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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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,…
Who am I – kein System ist sicher
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,…
Und morgen die ganze Welt
Another 2020 Netflix film, this social drama is rated TV-MA and covers the political spectrum of Germany. One member of the cast has been in several Netflix shows German film lovers may have seen. Playing…
Wir sind jung. Wir sind stark.
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…
Meine teuflisch gute Freundin
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…
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…
Groupies bleiben nicht zum Frühstück
This 2010 rom-com has a target audience of young teenagers and preteens. The plot brings an exchange student back to Germany from America and meeting a rockstar whom she doesn’t know. Kostja Ullmann plays our…
Groupies bleiben nicht zum Frühstück
This 2010 rom-com has a target audience of young teenagers and preteens. The plot brings an exchange student back to Germany from America and meeting a rockstar whom she doesn’t know. Kostja Ullmann plays our…
Nach Fünf im Urwald
This early Franka Potente film (1995) is a classic rom-com, focused on the issues of teenagers. This was Potente’s first professional film. Alongside Franka Potente is Axel Milberg. We may know him from the Fifth…
Das doppelte Lottchen (1950)
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…
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,…
Schule
This 2000 comedy with Daniel Brühl centers around the last few weeks of school before the Abitur. Besides Brühl, several other well-known faces show their younger versions here. Denis Moschitto, Axel Stein, Niels-Bruno Schmidt (of…
Crazy
This 2000 drama centers around a partially paralyzed* teenager who transfers to a boarding school. We follow him as he learns how to settle in his new surroundings. Robert Stadlober is our main character, Benjamin.…
Die Halbstarken
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…
Bibi und Tina
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…
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…
Die wilden Kerle 4
This is the fourth film of a series of six. The post for the first film can be found Here. Unfortunately I haven’t gotten my hands on the rest of the films yet – keep…
Nichts bereuen
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…
Die wilden Hühner
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,…
Kartoffelsalat
This 2015 Otto Waalkes film is a comedy/horror. It features similar humor as Scary Movie meets Napoleon Dynamite, for reference. Besides Otto, many of the cast have only ever been in this film, or have…
Homies
Known as HipHop Express in the American market, this 2010 film is basically a mixture of Step Up and 8 Mile, but in a PG version. Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht plays the main character, a boy…
Sommer
Another Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht project with his dad playing his dad, this 2008 film follows a military kid who has to move in with his grandmother due to his father’s next post being in Somalia.…
Ostwind 1 und 2
Ostwind, released in 2013, has become a series of films, as of 2019 sitting at four. This post covers the first two. Hanna Binke plays our main character throughout the series. While she hasn’t been…