Aimee & Jaguar (1999)

In 1943 Berlin, a Nazi officer's wife meets and starts a passionate affair with a Jewish woman.

Director:

Max Färberböck

Writers:

Max Färberböck, Rona Munro

Stars:

Maria Schrader, Juliane Köhler, Johanna Wokalek

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Maria Schrader	...	Felice Schragenheim (Jaguar)
Juliane Köhler	...	Lilly Wust (Aimée)
Johanna Wokalek	...	Ilse
Heike Makatsch	...	Klärchen
Elisabeth Degen	...	Lotte
Detlev Buck	...	Günther Wust
Inge Keller	...	Lilly Wust (1997)
Kyra Mladeck	...	Ilse (1997)
Sarah Camp	...	Frau Kappler
Klaus Manchen	...	Herr Kappler
Margit Bendokat	...	Frau Jäger
Jochen Stern	...	Werner Lause
Peter Weck	...	Chefredakteur Keller
Lia Dultzkaya	...	Hulda
Dani Levy	...	Fritz Borchert

Storyline

Berlin 1943/44 ("The Battle of Berlin"). Felice, an intelligent and courageous Jewish woman who lives under a false name, belongs to an underground organization. Lilly, a devoted mother of four, though an occasional unfaithful wife, is desperate for love. An unusual and passionate love between them blossoms despite the danger of persecution and nightly bombing raids.

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian mother | lesbian parent | lesbian romance | lesbianism | lesbian relationship | 

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Taglines:

A Love Larger Than Death

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Zeitgeist Films

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

11 February 1999 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Aimee & Jaguar

Filming Locations:

Hansaviertel, Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$42,919, 13 August 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$927,107, 11 March 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Senator Film Produktion,Max Farberbock Film,Bundesministerium des Inneren (BMI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Germany's entry to the Academy Awards, in the category of Best Foreign Language Film (1999).

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Quotes

Ilse: What does she have that I don't have?
Felice: Nothing, absolutely nothing. She isn't better or worse than any of us.
Ilse: How can you say that? How?
[beat]
Ilse: Has she risked her life? Would she lie and steal and fight for you? Do you think she'd take risks my father takes? She has no idea what it's like listening to every idiot who comes up the stairs. But you know how it is, Felice. Your behaviour makes me sick!
Felice: [long beat] So send me a bill.
Ilse: [beat] I'm sorry.
Felice: What for? You're right.
[beat]
Felice: "God created the world...
[...]

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Connections

Featured in A Mini-Documentary on the Making of 'Aimée & Jaguar' (2001)

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Soundtracks

Rumba Hindou
Performed by Lecuona Cuban Boys
Music and Lyrics by Enrico Vasquez
Edition Maibot / Peer Musikverlag

User Reviews

Even the blackest storms bring forth flowers.

This is a beautiful story and a haunting film, set in crumbling Berlin near the end of Germany's second run at world domination. Felice is a young stenographer hiding her Jewish identity and passing stealthily through bombed-out Berlin. She runs with a pack of party-girls, lesbians all, who butterfly their nights away living for the moment in the face of destruction, persecution, and death.

Lilly is a German housewife with four children and a husband on the Russian front. She is introduced, however, as a mistress to a Nazi officer, and the viewer sees immediately that Lilly is simply lost...dutifully serving out her role(s) to the men in her life, yet stricken with a suspicion that love has escaped her.

Then she meets Felice...

The affair transforms both women. Lilly finds love and discovers who she really is, while Felice finds a reason to stop running.

It's easy to forget that bravery in wartime is not reserved solely fo combat soldiers. In these two women, we see courage, hope, and beauty emerge from ruin and desperation. As one of the minor characters points out late in the film, love should be appreciated wherever it can take root---especially when times and situations seem impossibly chaotic.

This director offers an underlying gentleness that makes the movie all the more effective. The performances are passionate and inspired. War news via radio broadcasts is masterfully woven in to frame the film while giving the viewer a sense that time is running out in Berlin. One knock on the film might be that there are too few sympathetic male characters. But, given the setting, maybe that was to be expected.