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Im Juli

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Released in 2000, Im Juli is a romantic comedy. Moritz Bleibtreu plays a student teacher named Daniel.  Single and without much luck in love in the past, he meets a couple women who surprise him… Im Juli

Bibi Blocksberg

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This 2002 movie is a family-friendly film about growing up a witch.  Bibi’s mother is a witch, but her father isn’t. One might be reminded of Bewitched, mixed with a little Sabrina the Teenage Witch.… Bibi Blocksberg

Liebe Mauer

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Released in 2009, this movie is set in 1989 along the East/West Berlin border. We meet Franzi as she moves into an apartment right next to a crossing.  She lives in the West and crosses… Liebe Mauer

Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

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This Werner Herzog film from 1972 is categorized as adventure-drama and features Klaus Kinski as Don Lope de Aguirre. Kinski was a key player in German film, especially back in the 1970s. He played Nosferatu… Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

Kebab Connection

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This movie, released in 2004, is a comedy based in Berlin, largely focused on the German and Turkish-German cultures as they merge.  Our main character, Ibo, is a Turkish German who is obsessed with Kung… Kebab Connection

Alles auf Zucker

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This movie, released in 2004, follows a journalist of Jewish descent, who is uncomfortable with the changes in Berlin since 1989.  We meet the family as they go through the loss of his mother, and… Alles auf Zucker

Zettl

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This 2012 film is a comedy in the form of satire, created by the same man who gave us Bullyparade, Traumschiff Surprise, Lissi und der wilde Kaiser, and Schuh des Manitu.  We follow Max Zettl,… Zettl

Jakob der Lügner

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This 1975 film takes place in 1944 Poland in a Ghetto. It was remade in Hollywood with Robin Williams in 1999. It’s meant to be a comedy, but even the Robin Williams version is classified… Jakob der Lügner

Bella Martha

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Known as Mostly Martha in the States, this 2001 movie was redone only a few years later in Hollywood as No Reservations, which starred George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones. We meet Martha, an uptight chef… Bella Martha

Der Fall Gleiwitz

This 1961 film is in black and white and shows Germany at the beginning of WWII, as Germany was justifying the invasion of Poland. This film is from East Germany. Given the release year, this… Der Fall Gleiwitz

Friendship!

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This 2010 film takes place shortly after reunification, with a short introduction in the DDR past.  We follow two young men from East Germany who decide to fly to America with their new-found freedom.  They… Friendship!

Winterschläfer

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Released in 1997, this film is rightly classified as a romantic drama.  The story focuses on a ski instructor and a translator, a car accident, and death.  This film is directed by Tom Tykwer, the… Winterschläfer

Die Kirche bleibt im Dorf

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This 2012 film is noted as a Schwäbisch comedy, and with that comes the dialect and the stereotypes.  We get to hear a conversation between a Schwäbisch speaker and a Hochdeutsch speaker, and those who… Die Kirche bleibt im Dorf

Der blinde Fleck

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This 2013 film is a true story of a journalist who investigated the terror attack at Oktoberfest, September 1980.  With that, the knowledge that we are viewing a murder investigation.  Most of the deaths were… Der blinde Fleck

FC Venus

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This 2006 film is a German version of a 2005 Finnish film by the same name.  It’s a sport-comedy where the soccer-players’ wives end up forming a soccer team and challenging the men’s club. Nora… FC Venus

Agnes und seine Brüder

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This film, released in 2004, is a drama-comedy filled with big names: Katja Riemann, Moritz Bleibtreu, Til Schweiger, and Herbert Knaup all take part.  We begin by following Moritz Bleibtreu’s character, Hans-Jörg Tschirner, into his… Agnes und seine Brüder

Nicht mein Tag

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This 2014 film with Moritz Bleibtreu and Axel Stein follows a bank employee through his everyday problems and a hostage situation, which leads to a bit of Stockholm syndrome. Perhaps one of the most amusing… Nicht mein Tag

Marmor, Stein, und Eisen

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This 2000 film has a backdrop of the Drafi Deutscher hit Marmor, Stein, und Eisen bricht, but it is put in a context of stalkerish feelings that have escalated to kidnapping. Stephan Kampwirth, who plays… Marmor, Stein, und Eisen

Der Nanny

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Starring Matthias Schweighöfer (who also served as co-director), this 2015 film is a comedy featuring humour reminiscent of the original Home Alone movie. Matthias Schweighöfer is a favourite actor of many of my current students.… Der Nanny

Soul Kitchen

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Released in 2009, Soul Kitchen is a drama-comedy featuring Moritz Bleibtreu.  It is also one of the movies Monica Bleibtreu (his mother) was in that was released after her death. Soul Kitchen has many ties… Soul Kitchen

Die Brücke

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This film was originally released in 1959 and was nominated for Golden Globes and Oscars in 1960. The year: 1945.  The final days of the war, and only the youth are left to fight.  The… Die Brücke

Blueprint

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This 2003 film featuring Franka Potente as two main characters, Iris and Siri, centers around the ethical questions of human cloning. With that, it is an intriguing option for an AP level or AP prep… Blueprint

Die Welle

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This 2008 film is a thriller based in the classroom.  A teacher, who himself is an anarchist, decides to create a social experiment, mimicking what it is like under a dictatorship.  It’s like a high… Die Welle

Der letzte Akt

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This 1955 film, known in English as The Last Ten Days, begins with a note saying it is about a part of history that must not be allowed to happen again. I recognized the actor… Der letzte Akt

Ludwig II.

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This 2012 film is a story told often and in many forms.  In fact, there appear to be no less than seven versions of this film, dating back to 1922 and new versions continue to… Ludwig II.

Solino

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This 2002 film is about an Italian family who moves to Germany while the two boys are still young.  We quickly get a flashback to the 60s in the town of Solino, Italy and learn… Solino

Der Tunnel

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Released in 2001, this film focuses on the danger of using the tunnel to escape East Berlin after the wall is built.  We begin by meeting an athlete who knows the wall is about to… Der Tunnel

Der Experte

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This 1988 film is about a mechanic who is set up as an individual annoyed by politics, who loses his memory at the same time a political expert with the same first name loses his.… Der Experte