Führer und Verführer
Currently available on Amazon Prime, this 2024 historical drama begins with a warning and disclaimer as the view is from the Nazi perspective after thorough research. These comments are in English on the Amazon version.…
Hagazussa
This 2017 folk horror takes place in the 15th century Alps and has the dialect to go with it. Most of the cast are not typically film or TV actors, with few having credits outside…
Aimée & Jaguar
This war drama/romance takes place in Berlin, late in World War II and is based on a true story. The two main characters are Lilly Wust (AKA Aimée) and Felice Schragenheim (Jaguar). Lilly is a…
Nur aus Liebe
This 1996 action-romance features Katja Riemann as a German cab driver who gets in above her head with some of her fares. Another familiar face is Hannes Jaenicke, who in this case is playing a…
Die dritte Generation
This 1979 crime drama, directed by the controversial Rainer Werner Fassbinder, focuses on capitalist gain during times of political uncertainty. As a contemporary of Werner Herzog, Fassbinder was also known to have deep concepts as…
Rossini
This 1997 satire, in case it weren’t obvious enough by the title image, is not recommended for educational purposes. That being said, it is a star-studded cast for the time and may be worth discussing…
Emmas Glück
This 2006 drama romance features well-known German actor Jürgen Vogel. He really hasn’t slowed down since the mid-1980s! The female lead is played by Jördis Triebel. You may recognize her from Babylon Berlin or Dark,…
Gespensterjäger
Cornelia Funke doesn’t usually allow her books to have film versions using German studios, as she prefers the Hollywood style, so this 2015 family-friendly adventure comedy is a special treat for us German-speaking fans! Comedy…
Herr Lehmann
This 2003 drama-comedy takes place in Berlin and follows a bartender, Frank Lehmann, who is most frequently called Herr Lehmann. There are some interesting clips that could be used in an educational setting, particularly earlier…
Die geliebten Schwestern
This 2014 historical drama-romance is another telling of Friedrich Schiller’s story. (We previously saw Schweighöfer’s Schiller, which was released in 2005.) This telling features Florian Stetter as Schiller and Henrietta Confurius and Hannah Herzsprung as…
Viktor Vogel Commercial Man
This film is a 2001 romantic comedy. We follow a young man’s adventure into early career and other aspects of young adult life. Viktor is played by Alexander Scheer (of Sonnenallee fame). Götz George, who…
Finsterworld
This 2013 drama focuses on the dark side of otherwise regular people. Many actors have had smaller roles over the years – or may be most famous in Poland – but the highlight of this…
Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen
This 1970 Werner Herzog film is a dark comedy centering itself on a correctional facility exclusively inhabited by little people. It was filmed on the Canary Islands, Spain, but is (other than some names) entirely…
Der geilste Tag
This 2016 drama-comedy features favourite actors Matthias Schweighöfer, Florian David Fitz, and Alexandra Maria Lara. This is a medical drama where we meet terminally ill patients who, through their differences, decide to have the best…
Kaspar Hauser
This 1993 film adaptation of the famous historical drama/mystery stays well to the original story. Perhaps the most recognisable faces are Uwe Ochsenknecht and Katharina Thalbach. We also see Udo Samel (Mein bester Feind, Die…
Die Geschichte von Brandner Kaspar
This 2008 drama-comedy stars well-known Michael “Bully” Herbig as Boandlkramer (Death). We follow a 70 year old as he begins seeing Death and how he handles interactions with him. Other familiar faces are Lisa Maria…
Hot Dog
This 2018 “buddy cop” action comedy should not be mistaken as appropriate for the classroom. That being said, we all seem to be fans of Til Schweiger and/or Matthias Schweighöfer, so this is a great…
Kleine Haie
This 1992 romantic comedy features a young Jürgen Vogel (in fact, this film is credited as his turning point as prominent actor, though he had begun his career nearly 20 years earlier as a small…
DoppelPack
This 2000 comedy follows two men after a night of drinking. There is not much of a plot, nor does it claim to really have one. Our stars are Eckhardt Preuß and Markus Knüfken. They…
Club der roten Bänder – wie alles begann
This 2019 drama is a prequel to a TV series following a group of children who are sick in the hospital. Perhaps the most recognizable faces in this film are Tim Oliver Schultz, whom we’ve…
Enkel für Anfänger
This 2020 comedy centers itself around intergenerational relationships and the needs of retired individuals compared to those of younger generations. There is a sequel (Enkel für Fortgeschrittene), but this post focuses solely on the first.…
Stadtgespräch
Don’t be silly – this 1995 film is not for the classroom. That being said, it deserves a post for those who are looking for films for their own enjoyment. Some of the favourite actors…
Trautmann
Rated 12 and up in Germany, this 2018 war drama is a UK/Germany production and as such the language does not always match the lips when played in German. (They opted to dub the English…
Die Drei !!!
