Your
guide in English to films showing in Germany.
Opening 10 Apr 2025
Directed by:
Jannis Alexander Kiefer
Writing credits:
Jannis Alexander Kiefer, Theresa Weiniger
Principal actors:
Meike Droste, Johannes Scheidweiler, Monika Lennartz, Alexander Schuster, Roland Bonjour
German writer-director Jannis Alexander Kiefer’s debut feature film is a unique tale that oozes dark satire, compassion, and pathos with dramatic flair. Set in one of former East Germany’s forgotten villages, its residents are lagging behind after reunification. They dawdle along, daily passing the fountain honoring a homegrown bygone classical composer who is Wiesenwalde’s claim-to-fame. But fate has other plans. Chosen for the site of filming a WW II series by an American production company, as crew move in the locals’ imaginations are reawakened and ignited.
Before sunbreak, Mayor Susanne (Meike Droste) shockingly comes face-to-face with her past, which is only the first of her gargantuan problems that day. Her mother Gloria (Susanne Bredehöft) hustles grandson Tobi (Johannes Scheidweiler) for his first day chauffeuring (!) the film crew, and Bert (Roland Bonjour), returning to pay respects, finds the homestead door unassailable. Rosi (Monika Lennartz) settles her husband (Hans Brückner) before leaving home, passing by and returning neighbors’ greetings (Friederike Frerichs, Hubert Burczek). Unsurprisingly, daydreamers like young Wolfs (Alexander Schuster) hear the call of Hollywood, while his mother (Bettina Hoppe) is more practical minded. Surprising is the community’s sudden power failure; the mayor is besieged by phone calls. Jenny (Gisa Flake), proprietress of the guest house accommodating, among others, the star’s stand-in Jojo (Philipp Karner), is anxiety-ridden. A screw-up with an American tank’s delivery prompts Mayor Susanne’s offer to park the flatbed in her garden. Later, unable to pierce the old sugar factory’s security system, guarded by Georg (Gregor Knop) area where the Americans are filming, Susanne and Gloria determine to protect the tank, day and night. Imagine then, when under guard it disappears.
The cast is delightful; if there is any hitch it is with the Tobi character’s ambiguousness. Kiefer’s coscripted with Theresa Weiniger’s screenplay is measured, mixing innuendos and wordplay that balances the weightier probe into wartime consequences and effects, e.g., Rose’s attributing bonfires. Adam Graf’s quirky, inclusive cinematography and Fabian Zeidler’s unconventional score are aptly entwined by Kathrin Unger’s editing; kudos to Annelie Siems’ production design and Carl Seifert’s art direction. Laugh as we may, that park bench graffiti Bert notices is impossible to ignore: „Wer bist du geworden. Und warum hast du nichts dagegen getan?" (“Who did you become and why didn't you do anything about it?”). (Marinell Haegelin)
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