The Runaway (2004)

On a winter day, Walter Dahlman is getting ready for a job interview; he's an unemployed architect in Hamburg. As he leaves his flat with little time to spare, a boy of about eight stops ... See full summary »

Director:

Ulrike Grote

Writer:

Linus Foerster

Stars:

Peter Jordan, Maximilian Werner, Monica Bleibtreu

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Peter Jordan	...	Walter Dahlmann
Maximilian Werner	...	Yuri Rosenbauer
Monica Bleibtreu	...	Frau Hasser
Albert Niehörster	...	Portier
Burghart Klaußner	...	Born
Hermann Lause	...	Benthin
Marion Martienzen	...	Ärztin
Stephan Benson	...	Dr. Reinhardt
Meike Kircher	...	Geliebte Born
Julia Malik	...	Krankenschwester
Markus Biela	...	Dpouble Yuri

Storyline

On a winter day, Walter Dahlman is getting ready for a job interview; he's an unemployed architect in Hamburg. As he leaves his flat with little time to spare, a boy of about eight stops him in the hall and asks for a ride to school. Walter doesn't know the lad, who says he's Yuri. The boy is persistent; Walter, who has only a bicycle, ends up giving Yuri a lift to school. The boy calls him "Daddy," and it's just the beginning of Walter's trials and tribulations. Who is the boy, where is his mother, and why Walter?

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Plot Keywords:

school | job interview | flat | bicycle | architect | 

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Genres:

Short

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

19 November 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Runaway

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmstudium Universität Hamburg,Hamburger Filmwerkstätten e.V.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

23 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in 2005 Academy Award Nominated Short Films (2006)

User Reviews

Good start fades by finish.

An unemployed Hamburg architect on the day of a job interview is way laid by a strange child at his door who wants him to take on parenting duties. He attempts to avoid the absurdity but the child wears him down and he is soon very much involved.

This short film about a mysterious child inveigling his way into a man's life one morning and disrupting his whole life in the process has a nice comic start due to the charm of the enigmatic child and the perplexed adult. After losing the job without getting an interview in the film's best scene the film bogs down in seriousness then dissipates into phantasmagoria to tie the loose ends together.

While it remains visually sharp throughout and is well acted the film's turn of events is too sharp and the story inevitably roles over on its side.