FILM
Kohlhaas or the Proportionality of Means
Writer-Director: Aron Lehmann, Germany, 2012, 90 min., German with English subtitles, digital.
Cast: Robert Gwisdek, Jan Messutat, Rosalie Thomass, Thorsten Merten, Michael Fuith, Luise Lähnemann, Christian Lex, Heiko Pinkowski
When young filmmaker Lehmann (Gwisdek) suddenly loses funding for his current project (based on the historical drama Michael Kohlhaas by Heinrich von Kleist) he is faced with a serious dilemma: should he halt production, or use what little means he has at his disposal to realize his cinematic vision?
Instead of producing the lavish historical epic he had planned, Lehmann is forced to work with what (and whom) he can to continue filming.
Impressive sets are replaced by the local “castle ruins” and lay actors from the nearby village complete the film’s cast. Though his actors are armed with imaginary swords and clad in home-made costumes, Lehmann believes the verisimilitude of their performances and the imagination of the audience should be enough to hold the production together. Just as Kleist’s titular character, Lehmann is a man who fights for his beliefs; Sincerity and Justice. Prepared to go to great lengths to ensure that his film is completed, Lehmann must trust that his cast and crew are as dedicated to the production as he is.
Awards:
Deutscher Schauspielerpreis 2014
Best Ensemble in a Film
German Film Rating Commission 2013
“Especially Worthy”
Festival of German Film 2013
Filmkunstpreis
Filmkunstfest M-V 2013
Förderpreis der DEFA-Stiftung
Achtung Berlin 2013
New berlin film award, Best Director
Max Ophüls Preis 2013
Audience Award, Feature Film
$1 validated parking (for events only) on weekdays after 6:00 pm and all day on weekends in the Wilshire Courtyard West underground garage-P1.
Details
Goethe-Institut Los Angeles
1901 W. 7th Str.
Suite A/B
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Language: German with English Subtitles
Price: Free with RSVP via Eventbrite
+1.323.525.3388
info@losangeles.goethe.org
Part of series GERMAN MUMBLECORE