This 2019 family-appropriate adventure film was popular enough to get a TV series, which started in 2023. Jürgen Vogel is a familiar face here (assuming you can recognize him with hair!). You may also recognize…
Das perfekte Geheimnis
This 2019 film features a star-studded cast, including Elyas M’Barek, Wotan Wilke Möhring, Jessica Schwarz, Karoline Herfurth, Frederick Lau, Florian David Fitz, Katja Riemann, and so many others. There is an explicit conversation between M’Barek’s…
Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer
This post is specially covering the four-episode Augsburger Puppenkiste collection from 1977 and not the film remake of 2018. This film is recommended for ages 3+ and does lean young. That being said, the language…
23 – Nichts ist so wie es scheint
This 1998 film won the Deutscher Filmpreis 1999 and is based on a true story. It was August Diehl’s first film role and he plays our main character. Alongside him is Fabian Busch, whom we…
Ostfriesen auf der Bank
This 2020 comedy film got its start as short YouTube clips. The short, someone disconnected scenes show this history, but it also makes it perfect to show as clips for the classroom. There is both…
Das Jahr der ersten Küsse
This 2002 film is marketed as a drama comedy. There are pieces in the rom-com category, but in true German film nature, the drama pulls it back to reality. We know Max Mauff from Die…
Jim Knopf und die wilde 13
This post is specifically covering the 2020 remake of this film, and none of the the other versions or films in the series – hopefully I’ll have access to others at some point! Our two…
Unheimlich Perfekte Freunde
This 2019 family-family comedy features a magic mirror and a 4th grade student who decides to use it. In true children’s film fashion, most of the actors are lesser-known. You may recognize Margarita Broich from…
Absolute Giganten
This 1999 film is a drama-comedy, focused on a group of young men who are trying to enjoy one more day together before one leaves – a typical coming of age moment. Our main actors…
Jürgen – Heute wird gelebt
This 2017 comedy has a hint of rom-com, though it is wrapped in awkward social incompetence, thereby providing the film with the simple “comedy” label. Our title character is played by Heinz Strunk, an actor…
Vorsicht vor Leuten
This 2015 comedy is an interesting warning in society and could be an interesting conversational piece. Charly Hübner is our main actor. We have seen him before in Das Leben der Anderen, the Bibi und…
Leberkäs Junkie
A Eberhoferkrimi, this 2019 film is a continuation of stories that began in 2013 with Dampfnudelblues and continues through 2022 with Guglhupfgeschwader so far. (It appears as if they may have spun off from a…
Tschick
Known in the US as Goodbye Berlin, this 2016 film is available to stream in the US with ads on Tubi and is rated TV-MA. In plays from here with English subtitles, which are at…
Russendisko
This Matthias Schweighöfer film follows three young men as they move their lives from Moscow to Berlin. Filmed in 2012, it takes place just after the Berlin Wall fell. You can read more about Matthias…
Der Vorname
This 2018 film has a star-studded cast. From Christoph Maria Herbst to Florian David Fitz, you’ll find several familiar faces here. This is a comedy, brought to us by director Sönke Wortmann (Wunder von Bern,…
25 km/h
This 2018 film is a drama comedy with adventure in mind. We are taken through Germany by Moped as the story goes on. While most of the cast may not be recognized by all, this…
Joy
This 2018 Austrian film is available on Netflix. It is a drama, rated at TV-MA. This film is mostly in English and German – all languages beyond German are subtitled I’m to German. It shows…
Das schaurige Haus
This 2020 Austrian Netflix film is marketed as a horror/mystery/thriller. There are moments of consequential learning that may be of interest to you and your students. For example, the older son complains that his phone…
Sarajevo
This 2014 historical drama centers around the events that led to WWI. It is an Austrian film and I have to be honest – I was in one of the cities where and when they…
Wolkenbruchs wunderliche Reise in die Arme einer Schickse
This 2018 drama-comedy is a Netflix film centers around orthodox Jewish tradition and a young man’s decision to turn away from his family’s orthodox religious lifestyle. Joel Basman is our main character. Born in Switzerland,…
Was wir wollten
This Austrian Netflix film was released in 2020. The central theme is infertility, along with the stress that is placed on the marriage. It is rated TV-MA for nudity. Our female lead is Lavinia Wilson.…
Das System Milch
This 2017 documentary is currently available on Netflix. It is rated TV-14. This film holds a critical look at the milk production economy around the world. There are a few different languages included in this,…
Pettersson und Findus 2 – Das schönste Weihnachten überhaupt
This 2016 sequel is currently available on Netflix. It is a family film and is rated TV-G. (Please note: it does not appear that Netflix currently has the other Pettersson und Findus films. This post…
Rock my Heart
This 2017 Netflix film is marketed as a teen movie and is rated TV-PG. Our star is Lena Klenke. We may recognize her from Victoria, Fack ju Göhte (the series), and Das schweigende Klassenzimmer. Next…
Systemsprenger
This 2020 Netflix film is marketed as a drama. It focuses on a major medical concern for a child, which causes her act out violently. Most cast members are likely new faces to us. That…
Into the Beat – dein Herz tanzt
This 2020 Netflix film is marketed as a drama-romance. You may find many similarities between this film and Step it up or Save the Last Dance. This is a good film for those enjoy such…
Herbert
This 2015 drama is currently available on Netflix. Our star is Peter Kurth, whom we may recognize from Goodbye Lenin, Babylon Berlin, and Ein Freund von mir. He plays a former East German boxer, now…