through the window of the colony's assembly hall during a men's meeting and is obviously concerned about his state of mind. Soon after, at a rare meeting with the cult's men and women all together, Lena takes the risk of approaching Daniel, hoping that the two of them can come up with a plan to escape the cult, something no one has done before. But there's much more at stake than "just" the fate of two young lovers. Besides the terrible ways that Schäfer uses and abuses his followers, it turns out that he's also into some other nasty business that further reduces even the slim chance that Daniel and Lena have to get away for good.

"Colonia" takes a little-known chapter in history and spins it into an interesting and entertaining tale of romance and danger. The story is perhaps best understood as a combination of "The Boys from Brazil", M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" and Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning "Argo"… if you can imagine that. This film's unusual setting contributes to its originality, as does telling a story in which it's the woman who comes to rescue the man. The actors are well cast, and this accomplished multi-national ensemble consistently offers up lived-in performances. The direction, by Florian Gallenberger (who won an Oscar for his 2000 live action short film "I Want to Be…"), sometimes feels a little disjointed, but he mostly keeps things moving and builds some serious tension into the movie's plot. The script (co-written by Torsten Wenzel and Gallenberger) is creative and smart. There may not be much actual dignity in the Colonia Dignidad compound, but this film dignifies itself with some quality story-telling. "A-"

When a German Diplomatic official attends the premiere in Toronto to refute the premise of the film its a sign that the material strikes pretty close to home.

Very memorable Q&A at the 2015 Tiff. Hats off to the director that didn't flinch at all when confronting the questioner.

Its one of those films that you can honestly say "real life is stranger than fiction"

Its obvious that the film makers used this convincing story to attract the very talented cast. Even the despicable bad guys (and gal) were very well cast in addition to our heroes.

I'm glad this film wasn't released amidst the flurry of films prior to the awards season. Everyone should take the time and let this material and these performances sink in.

Well done. Good work.

This film tells the story of two German citizens who are in Chile under Pinochet dictatorship. They get locked up in a camp of a religious sect, and get mistreated, abused and tortured.

The story is super engaging, keeping me glued to the screen from start to finish! I applaud Lena's courage to go into the camp just to see her boyfriend, though it can also be argued that it is the silliest thing to do. It shows that love is blind, and rational decision is clouded by love. The conditions in the camp is horrible, made worse by the wicked headmaster who wrongly uses religion to control and abuse people. There is one scene that vaguely suggests sexual abuse, but it is so vague that I had doubts until the words appear at the end of the film.

The ending is super intense. I find myself grabbing onto my chair, leaning forward and simply hoping that things will work out. The desperation of the characters transmit through the screen to me, and I just hope so sincerely that they will make it.

I didn't expect such an intense adventure. I enjoyed watching 'Colonial" thoroughly.

Inspired by true events, Colonia is a Hollywood-style thriller about a couple who finds themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time- the torture prison of a religious cult under the influence of the Chilean secret police in 1974. At a time when Chilean youth began revolutionizing in the streets, one man's involvement with the movement along with his girlfriend's association in his anti-government views causes the couple to put their relationship and love for each other to the test. Directed by Academy Award winner Florian Gallenberger (Shadows of War), Colonia opens in theaters Friday, April 15th. Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine" accompanies archival footage of protesters rioting in the streets while the film itself is saturated in prime colors- magenta and royal blue. This juxtaposition of violence and R&B gives an artistic edge to the film's opening scenes, but unfortunately, this visual isn't sustained throughout the film. We meet our protagonist Daniel (Daniel Brühl), up on stage pumping up the masses of people, when, out of nowhere, he spots a bright yellow flight attendant's outfit (like a ray of Mr. Withers' sunshine) from the muted colors of the crowd. The woman is Lena (Emma Watson) and they immediately embrace. Their relationship isn't made entirely clear, but she only has four days in town and they plan on spending it together.

