September (2003)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Max Färberböck

Writers:

Max Färberböck (writer)
Sarah Khan (writer)

Release Date:

26 June 2003 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The film explores the impact of September 11th 2001 through several fictional episodes intercut with documentary material. |

Plot Keywords:

September 11 2001

Cast

Catharina Schuchmann	...	Julia
Justus von Dohnanyi	...	Philipp Scholz
Nina Proll	...	Lena
Jörg Schüttauf	...	Helmer
Moritz Rinke	...	Baumberger
Sólveig Arnarsdóttir	...	Susanne
Stefanie Stappenbeck	...	Natascha
Rene David Ifrah	...	Ashraf (as René Ifrah)
Anja Kling	...	Sandra
Vincent Heppner	...	Robert
Aiko Pipo	...	Patrick
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eva Ali	...	Schwangere
Anna Böttcher	...	Hebamme
Frederique Bruel	...	Frau Tonazzo
Niels Brügmann	...	Bowler
Maik Cüppers	...	Fighter in Park
Matthias Dittmer	...	Klient
Ercan Durmaz	...	Erkan
Rosa Enskat	...	Frau Peters
Heike Falkenberg	...	Mutter Elternabend
Leopold Färberböck	...	Gregor Scholz
Lili Färberböck	...	Isabell Scholz
Peter Fitz	...	Isidor Krantz
Eva Freese	...	Lilly
Hans-Joerg Frey	...	Vater Elternabend
Carolin Fürst	...	Schwangere
Anja Gust	...	Schwangere
Susanne Herlet	...	Frau Breuer
Grischa Huber	...	Gudrun
Sofia Khan	...	Indische Tänzerin
Albert Kitzl	...	Herr Moshen
Sylvia Küppers	...	Schwangere
Birgit Leipolz	...	Freundin Erkan
Eva Mannschott	...	Mutter Elternabend
Patrizia Moresco	...	Sigrun
Murali Perumal	...	Naim
Henny Reents	...	Bianca
Mignon Remé	...	Diplomatenfrau
Sabina Riedel	...	Schwangere
Stefan Rosinski	...	Bowler
Bernhard Schütz	...	Vater Elternabend
Barbara Springborn	...	Schwangere
Maja Stadler-Euler	...	Anwältin
Errol Trotman-Harewood	...	John Glenn (as Errol Harewood)
Holger Umbreit	...	Pizza
Kristina Van Eyck	...	Klavierlehrerin
Michael Wittenborn	...	Waller
Haydar Zorlu	...	Benjamin Frank

Runtime:

115 min | France:109 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Distant Dreams Filmproduktion

How far is New York

The dramatic pattern of various loosely connected stories of different people has given us a few remarkable films lately, like the Mexican AMORES PERROS or LICHTER (lights) from Germany. September can be compared to them, although here the stories are related to a common background, which is September 11th 2001. So we see a lot of TV-screens with news and statements, occasionally taken 1:1 on the movie screen.

Germany, September 2001. Among the portrayed people we have a broker who deals on a daily basis with colleagues in the WTC, his wife leading an unfulfilled life in their luxury home. He wants divorce. – A policeman of the anti-terrorist force wants to sell his 1967 Corvette, materialized American dream to him. He sort of takes personal the terrorist assault. – A mixed couple, he Pakistani, she German, both working in a Pizzeria. When the crash happens, the woman cannot stand her husband not expressing his feelings – she doubts, if he as a Muslim feels for the victims.

Humour is scarce but intelligently employed in the movie. The funny part belongs to a journalist fighting to write his article on the terrible events. When his girlfriend bursts in, she gives him an intellectual statement, which makes him change his mind and his article. You'll have to wait a bit for the point.

All these couples have their own relationship-conflicts. The film is on the impact of media suffering, placing it against the personal problems of the characters. The heaviest statement comes from the broker, who tells his wife: "You have no right in their suffering, it's their own." Do we maintain too much distance to unknown people's hardships, or too little? How do we deal with media realities?

These are justified and topical questions, and September accomplishes some reflection about them. The script works well, although it is far from the brilliance of LICHTER. Acting is immaculate. What I didn't like is the stylish camera, with close-ups that expose the protagonists and resemble certain TV-techniques. More distance would have been better. Anyway it is worth watching, I give it a 7.