Winterschläfer (1997)

Director:

Tom Tykwer

Writers:

Anne-Françoise Pyszora (novel)
Anne-Françoise Pyszora (screenplay)

Release Date:

30 October 1997 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Ein Liebesthriller.

Plot:

Young blonde translator Rebecca lives with her boyfriend ski instructor Marco in a mountain villa owned by her friend...

Plot Keywords:

Ski Instructor | Short Term Memory Loss | New Year's Eve | Hit And Run | Amnesia

Awards:

8 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Ulrich Matthes	...	Rene
Heino Ferch	...	Marco
Floriane Daniel	...	Rebecca
Marie-Lou Sellem	...	Laura
Josef Bierbichler	...	Theo
Agathe Taffertshofer	...	Theos Frau Edith
Sophia Dirscherl	...	Theos Tochter Marita (as Sofia Dirscherl)
Laura Tonke	...	Nina
Sebastian Schipper	...	Otto
Werner Schnitzer	...	Chefarzt
Saskia Vester	...	Schwester Anna
Robert Meyer	...	Keibl

Also Known As:

Winter Sleepers (USA)
Wintersleepers (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Spain:13 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

X-Filme Creative Pool

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Marco is falling, the parachute on his back is clearly visible.

Movie Connections:

References Gone with the Wind (1939)

Soundtrack:

For Eight Cellos

Slow But Beautiful Looking Coincidences

I went to see "Winter Sleepers (Winterschläfer)" only because it's the same director as "Run Lola Run," though it turned out to be pre-"Lola."

It plays with the same theme of coincidences, though not with "what if's" of Lola or "Sliding Doors" or others in the genre. Rather, the audience knows what connects random people together to understand the misunderstandings and connections.

It's slow at spots (too much stuff that's almost French movie satires of a couple not looking at each other and smoking away) but the directing otherwise is very non-Hollywood intriguing, swooping and looking in at such odd angles, creating tension from a neat VERY unpredictable plot involving basically five or so people in a beautiful Bavaria.

I had no idea the German Alps could be so breathtakingly beautiful -- absolutely terrific stunts that will look puny if you see it on cable or video.

The pop soundtrack is again in English, but the director co-wrote the ambient music that is also used very-non-Hollywood in how it comments and builds up on the tension.

It's a bit long but a nice relief from too many Hollywood movies.(originally written 4/23/2000)