While enjoying their time together, Daniel receives a phone call that shifts the political tide and changes everything. This results in chaos erupting in the streets, leading to their capture by the Chilean soldiers. Daniel gets abducted and taken to a hidden cult in a rural area called Colonia Dignidad, run by ex-Nazi Paul Schäfer (Michael Nyqvist). Left with no other choice, Lena willfully joins the Colonia as a desperate, last-ditch effort to find her boyfriend, risking her own life to bring him home as she discovers that those who enter the cult never leave.

Emma Watson and Daniel Brühl play Lena and Daniel with an innocence about them that has you rooting for their success. Watson is unquestionably beautiful and smart, her outspokenness gets her into trouble. Brühl takes a more unconventional risk with his character by playing the role of a mentally challenged person in an effort to trick his captors into thinking he is not a threat. Watson and Brühl are crucial to the film's success, but individually speaking, these roles won't likely result in a significant boost to their careers.

Colonia can't escape the comparisons to Eli Roth's The Sacrament or the documentary Kidnapped for Christ (if you haven't seen it, it's available to stream on Netflix, and is a MUST- watch), which may hurt Colonia's overall success because it is not as riveting by comparison. Audiences know what they are getting with an Eli Roth film, and a documentary has its own sense of wonderment, but Colonia tends to jump from the political thriller to love story to religious brainwashing in a patchwork way that feels a bit all over the place, and it is this "clumpy" genre blending that may be the film's weakest point. Plus, Daniel and Lena's relationship is never fully established in the beginning of the film, so we are left to wonder why she would risk her life to save this person.

At its core, Colonia is an interesting story, but not a very memorable film. It doesn't provide enough tension to overshadow The Sacrament, nor does it have the foundation to be a solid romance. The fact that it is based on a true story is what keeps the film afloat and the inclusion the smuggled archival photos of the real Colonia Dignidad at the end is a much-needed gem. Yet, even with cinema-savvy actors Emma Watson and Daniel Brühl, Colonia can't quite seem to gain the traction needed to be a standout film.

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Set in the early 1970's amidst the political turmoil that beset Chile at the time, we meet a German political activist – Daniel played by Daniel Brühl. His girlfriend is an air hostess, this is Lena played by the wonderful Emma Watson. Then Pinochet and his army take over the democratically elected socialist Government; this was obviously with US backing.

Well Daniel is soon swept up in the ruckus and taken to Colonia Dignidad. A colony run by another German called Paul Schafer; played brilliantly by Michael Nyqvist. He is a man who preaches the word of God but is one that talks the talk but does not reciprocate in the 'walking' department.

Now the full extent of what went on at the real colony is still, allegedly, a matter of conjecture but I won't say anything unless you are not aware of it. However, this does seem to try to cover a lot of what occurred and it uses the relationship of the two main protagonists as the vehicle to do so. It is a thriller and it is well made but it lacks a certain something to kick it further into the 'must be seen' category. Fans of Brühl and indeed Watson will not be disappointed though as they both give great performances, but Nyqvist gets all the great lines in a pantomime baddie role that was great fun to watch (for all the right reasons). In English with some Spanish and; this is one for those who like their thrillers to be not too much of a stretch but still well believable and indeed watchable.

The scary thing is the film is based on a true story and respect to the writers producers and all who got this made into a film for the world to see!

Civil rights is a thing many of us take for granted but this film shows and highlights that there are still many countries whom liberty and rights are not a given and the people suffer under corrupt power it is one of the most scary things and I am grateful that I don't live in a country like that! My heart fills for the many who have and continue to suffer 💜

I've been to the premiere at the Film Festival in Zurich and I was moved by the movie, not because of the love story, but because of the irrefutable truth. The movie left me thinking and researching about its topic: Colognia Dignidad, a cult in Santiago de Chile. It conjures many ethical questions and portrays what humanity is capable of. The movie grips and doesn't let go of you till the end. The contents is real, except for the love story that forms the golden thread. One has to imagine that the movie portrays the life and the ways of Colognia Dignidad almost like a documentary without felt exaggeration, but it is still a movie with a story. Superb acting by Emma Watson and Daniel Brühl made the movie an even more intense experience. The only criticism I can make is that the love story is average in comparison to the rest. I believe that the characters actions don't always make much sense. All in all, it's one of the best movies I've seen this year and cannot be compared with the commercial films normally shown in cinemas.

