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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
Schwarze Insel
This 2021 Netflix film is marketed as a teen movie, but is rated TV-MA. Perhaps the only thing leaning in a “teen movie” description is the fact that it centers itself around a school. Sadly,…
Berlin Calling
Currently available on Netflix, this 2008 film is a drama-comedy with a focus on music. Quite a few of the actors in this film are very likely new to us. In fact, the star is…
Alles ist gut
This 2018 Netflix film handles itself with a sensitive subject, namely rape, and the consequences of keeping it secret. This film has several scenes that may be triggering to some viewers. There are some great…
Berlin, Berlin – der Film
This 2020 Netflix film is a film from an earlier TV series, using the same actors as the series. Felicitas Woll has been in a range of roles, many centering in the rom-com realm. Wir…
Wir können nicht anders
This 2020 Netflix film, otherwise known as Christmas Crossfire, stars Kostja Ullmann. Merlin Rose also joins the cast. He may look familiar from Hot Dog, an episode of Dark, or the TV series Das Boot.…
Isa & Ossi
Rated TV-MA, this Netflix film from 2020 is a rom-com. It’s pretty much a typical rich girl, poor boy story, really. Isi is played by Lisa Vicari, who we may recognize from Dark. Ossi is…
Driven Crazy
This 2020 film, currently available on Amazon Prime, is rated 16+ there. It would easily be rated R, were it to be rated in America. Robin Czerny is a face we may recognize from Kokowääh…
Die fruchtbaren Jahren sind vorbei
This 2019 comedy is in Swiss German and revolves around conception and birthing as a woman in her 30s. German teachers don’t often have a ready supply of Swiss films to view, which may be…
Das Superweib
This 1996 comedy, directed by Sönke Wortmann, stars Veronika Ferres and Joachim Król. Richy Müller plays Papai. He can also be found in the Vampirschwestern series, Anleitung zum Unglücksein, Die Schatzinsel, Zwischen Nacht und Tag,…
Jack the Ripper
This 2016 thriller (available on Amazon Prime in its original German!) centers around the story of the Whitechapel murders. Sonja Gerhardt, whom we know from Sommer and die wilden Hühner, plays our main character, Anna…
Die Freunde der Freunde
This 2002 film featuring Matthias Schweighöfer, Florian Stetter, and Jessica Schwarz, explores relationships of all types. There is some interesting styling in the video for this film, which may make for an interesting discussion in…
Jerry Cotton
This 2010 comedy is a parody of crime movies such as Bond films, centered in the FBI. Think Johnny English. The most famous faces we see may be Christian Tramitz, Christiane Paul, Moritz Bleibtreu, Heino…
Der Krieger und die Kaiserin
This film, released in 2000, is full of A-list actors, and of course the famous Tom Tykwer as director. It is billed as a drama-romance. Taking place in a mental institution, the setting lends itself…
Lore
This 2012 WWII film focuses on the survival of children and the struggles they must go through to make it happen. The truths of the war are slowly becoming clear to them as they travel.…
Das Mädchen Rosemarie
This 1996 TV movie is marketed as a historical drama. It focuses on the clash of classes, set in the 1950s. For a TV movie, this film does have some big-name actors. Then again, it…
Das Leben der Anderen
This 2006 film is based on the lives the Stasi watch – and of course, the lives of the Stasi members themselves. East German actor Ulrich Mühe plays our Stasi main character. Mühe died the…
Die Apothekerin
This 1997 film with German-film-fan favorites Katja Riemann and Jürgen Vogel follows a 30 year old woman looking for love, but has – shall we say “interesting” – tastes for a successful woman. This film…
Irre sind männlich
This 2014 film features Fahri Yardim (whom we know from Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland) as Daniel – a young man with relationship troubles, a mother who is a famous therapist, and a best friend…