Dresden, 1937. Kurt, a little boy, witnesses his aunt Elizabeth branded as unfit and forced to leave. As a young man, Kurt has a chance to go to art school, but communist East Germany only permits a style based on socialist realism. Kurt meets Ellie, majoring in fashion, and falls in love, but Dr. Seeband, Ellie′s father, wants to separate them. Kurt and Ellie flee to West Germany for freedom of art and love. However, as Kurt’s work continues, the unfortunate past between them and Dr. Seeband is revealed. Based on a true story, it is the latest work by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck who received the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film with The Lives of Others (2006). Never Look Away combines the story of Kurt’s growth as an artist over a 30-year-span from the Nazis to the Cold War beginning with the hostility and pain individuals suffered under Nazi Germany. The film examines the relationship between the body and history, and art and ideology. Tom Schilling′s charm as Kurt stands out. (Jin Park)