Chess Story
2021 · Movie · 110 min · ★ 6.9 · 75% critics
As Nazi forces take over Vienna, a lawyer is arrested and held in solitary confinement for refusing to give up confidential information. Cut off from human contact and pushed to the edge, he finds a chess book that becomes both a lifeline and an obsession as his grip on reality starts to fray.
Based on The Royal Game
Also known as The Royal Game
Where to watch
Not currently available to stream in the US.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Original title
- Schachnovelle
- Years
- 2021
- Release date
- 2021-09-23
- Language
- German
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Critic score
- 75/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (157 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a dark, intense story about isolation, endurance, and the mind under pressure, with a strong emotional pull; Not for you if you avoid grim wartime themes or slow-burn distress like A Woman in Berlin.
Pros: intense psychological tension; powerful lead performance; haunting, dark mood | Cons: bleak subject matter; slow, heavy pacing; some find it melodramatic
Themes
- chess
- world war ii
- playing chess
Awards & recognition
- German Film Award — Best Feature Film · 2021 · nominated
Cast & crew
Oliver Masucci
as Dr. Josef Bartok
Albrecht Schuch
as Franz-Josef Böhm
Birgit Minichmayr
as Anna Bartok
Rolf Lassgård
as Owen McConnor
Andreas Lust
as Johann Prantl
Samuel Finzi
as Alfred Koller
Lukas Miko
as Gustav Sailer
Joel Basman
as Barkeeper Willem
Clemens Berndorff
as Dr. Swoboda
Johannes Zeiler
as Dr. Fink
Directed by Philipp Stölzl