Germany (2023) 116 min. DCP Projection.
German/English with English Subtitles
Director Sonja Heiss Screenplay Sonja Heiss, Lars Hubrich, based on Joachim Meyerhoff’s novel of the same name Cinematography Manuel Dacosse Cast Laura Tonke, Devid Striesow, Pola Geiger, Camille Loup Moltzen, Casper von Bülow, Merlin Rose Producers Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski Co-producers Jean-Yves Roubin, Cassandre Warnauts, Peter Schauerte, Magdalena Prosteder Production Company Komplizen Film GmbH, Warner Bros. Entertainment GmbH
For Josse Meyerhoff (Loup Moltzen/von Bülow/Rose), growing up is anything but typical. His family lives on the grounds of Germany’s largest psychiatric hospital, where his father, Richard (Striesow), is the director, and the boundaries between the patients and the family’s private lives are blurred. His mother, Iris (Tonke), ignores the signs of her crumbling marriage by painting Italian vistas and escaping into memories of her youth. The youngest of three boys, Josse is prone to emotional outbursts and sadness but often finds comfort and a sympathetic ear among the clinic’s patients. As Josse grows from his childhood in the 1970s to adolescence, his first love, a taste of freedom abroad, tragic losses in the 1980s, and finally into adulthood and his return to his family in the 1990s, the search for a sense of belonging and a feeling of home travels with him.
Multi-award-winning writer-director Sonja Heiss and co-writer Lars Hubrich’s skillful adaptation of Joachim Meyerhoff’s best-selling autobiographical novel blends tragedy and comedy, coming to life through powerful performances by Tonka, Striesow, Geiger, and Loup Moltzen/von Bülow/Rose, who portray Josse throughout the years.
SELECT AWARDS:
German Film Award 2023 Nominated for Best Feature Film, Best Director Günter Rohrbach Filmpreis 2023 Preis des Oberbürgermeisters, Best Performance – Laura Tonke
