Der Andere (1930) is a sweaty, nervous trip into early German sound film

Is it worth a watch?

If you like those old movies where the lighting is super moody and the actors look like they’ve had ten cups of coffee, then yes.

Casual viewers will probably find the pacing a bit like walking through mud, but fans of early horror or crime stuff should definitely give it a look. 📽️

It’s a 1930 film, so the sound is a bit of a mess. You can hear the static humming in the background of almost every scene.

Dr. Hallers is this really stiff, judgmental lawyer who spends his days looking down on everyone. Fritz Kortner plays him with this weirdly intense energy that makes you feel uneasy from the start.

Then he falls off a horse. It’s a pretty goofy-looking stunt, honestly.

After the fall, he starts turning into 'the other one' at night. He doesn't grow hair on his hands like a werewolf, but his face just… changes.

He goes to these dirty bars and hangs out with criminals like he’s lived there his whole life. It’s funny because he still looks like a rich guy, just with a messier tie.

There is a scene where he’s looking in a mirror and you can practically see the gears grinding in his head. It goes on for a long time.

The movie is based on the same kind of idea as Jekyll and Hyde, but it feels more grounded in actual mental illness, or at least what they thought it looked like in 1930.

I noticed that the sets feel incredibly small. Like, if the actors moved too fast, they’d knock over a wall. 🏠

The shadows are doing a lot of the heavy lifting here. Sometimes a shadow is more scary than the actual actor's face.

I kept thinking about how different this feels compared to something like Snow White from back in the silent days. The sound really changed how these actors had to move.

Heinrich George shows up and he’s always great to watch, even if he’s just standing there looking bulky. He has this presence that makes the other actors look like they’re made of paper.

There’s a lot of talk about the law and morality that gets a bit boring. I found myself checking my phone during the long speeches in the office.

But then it gets back to the creepy stuff and it sucks you back in. The way Hallers treats his sister when he's in his 'dark' mode is actually pretty uncomfortable to watch.

The ending feels like it happens in about two minutes. One moment everything is falling apart, and the next, it’s just… over. 🎬

It reminds me a bit of the heavy vibes in Redemption, where everyone just seems trapped by their own choices.

The music is barely there, which makes the silences feel heavy and awkward. You can hear people breathing and it’s kind of gross but fits the mood.

If you’re looking for a polished masterpiece, this isn't it. It’s a bit clunky and the transition from silent to sound is very obvious in how the scenes are built.

Still, Kortner’s eyes are something else. He looks like he hasn't slept since 1925.

Check it out if you want to see where psychological thrillers really started to find their voice. Just don't expect it to be fast. 😴

One more thing—the way they handle the 'medical' explanation at the end is hilarious. Science was just different back then, I guess.