Halt auf freier Strecke (2011)

Director:

Andreas Dresen

Writers:

Andreas Dresen (screenplay), Cooky Ziesche (screenplay)

Stars:

Steffi Kühnert, Milan Peschel, Talisa Lilly Lemke

11 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steffi Kühnert	...	Simone Lange
Milan Peschel	...	Frank Lange
Talisa Lilly Lemke	...	Lilli Lange (as Talisa Lilli Lemke)
Mika Seidel	...	Mika Lange (as Mika Nilson Seidel)
Ursula Werner	...	Renate, Simones Mutter
Marie Rosa Tietjen	...	Simones Schwester
Otto Mellies	...	Ernst, Franks Vater
Christine Schorn	...	Franks Mutter
Bernhard Schütz	...	Stefan
Thorsten Merten	...	Tumor
Inka Friedrich	...	Ina
Petra Anwar	...	Palliativärztin
Uwe Träger	...	Diagnosearzt (as Dr. Uwe Träger)
Elke Unmüssig	...	Sterbebegleiterin #1
Brunhilde Sauer-Baur	...	Sterbebegleiterin #2

Storyline

---

Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | illness | sickness | hospital | cancer

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany France

Language:

German

Release Date:

17 November 2011 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Stopped on Track

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Peter Rommel Productions, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB), Arte

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The doctor in the first scene of the film is a real-life doctor, the scene was shot in his actual office and the phone call he receives is also real.

---

Soundtracks

"Love and Mercy"
Music and Lyrics by Eugene Landy and Brian Wilson
Performed by Milan Peschel

User Reviews

An honest look at a topic which concerns us all

It's a German film, and it's good - hallelujah! That was pretty much my initial reaction after watching this cancer drama, before the pain set in. For when you've been in the situation the film describes, you'll go through the exact motions you may have felt when taking care of a loved one who dies. Other than just about any other film I've seen on the subject, no sappy music sets in, no brilliant actors use their characters to showcase their abilities. It's just the story of an ordinary worker with a wife and two kids who gets diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor and chronicles his last months with a camcorder.

Director-writer Andreas Dresen is a seasoned TV director and documentary film maker, which defines his visual style. But unlike most German directors, he's making the best out of his possibilities by sticking to a very naturalist mise-en-scène, focusing on creating 'special moments' which drive the story. That allows him to take the spectator's attention away from the actors. It's a style that already worked very well in 'Cloud 9', for which he received the Cannes a special Cannes 'Un Certain Regard' public prize, before winning the award itself with this film. He is, however, essentially a documentary film maker, so his best film so far is most definitely 'Herr Wichmann von der CDU' (2003), which is about a provincial election campaign.

Still, 'Stopped on Track' will probably stay with you longer than most films of the past year, as it's dealing with a reality that concerns everybody, but is usually considered taboo in film. While people die so often violently on screen, it's quite a shock to see someone die from a disease, even if it's just fictitious; so the importance of this film is to make us wonder which is the appropriate way to deal with death, a question to which it gives mature and even beautiful answers.