Salmonberries (1991)

A woman who grew up in a small town in Alaska goes to the public library to try and find out who her parents were. She was brought to town as a baby in a cardboard box with "Kotzebue" on it... See full summary »

Director:

Percy Adlon

Writers:

Percy Adlon, Felix O. Adlon (screenplay)

Stars:

Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley, Rosel Zech, k.d. lang

3 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Angayuqaq Oscar Kawagley	...	Butch (as Oscar Kawagley)
Rosel Zech	...	Roswitha
k.d. lang	...	Kotzebue
Eugene Omiak	...	Ovy
Wayne Waterman	...	Ronnie
Jane Lind	...	Noayak
Chuck Connors	...	Bingo Chuck
Alvira H. Downey	...	Izzy
Wolfgang Steinberg	...	Albert
Christel Merian	...	Albert's Wife
George Barril	...	Bingo Attendant
Gary Albers	...	Tight Rope Walker

Storyline

A woman who grew up in a small town in Alaska goes to the public library to try and find out who her parents were. She was brought to town as a baby in a cardboard box with "Kotzebue" on it, which is the name of the town and also the name of the family that founded the town. She eventually befriends the librarian, an East German immigrant who lost her husband while escaping from behind the Iron Curtain. They help each other try to find closure to the events in their past.

---

Plot Keywords:

alaska | librarian | nudity | one word title | bingo | 

---

Taglines:

Du bist für mich das Wichtigste auf der Welt.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 October 1991 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Percy Adlon's Salmonberries

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Gross:

$96,717 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pelemele Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

k.d. lang admitted in later interviews that the experience of filming in Alaska informed the inspiration of her album "Ingenue", generally considered to be her finest work.

---

Crazy Credits

Shortly before the end of the credits there is the following paragraph: 'No animals were killed exclusively for the production of this film. Furs were worn simply to depict the lifestyle of the native Inupiat culture.'

---

Connections

Referenced in Signs (2002)

---

Soundtracks

"Theme from 'Spring Sonata'"
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Played by Stanley Plummer, Violin and Chet Swiatkowsky (as Chet Swiatkowski), Piano

User Reviews

This grew for me on 2nd viewing

A sort of mix of 'Bagdad Café' and 'Three Women' set in Alaska. k.d. lang plays an androgynous miner who falls in love with a straight, private, local German librarian. They both have muddy, tragic pasts that slowly emerge.

There are some deeply moving moments, and some wonderful slightly magical realist touches. The cinematography is very good. But while lang does a decent job, I can't help thinking a stronger, more experienced actress could have brought out even more in this amazing role.

That said, I did enjoy this much more on a second viewing. While it bothered me that it felt at times like Adlon was trying to re-create the magic of 'Bagdad Café' (odd, surreal setting, quirky out of place characters, cinematography that uses color in exaggerated ways for effect, etc.) overall I found myself more able to just let go and accept this tale on its own merits. And doing that, it made me smile.