The Unfish (1997)
"Der Unfisch" (original title)

Sophie "inherits" her uncle's preserved whale and finds out that whoever sleeps in the whale's belly with her will be granted one wish. That causes chaos and hatred in the village.

Director:

Robert Dornhelm

Writer:

Michael Köhlmeier

Stars:

Maria Schrader, Eva Herzig, Andreas Lust

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maria Schrader	...	Sophie Moor
Eva Herzig	...	Maria Johler
Andreas Lust	...	Carl
Georges Kern	...	Herr Landauer
August Schmölzer	...	Bürgermeister
Karl Merkatz	...	Herr Johler
Bibiane Zeller	...	Frau Johler
Rudolf Wessely	...	Pfarrer
Manuel Löffler	...	Wenzel
Erwin Leder	...	Gendarm Hermann
Hannes Fretzer	...	Gendarm Anton (as Johannes Fretzer)
Rainer Egger	...	Sekretär
Heinrich Schweiger	...	Herr Fink
Gabriela Schmoll	...	Frau Fink
Johannes Zeiler	...	Basil

Storyline

A huge stuffed whale, part of a traveling show, arrives on a truck in a little Austrian village. Calamitously, its owner, Ricardo, dies. The orphaned object, temporarily parked in town, provokes a chain of events by turns homely, fantastical, sensual, and comic.

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Plot Keywords:

rural setting | supernatural power | adultery

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

Austria

Language:

German

Release Date:

26 February 1998 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Unfish

Company Credits

Production Co:

Terra Film Produktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Funny with the beautiful Maria Schrader

A highly entertaining, yet intelligent, film about the demarcations between need, desire, greed and envy. Magic and miracles happen when the lady who inherits the big whale sleeps with someone in that fully furnished and lighted, dead animal, the guy gets a wish of his fulfilled. One by one, everyone falls for Maria Shrader's charms and their own greed, as the whale becomes a brothel.