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… Der geilste Tag
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… Kleine Haie
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… Club der roten Bänder – wie alles begann
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… Unheimlich Perfekte Freunde
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… Vorsicht vor Leuten
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… Systemsprenger
This 2020 Netflix film is marketed as a drama-mystery-fantasy. Cornelia Gröschel plays our lead. She may look familiar from Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer. Next to her is Tim Oliver Schultz, whom we know from… Freaks – du bist eine von uns
This 2019 Netflix film is marketed as a crime-thriller and is rated TV-MA. The first person we see is Max von der Groeben, whom we may recognize from the Bibi und Tina series and the… Kidnapping Stella
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… Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark.
Marketed on Netflix as a teen film, this 2018 film is a story of the devil and his daughter Lilith. The friend (/target) is played by Janina Fautz. Early in her career in film she… Meine teuflisch gute Freundin
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… Berlin, Berlin – der Film
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.… Wir können nicht anders
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… Willkommen bei den Hartmanns
This simple audio-film uses the images from Wilhelm Busch’s Max und Moritz to tell the story. For those less familiar with the book, some of the Streiche (tricks, or in this case the chapters) may… Max und Moritz
This audio-film uses images from Wilhelm Busch’s Struwwelpeter exclusively. It goes through each short story with a musical clip and a collage of images from the book. At times the music is distracting, as it… Struwwelpeter
This 1929 Fritz Lang film, written by his then-wife Thea von Harbou, was banned by the Nazis in 1937 due to a prop – the film shows in detail the first working rocket, and the… Frau im Mond
This 1993 documentary covers the life of Leni Riefenstahl, detailing not only her involvement in the propaganda of WWII, but also attempts to understand her as an artist without the bias of history. It is… Die Macht der Bilder: Leni Riefenstahl
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… Meine schöne Bescherung
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.… Der Bockerer
This 2010 film starring Benno Fürmann, Katja Riemann, and Thomas Kretschmann is a drama set in modern day, centered around politics. Marie Bäumer is a name we should know by now. One of the main… Die Grenze
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… Die Halbstarken
Although this 1979 film is originally in German, English, and French, carries an original German title, was produced in West Germany, and stars several German speaking actors, it is obvious with the dubbing quality that… Steiner – Das eiserne Kreuz, 2. Teil
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… Die Freunde der Freunde
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… Nichts bereuen
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,… Die wilden Hühner
This 1961 U.S. film covers the trials of the war crimes of WWII. This film is originally in English. The German dubbing is – shall we say tolerable, especially given the release year. Featuring Spencer… Judgement at Nuremberg
This 2008 romantic comedy follows the trip home for two very different men. It’s a great lesson in attitude! This post covers both Teil 1 and Teil 2. I wouldn’t recommend one without the other,… Zwei Weihnachtsmänner
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… Free Rainer
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… Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
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… Nirgendwo in Afrika
This 2004 war film, somewhat based on a wartime diary, follows a priest into Dachau and for nine days of freedom in his home country of Luxembourg. Our priest is played by Ulrich Matthes, who… Der neunte Tag
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… Das Leben der Anderen
This 1920 film is not rated in the U.S. strictly because movie ratings didn’t exist until long after its release date. It was a suspenseful horror in its day and does involve murder, so one… Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari