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 | |
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Levente Törköly | ... | Soviet Captain |
Marlon Kittel | ... | Max | |
Dietrich Hollinderbäumer | ... | Grandpa | |
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Gyula Benedek | ... | Krivosheyev |
In 1944, 14-year-old 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. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
clumsy and heavy handed...I wanted more London and less flashback and the narrative just doesn't work. The rape scenes are really unnecessary and add nothing to the story. Less telling and more showing would have helped this movie. The more I watched the more I fast forwarded through the WW2 scenes (which is weird for me) and shot to the spy / intrigue elements. Funnily enough though after the movie and I had gone our separate ways I still enjoyed the redeeming features, namely, the concepts tackled in the movie - loyalty, the past, control and freedom. Hey who thought to the put the SAME surf rock song in the girlfriend London scenes? Whacky...