If you want a tense movie you could do more than worse than picking this one. One that is rooted in real life incidents and happenings of course, but also one that might have heightened a few things that actually happened to make it more "movie-like". So this also makes a couple of things more than predictable.

If you don't mind this, the movie does have powerful scenes, but also scenes that will shock you to the bone. Even scenes where things are only hinted at (like a certain kind of abuse), but just knowing what happened and what will happen once the camera goes off or the editor cuts, is more than enough to make you squirm. Powerful performances throughout make this an almost must watch

I was holding my breath from beginning to end. This movie is so exciting from the minute it starts a real thriller with a damn good story. I enjoyed it and definitely recommend watching it. It really is worth your time and chapeau to Emma for this performance! Also it is a real eyeopener that there is so much going on in the world that we (I) am not aware of. The way they portrait it in this movie is just excellent without over doing it. The actor Daniel also is really really good his performance is magnificent. I think there should be a lot more movies with the purpose to make people aware of what is going on in this film. It is definitely not boring in the slightest way and you wont regret watching it!

When the post-script information presented before the end credits, telling of the true facts and showing actual photos of the real events of Colonia is for more emotionally affecting and interesting than the film that preceded it- you know you're in trouble.

In fact I had completely forgotten I had even watched this film until I came across it on a random film list. Colonia reeks of Hollywood phoniness, especially an overlong and rather unnecessary chase sequence near the end that has no other purpose than to make the film long enough to count as a feature length film.

Emma Watson can be a solid actress (see Perks of Being a Wallflower or The Bling Ring) but her performance is nothing more than adequate, and rather forgettable. Daniel Bruhl is solid enough, but it's obvious that both these actors are straining to bring depth and conviction to a flimsy screenplay. Michael Nyquist, however, is certainly chilling and downright loathsome, but even he is nothing more than a one-note villain.

It's also a bad sign when there's a sense the director felt the only way to hold the audience's attention is through endless depictions of abuse and horrific implications of child sex abuse, only to cheapen it when throwing in typical thriller tropes for cheap, ineffective, suspense sequences. It makes the treatment of the true story seem exploitative and disrespectful to the actual victims who had to live through this atrocity.

Colonia feels like a poorly written blurb you'd find in a history book in high school, and the bull shitted 5 page essay one would write just to get a passing grade. Since I had never seen heard of this true story, I was shocked to see how recent certain aspects of it was. But I'd highly suggest skipping this entirely, and looking into documentaries or online research, as this silly and absolutely forgettable depiction of true events should be skipped.

This movie tells us the story of what happened in Chile whit in the grounds of Colonia Dignidad, a cult managed by Paul Schafer. It reflects the reality that people suffered inside the cult pretty well and it doesn't makes it see worse than here in Chile we think it was.

Emma Watson's acting has that something special that you can find in all awesome actors. I like feeling that she is the character and the accepted this movie just because it goes perfectly whit her believes.

The script is just right but it won't win an Oscar for that. Personally i would've liked they did more panoramic scenes for us to have an idea of dimensions.

I recommend this movie if you are looking for something light to watch, you won't cry but neither you are getting bored. Watch it and make your own thoughts

If one were to judge "Colonia" purely on face value, it would be an average film. It jumps around a bit, doesn't have a clear narrative, and doesn't really even have all that much resolution. When you consider that it is based on true events, however, it needs to be judged in that capacity. With that in mind, "Colonia" becomes a much more experience considering they had to keep somewhat on track with the real life events.

For a basic plot summary, this movie tells the story of Lena (Emma Watson) & Daniel (Daniel Bruhl), two young adults who happen to get caught up in General Pinochet's military coup of Chile (both were protesting against that very action). Daniel is sent away to some sort of cultish camp (Colonia Dignidad) which is led by the brutal and enigmatic Paul Schafer (Michael Nyqvist). Lena volunteers for the women's section of the cult/camp, experiencing similar horrors of her own in order to track Daniel down and hope to come up with an escape plan.

