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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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,…
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,…
This 2014 drama-mystery is currently available on Netflix. This film stars Tom Schilling, whom we’ve seen in a few posts already. Next to him is Elyas M’Barek, whom we also know quite well by now,…
This 2014 social drama is available on Netflix. It covers the events of 1992 in Rostock, during which xenophobic riots attacked Vietnamese refugees. Using a variety of film art techniques, this film can be analyzed…
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…
This 2003 Sönke Wortmann and Rochus Hahn film is already a staple in many German classrooms. Teachers cite the slow pace and focus on soccer and family as top reasons to show this in class.…
This 2014 documentary centers around stories of DDR escapes. There are many interviews with those who risked their lives to do so, as well as several original clips from the era. Sebastian Dehnhardt and Matthias…
This 2016 historical drama is currently available on Amazon. Kästner is played by Florian David Fitz, who we’ve seen and discussed already. Among the cast is also Katharina Lorenz, who we may recognize from her…
This 1961 drama-thriller, currently available on Amazon, was a West German production centering around farmers leaving East Germany to flee the collectivization that was taking place. Being a post-war older film, the actors may not…
This 2016 Drama-Comedy is already well-known by German teachers across the states. With a central theme of immigration, this film lends itself well to the topics our advanced students are expected to be able to…
This 1988 German film, filmed in Südtirol, Italy, is an adventure film. Perfect setting for an adventure, really! Most of the actors in this film were only in this one, or in very few others.…
This 1984 family adventure film focuses on familial relationships of children and the adventures they have up near the North Sea. Most of the actors either only acted in this film or have only been…
Friedrich Dürrenmatt’s Der Besuch der alten Dame has been filmed a few times throughout film history, dating back to the early years of the star actress’ career, actually. This particular version stars Christiane Hörbiger as…
Narrated by Erich Kästner himself, this version’s screenplay was adapted from his book himself. Lotte and Luise are played by twins Isa and Jutta Günther. This was the first film for both girls, and they…
This 2005 film stars Matthias Schweighöfer as Friedrich Schiller. It is marketed as a biography-drama, which focuses on Schiller’s early life. Alongside Schweighöfer is Teresa Weißbach, whom we may know from Sonnenallee, Winnetous Weiber, and…
Currently available on Amazon, this 2009 film stars Daniel Brühl as a shy waiter who claims to have written a popular manuscript. Alongside Brühl is Hannah Herzsprung, playing Marie. She’s been in a range of…
This 2014 short film (also available on Amazon), marketed as a Drama-Romance, shows us a likely familiar story – the views of the neighborhood and how one variable of this time affects our view. Some…
This 2013 ZDF production is marketed as a historical documentary. It’s also currently available on Amazon Prime – get your Halloween viewing in while it’s available! This film is only 44 minutes long. It’s very…
This 2007 Christmas comedy centers around a “patchwork” family, who all comes together to celebrate Christmas. Alongside Martina Gedeck and Heino Ferch, many other familiar faces show up in this film. Jazmin Tabatabai, whom we…
This 1981 film (Teil I) is the story of a butcher and his navigation of his new – Nazi – surroundings. This post also covers Teil II, Österreich ist frei, which was released in 1996.…
This 1996 Til Schweiger film is about teenage rebels and their dreams for easy money. There’s not much to say about this film, honestly. It was a TV Movie, and most of the actors remained…
The 2014 film is the first in a series of four musical-style films dating through 2017. All are part of the Bibi Blocksberg storylines, but take place when Bibi is a teenager. This post will…
This 2001 film featuring Daniel Brühl, Jessica Schwarz, and Denis Moschitto is a romantic comedy about a young man who tries to win the attention and affection of a former high school classmate. As far…
This post will cover the first film, released in 2006. There is a post for the final film at Die wilden Hühner und das Leben. Unfortunately I haven’t gotten my hands on the middle film,…
This 1997 Til Schweiger film is billed as a criminal comedy, but could just as easily be labeled a drama-comedy. It centers around two terminally ill men and the choices they make before they die.…
This 2007 film with Moritz Bleibtreu centers around a TV manager who is frustrated due to the bad shows he is forced to show. We see some interesting dreams this causes him to have as…
This 2008 Moritz Bleibtreu film is based on the true story of the Red Army Faction (RAF) and its actions during the 1960s and 70s. The styling of this film makes it look like a…
This 2003 film with Daniel Brühl sees the differences between East and West Germany through a different lens than most films. The premise of this one is a fragile mother who falls into a coma…
Released in 2001, this film centers around a Jewish family that must leave 1930s Germany, settling in Kenya. Interestingly, the actress who plays Jettel, Juliane Köhler, also played Eva Braun in Der Untergang. Her husband…
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…
This 2009 film with Til Schweiger is a comedy revolving around men and their issues with women. This film has a sequel, released two years later. This post only reports on the first film. Along…
This musical is very Berlin! It was released in 1988 and does a great job showing the different pros and cons of living in the free side of the city, as well as the judgement…
Gegen die Wand, released in 2004, is a film that deals with cultural expectations, addictions, and other (bad) coping devices. In other words, right away one I wouldn’t recommend for the classroom, though it might…
Matthias Schweighöfer plays a taxi driver in this 2013 film who has some major life issues come up as we come in. Frau Ella is played by Ruth-Maria Kubitschek, who was born before WWII in…
This documentary-comedy was released in 2014 and talks about the family histories of Donald Trump and the Heinz Ketchup dynasty, and the modern-day culture of their home town, Kallstadt. We also follow Kallstadters as they…
A film about adults who had been college roommates coming back together because they can’t afford their own places, and others don’t want them. They end up in a house with mostly young students, and…