“We have so much to say, and we shall never say it,” reads a quote in the trailer for Netflix’s upcoming World War I drama All Quiet on the Western Front. It’s an excerpt from Erich Maria Remarque’s 1929 anti-war novel of the same name, which serves as the source material for the film.
The story centers around a young German soldier named Paul Bäumer (played by Felix Kammerer) who lies about his age so he can enlist alongside his friends, all of whom share romanticized ideals about the war.
As the trailer depicts, Bäumer is quickly thrown into the trenches with little training or equipment and subjected to the bleak conditions of the Western Front. To make things worse, the German government seems unwilling to accept the reality of its losing cause despite the urging of a ceasefire from Centre Party politician Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Brühl).
“My mother didn’t want me to go to war,” Bäumer admits. “I wanted to show them I could do it.” Later on, however, he’s told by a dying comrade that he has to be brave “for those who didn’t make it.”
Watch the full trailer below.
“All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I,” reads the official logline. “Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches.”
Emmy winner Edward Berger directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Ian Stokell and Lesley Paterson. All Quiet on the Western Front also stars Sebastian Hülk, Albrecht Schuch, and Anton von Lucke.
Remarque’s novel was first adapted into Lewis Milestone’s 1930 Academy Award-winning film starring Lew Ayres, one of the best war movies ever made. Netflix’s film is the first German-made adaptation of the book.
All Quiet on the Western Front premieres on October 28th on Netflix.