Probably the biggest "knock" I'd have on this film is that parts of it really don't make sense (and really don't even try to). In film-making convention, that is kind of a no-no. You never really understand the motivations behind some of the characters or the things that happen.

At the same time, though, that is a large part of why this movie can be quite effective when looked through a different lens...that of reality. One of the characters, a fellow cult member to Lena, utters a quote along the lines of "don't try to make sense of this place...you never will". That's what the viewer has to do when watching this movie, too. Instead of dissecting it, this is one of those movies where you just have to sit back and allow yourself to think "this was actually a real place". Once you see what happened inside the walls of the cult, that thought alone will make you shudder.

It helps, of course, that the acting is mostly spot-on. Watson is perfect, as usual (it's too bad she is taking a bit of a sabbatical these days, as her work is always stellar), and Schafer's character is legitimately creepy. Plus, there is just an air of weirdness and mystery surrounding the entire project that gives it a great sense of foreboding and tension.

Overall, I enjoyed watching "Colonia" as much for its uniqueness and "true story" nature (especially one I had never heard of before) as anything else. Like I said, if you critique it on "script cohesiveness" alone it might come up lacking, but once you let the gravitas of its real-life events sink in I think it will move you to care about the characters and their situations.

This film got a 16/100 on Rotten tomatoes and 30/100 on Metacritic which are "this film is a total dog" scores.

The irony/problem is the source material is fascinating and compelling. but absolutely no talent acting, jarring and bizarre directing just ruing this film completely to the point where if your if you have an pulse and a measurable IQ this film is unwatchable. We told the lead actress she could act? I had to look up her bio before I remembered she was a child actress in Harry Potter. Like a lot of child actors she simply has no talent and got lucky.

Worse yet this film's rating here are obviously shilled up. So many 10-8 star ratings by new accounts or accounts that give everything a "10"films.

A thriller based on a true story. As Pinochet comes to power in Chile two German citizens get caught up in the revolution. They both end up prisoners in the Dignity Colony where torture and abuse hide under the pretext of religious fervour.

Emma Watson and Daniel Bruhl lead. I believe it's a German production but is English spoken. Emma retains her English accent; probably wisely. Not sure if she lost weight for this role but if she did it was lost as she looked underfed before she arrived at the camp. They both put on a good performance but it's the supporting cast that convey the constant fear of living under such a controlling and cruel regime. It is oppressive but could be tenser.

As a movie it's about twenty minutes too long but since it's based on fact I forgive it that. Think docudrama rather than adventure and you won't be disappointed.

There is a torture scene, beatings - mostly off screen and moderate bad language. Child abuse is inferred.

The Dignity Colony was set up in the 1950s but its most notorious period was 1961 to 1996 when the Pastor was Paul Schäfer an ex-Nazi colonel who later died in prison after being convicted of child abuse. He extended the 'colony' that was effectively a prison and military supply cache. Even after Schäfer the place had a bad reputation and weapons were reported found there in 2005. Claims of over a thousand 'disappeared' people are blamed on the Dignity Colony. Though reformed it is still open today.

Starting with archival footage setting the scene, it's all very promising, for want of a better word. Then things get interrupted by the prolonged introduction of a love story between Daniel Brühl (who is very good) and Emma Watson (who sadly isn't). Thankfully, it gets back on track, charting the military coup in Chile by Pinochet in 1973, but that's not the focus here. There is some truly brutal stuff depicted, terrifying even and when terror subsides, sinister takes over, with Micheal Nyqvist exuding pure uncaring evil. Unfortunately Watson really struggles in this role, she doesn't quite fit... which is partly the point, but she feels jarring, rather than her simply being the empathetic character. It's based on a true story, how accurate I can't say, I'm not sure I could bring myself to research further, but if even a fraction holds any weight then the levels of appalling and detestable treatment of people here is completely dismaying. Does it work as a film? It does, but it could have been done better, although it's not for the faint hearted.

