Hurensohn (2004)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Michael Sturminger

Writers:

Michael Glawogger (contributing writer)
Gabriel Loidolt (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

20 February 2004 (Austria)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In spite of everything, she's still your mom.

Plot:

Ozren is raised in Vienna by his mother Silvija, who works as a prostitute, and his aunt and uncle....

Plot Keywords:

Vienna | Prostitute | Migrant Worker | Adolescence | Dead Mother

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Stanislav Lisnic	...	Ozren
Chulpan Khamatova	...	Silvija
Miki Manojlovic	...	Uncle Ante
Ina Gogalova	...	Aunt Ljiljana
Georg Friedrich	...	Pepi
Maria Hofstätter	...	Tamara
Gabriel Usein	...	Ozren - Age 3
Emanuel Usein	...	Ozren - Age 8
Stefan Sidlo	...	Joschi
Tamara Metelka	...	School Teacher
Robert Ritter	...	Ozren's Father
Susan Sozubek	...	Snezana
Natalya Baranova	...	Cherie (as Natalia Baranova)
Pola Claricini	...	Madame
Helmut Hafner	...	Garbage Truck Driver
Klaus Ortner	...	Taxi Driver
Dessislava Urumova	...	Carmen
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bernadette Abendstein
Gerti Drassl	...	Shop assistant

Directed by
Michael Sturminger

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michael Glawogger		contributing writer
Gabriel Loidolt		novel
Michael Sturminger		writer

Produced by
Josef Aichholzer	....	producer
Eddy Géradon-Luyckx	....	co-producer
Monika Maruschko	....	line producer
Donato Rotunno	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Adrian Vonwiller

Cinematography by
Jürgen Jürges

Film Editing by
Hannes Anderwald
Karina Ressler

Casting by
Markus Schleinzer

Production Design by
Andreas Donhauser
Renate Martin

Art Direction by
Alexandra Maringer

Costume Design by
Tanja Hausner

Makeup Department
Aurélie Elich	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Felix Sorger	....	production manager: Luxemburg

Art Department
Barbara Gamper	....	assistant construction coordinator
Thomas Gamper	....	construction coordinator
Hannes Salat	....	props

Sound Department
Bernhard Bamberger	....	supervising sound editor
Andreas Kopriva	....	foley editor
Andreas Kopriva	....	sound editor
Alexandra Löwy	....	adr editor (as Alexandra Gruber)
Alexandra Löwy	....	dialog editor
Bernhard Maisch	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andreas Schneider	....	foley artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Petro Domenigg	....	still photographer

Transportation Department
Attila Beke	....	driver
Igor Pecirep	....	unit driver
Hrouchoff Svet	....	driver

Other crew
Eva Cifrain	....	production coordinator
Alexandra Maringer	....	location scout
Alice Stengl	....	continuity
Alice Stengl	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Josef Aichholzer Filmproduktion
• Tarantula

Distributors

• Filmladen (2003) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Picture This! Entertainment (2006) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Picture This! Entertainment (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)

Also Known As:

The Whore's Son (International: English title)

Runtime:

Germany:86 min

Country:

Austria | Luxembourg

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Filming Locations:

Austria

Company:

Josef Aichholzer Filmproduktion

Demimonde soap

What will the adolescent son of a Yugoslavian mother in Vienna feel, when he finds out that she has been a prostitute since before he was born and not a waitress, as everybody told him? This might be an interesting question, and a very good starting point for a book or a film.

Unfortunately, writer-director Michael Sturminger doesn't have a lot to say about the topic. He is obviously a good director, impressively guiding the young boys who play the child Ozren and presenting good-looking, sometimes even beautiful images. The problem is that he completely fails as a screenwriter. His dialogues are stale and therefore really embarrassing. The story lacks ideas and surprise on the one hand, while being painfully exaggerated on the other hand. And the Vienna demimonde is presented full of clichés.

The leading actors are not bad but they appear to be because the things they have to say are unnatural and hackneyed. Hearing Ozren's uncle and aunt droning out their pearls of wisdom makes you want to escape.

Maybe the novel was bad. I don't know. But at least, Sturminger should have left the adaptation to somebody else and applied for a job as a soap opera writer.