Jerichow (2008)

The dishonorably discharged Afghanistan veteran Thomas returns to his home village of Jerichow. Ali, a local Turkish-German businessman, owner of a snack-bar chain, hires him as a driver. ... See full summary »

Director:

Christian Petzold

Writer:

Christian Petzold

Stars:

Benno Fürmann, Nina Hoss, Hilmi Sözer

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Benno Fürmann	...	Thomas
Nina Hoss	...	Laura
Hilmi Sözer	...	Ali Özkan
André Hennicke	...	Leon (as André M. Hennicke)
Claudia Geisler-Bading	...	Sachbearbeiterin (as Claudia Geisler)
Marie Gruber	...	Kassiererin
Knut Berger	...	Polizist

Storyline

The dishonorably discharged Afghanistan veteran Thomas returns to his home village of Jerichow. Ali, a local Turkish-German businessman, owner of a snack-bar chain, hires him as a driver. That's when Thomas meets Laura, his Turkish boss's young and attractive wife. A classic love triangle is born, unfolding in desolate northeast Germany, where thick forests suddenly end on cliffs overlooking the Baltic Sea. Caught between guilt and freedom, between passion and reason, the protagonists have no hopes for fulfillment of their dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

turkish | germany | turkish german | woman wearing only a man's shirt | german | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany

Language:

German Turkish

Release Date:

8 January 2009 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Jericó

Filming Locations:

Ahrenshoop, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,509, 7 August 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$47,175, 9 August 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

ARTE,Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR),Schramm Film Koerner & Weber

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The plot and conflicts are very similar to James M. Cain's classic crime novel "The Postman Always Rings Twice", first published in 1934, only the setting and some characters are slightly different. Neither the original novel nor a screenplay of one of the many existing film versions are credited as a source.

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Quotes

Laura: You cannot love if you don't have money.

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Connections

References Zorba the Greek (1964)

User Reviews

Hoss and Petzold at it again

Christian Petzold directed Nina Hoss in one of my favorite films, Phoenix, so I looked forward to seeing "Jerichow" from 2008.

This is a loose remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice with a touch of Fassbender's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. Petzold creates a noir atmosphere in his story of a dishonorably discharged Afghanistan veteran Thomas (Benno Furmann) who returns to Germany in order to rebuild and live in his father's home. Unfortunately, his brother steals the money he had hidden and knocks him unconscious.

Thomas eventually becomes the driver for Ali (Hilmi Sozer), a Turkish-German businessman who owns a chain of snack bars. Thomas then meets and falls in love with Ali's beautiful young wife Laura (Nina Hoss). The two fall in love, with Ali, a generous employer and abusive alcoholic, standing between them.

Lovely beach locations in an around Brandenberg, Germany is a highlight of this film. There are some beautiful scenes -- Laura going to see Thomas in the rain; Thomas coming up behind her while hiding from the suspicious Ali; Ali's drunken dancing on the beach. These all contribute to a beautifully-made film.

There have been comments that this is a political allegory, and it can definitely be seen as that too. On the surface, it's a love triangle with a twist. Petzold is an excellent director whose work deserves to be seen.