Joy Division (2006)

A teenage orphan fights against the Red Army at the end of WWII and in the aftermath is 'adopted' by a Commissar. Years later he is sent to London during the Cold war to work for the KGB, where he questions his life.

Director:

Reg Traviss

Writers:

Rosemary Mason (additional writer), Reg Traviss

Stars:

Ed Stoppard, Tom Schilling, Bernadette Heerwagen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Stoppard	...	Thomas (older)
Tom Schilling	...	Thomas (younger)
Bernadette Heerwagen	...	Melanie
Bernard Hill	...	Dennis
Lea Mornar	...	Astrid
Michelle Gayle	...	Yvonne
Sean Chapman	...	Harris
Sybille Gebhardt	...	Stephanie
Bernard Kay	...	Bothringaye
Suzanne von Borsody	...	Mother
Ricci Harnett	...	Sgt Harry Stone
Levente Törköly	...	Soviet Captain
Marlon Kittel	...	Max
Dietrich Hollinderbäumer	...	Grandpa
Gyula Benedek	...	Krivosheyev

Storyline

In 1944, the fourteen years old teenager Thomas is convoked to fight in the German Army. He survives, but his town is destroyed, his family dies in a bombing and his sweetheart Melanie is raped and murdered by the Russian Army. A Commissar brings the orphan Thomas to Soviet Union, and he is sent to the military school. Years later, Thomas becomes an agent of KGB and in 1962, during the Cold War, he is assigned to work in London. Living with ghosts from the past in constant fear and paranoia, he meets the black Londoner Yvonne, who gives him the strength of joy.

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Plot Keywords:

cold war | german army | soviet union | military | telephone | 

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Taglines:

The past is a place you cannot escape

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Germany Hungary

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 2006 (UK)

Also Known As:

Der Feind im Inneren

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamtool Entertainment, Hungarian Film Connection, IMS 5 LLP

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Mum: [Mother ties cravat around young Thomas] "staying real keep us alive. Stay strong and you will survive anything"
Mum: [Mother sits down admiring Thomas' cravat] "make your own decissions. That's the best way, believe me - it's the only way"

User Reviews

As Good As It Gets

A movie that captures both the brutality and the futility of war wonderfully well, some scenes which are as good as any I have ever seen from any movie depicting that era. A first class debut film from a British Director we will no doubt be hearing a lot more of in the coming years.

Some of the action shots and fighting amidst the rubble of a Berlin in ruins reminded me of 'Saving Private Ryan' in that the director managed to bring the viewer right into the action. Tremendous stuff. It was without a doubt, for me, the most interesting and best part of the film, I wanted more.

As a writer with a vivid imagination and and overwhelming desire to produce stories within a story I was just a little disappointed in the ending, I wanted the film to go on longer and give me more.... Surely a good sign? I wanted more romance too, perhaps a final twist. Nevertheless a movie well worth watching. I feel that the best is yet to come from the director Reg Traviss, if someone were to give him a good WWII story I would be first in the queue at the cinema.