Night Shapes (1999)
"Nachtgestalten" (original title)

The Pope is in town and the night of his visit is anything but heavenly for some of Berlin's inhabitants. The down-and-out, the rich and the poor, the polizei, the street kids and taxi ... See full summary »

Director:

Andreas Dresen

Writer:

Andreas Dresen

Stars:

Myriam Abbas, Dominique Horwitz, Oliver Breite

6 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Myriam Abbas	...	Hanna
Dominique Horwitz	...	Victor
Oliver Breite	...	Jochen (as Oliver Bäßler)
Susanne Bormann	...	Patty
Michael Gwisdek	...	Peschke
Ricardo Valentim	...	Feliz
Ade Sapara	...	Ricardo
Imogen Kogge	...	Rita
Horst Krause	...	Taxifahrer / Cab Driver
Axel Prahl	...	Polizist / Police Officer
Carmen-Maja Antoni	...	Frau im Hospitz / Woman in Hospice
Ursula Karusseit	...	Frau Gerhardt
Dagmar Sitte	...	Kellnerin / Waitress
Christel Peters	...	Alte Dame / Old Lady
Josefine Leuschner	...	Rote

Storyline

The Pope is in town and the night of his visit is anything but heavenly for some of Berlin's inhabitants. The down-and-out, the rich and the poor, the polizei, the street kids and taxi drivers, in search of a little bit of happiness, all end up going for a harrowing odyssey through the labyrinth of the big city.

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Plot Keywords:

pope | drugs | episodic | homelessness | destiny | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

12 August 1999 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Night Shapes

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), Ostdeutscher Rundfunk Brandenburg (ORB)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

A finely executed kaleidoscope of big city life and how it determines people's actions.

Writer/director Andreas Dresen has produced a nice little film with Nachtgestalten. It works on a level where Michael Haneke's Code inconnue failed miserably. The people, thrown together in a cold city where it is unwise to lift a finger to help a stranger in distress, are real and believable. Their actions are determined by the logic of their personalities and social position; watching Code inconnue you get the nauseating feeling that it is Haneke's pretentious opinion that is being forced down your throat; again and again. Dresen's stories allow for biting humor as well as moments of painful desperation; especially in my favourite story : that of the homeless couple in search of a hotelroom. Andreas Dresen is one of those new wave of young German directors who are pulling their country out of the oblivion where I for one thought they would be for a long time yet. Together with Tom Tykwer and Roland Suso Richter - to name but a few- Andreas Dresen is a director to watch. His script is fluent and well balanced; the direction never showy but to the point. It's a shame that good European films like Nachtgestalten don't get a general release in most countries while appalling creations like Code Inconnue do.