Colonia Dignidad was the German equivalent to Jonestown. It was an isolated cult led by a megalomaniac pedophile fugitive who collaborated with Chilean dictator Pinochet for decades. Neither German ambassador officials nor members of the Pinochet regime were ever hold accountable for the abominable crimes against humanity such as imprisonment, torture and murder that happened there for several decades. The worst thing is that there still is a colony called Villa Baviera that has taken Colonia Dignidad's place. That whole area has become some sort of sinister tourist attraction and people claim that hotel staff is friendly and the restaurant offers great meals. It's outrageous that this place even exists under any other form than a memorial. People who have lost their relatives should be able to grieve here like people who visit concentration camps. Even tearing this whole place down like it happened to Jonestown would still be a better option than what this place has become now. The existence of this place alone until this date is a slap in the face for victims and survivors alike. Germany and Chile should cooperate to shut this place down as soon as possible, start a thorough investigation of the gloomy past and create a humble memorial that educates present and future generations about the horrors that happened there.

Colonia mixes gloomy historical events with more uplifting fictitious ones. This movie offers more than just entertainment as it informs people around the world about the terrible truth behind the gloomy cult. This movie should be taught, shown and discussed in history and ethics classes, particularly in Germany and Chile. Aside its educational value, the movie convinces with the realistic settings that bring the seventies in Chile back to life. The camera work is precise and intense. The acting performances by a diversified Daniel Brühl, a resilient Emma Watson and a scarily charismatic Michael Nyqvist are outstanding.

This film deserves more attention than it has gotten so far. This is obviously also the case for the numerous victims of Colonia Dignidad. This movie exemplifies the physical and psychological horrors numerous victims of so many others isolated sects around the world have gone through, still go through and will sadly continue to grow through. Education is a strong tool to make sure this world becomes a better place as we learn from the mistakes of the past. It's our civil duty to speak up against such abominable crimes without any shame. Watch this film, spread the story behind it and recommend it to your friends to honour the victims of this terrible place.

'COLONIA': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A historical thriller flick; about a notorious cult (in the south of Chile) known as "Colonia Dignidad". This film tells the story of a young German woman, in 1973, that joined the ruthless sect, in order to try and rescue her abducted boyfriend. The movie stars Emma Watson, Daniel Bruhl and Michael Nyqvist. It was directed by acclaimed German filmmaker Florian Gallenberger; and it was written by Gallenberger and first time screenwriter Torsten Wenzel. Despite all of the talent involved, the movie received mostly negative reviews from critics; and it's performed very poorly at the Box Office as well. I still really enjoyed it.

The story revolves around a young German couple, named Lena (Watson) and Daniel (Bruhl). When Daniel is caught taking pictures of the Chilean military coup, he's kidnapped by the secret police (known as DINA); and sent to "Colonia Dignidad". There he's imprisoned, and severely tortured. Lena willingly joins the organization, which claims to be a charitable mission, in order to find her boyfriend and rescue him. She soon finds out that the sect is ran by a very sadistic preacher, named Paul Schafer (Nyqvist), who has never allowed anyone to leave his colony (alive).

The movie is effectively creepy, and quite disturbing. The actors aren't given a lot of moments to shine though, and their roles aren't really that well developed. Still the movie is very thrilling, and quite involving. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. It's definitely not a great film (by any means), but it's not a bad one either. I'd say it's definitely worth a watch.

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I thought the film was actually pretty great Emma Watson and Daniel Bruhl worked together a lot better than I expected! The film was intense throughout and whilst it missed out a lot of the horrors that went on within the colony it is likely through the eyes of the 2 characters given how separated they were that they would not have seen the child abuse so it is not a problem for me as this is not a depiction of Paul Schaefer but of this couple. Highly enjoyable and would recommend.

The background story about Paul Schäfer and his cult like community is intriguing and fascinating in so many ways. Wenzel and Gallenberger manage to drain their story from any depth or nuances.

This is a straightforward stereotypical and shallow story about the all conquering love of a beautiful heterosexual couple, the inexplicable cruelty and grandiosity of a disgusting cult leader and the submissive ninnies who follow him.

Instead of engaging character development and a curious investigation in the psychological mechanisms behind this kind of extremely controlling groups, we are served a bunch of clichés on the straight road of predictable events.