The Foster Boy (2011)

A Swiss-German rural peasant family takes Max, a crude 15-year-old boy, into a foster situation of constant bullying. Soon, a foster girl is added to the mix.

Director:

Markus Imboden

Writers:

Plinio Bachmann (screenplay), Jasmine Hoch (collaboration on screenplay)

Stars:

Katja Riemann, Stefan Kurt, Maximilian Simonischek

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Katja Riemann	...	Bösigerin
Stefan Kurt	...	Bösiger
Maximilian Simonischek	...	Jakob (as Max Simonischek)
Max Hubacher	...	Max
Lisa Brand	...	Berteli
Miriam Stein	...	Esther
Andreas Matti	...	Hasslinger
Heidy Forster	...	Grossmutter
Ursina Lardi	...	Mutter Dürrer
Ernst C. Sigrist	...	Polizist
Christoph Gaugler	...	Störmetzger
Peter Wyssbrod	...	Arzt
Hanspeter Müller	...	Gemeindepräsident
Martin Hug	...	Hugo Wagner
Rebekka Burckhardt	...	Erzieherin

Storyline

The illegitimate orphan child, 12-year-old Max, is sold by the local minister for a basket of food to the Bösiger family, who own a mountain farm. Max' initial hope of finally finding a loving home is brutally shattered: The farmer and his wife treat Max like livestock, and their son Jacob humiliates and abuses him. Only the local teacher notices the child suffering on the farm.

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Plot Keywords:

accordion | rascal | punishment | brother brother relationship | father son relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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User Reviews

Hard days in those times.

I know a bit of German but at one point I was wondering what language it was until I discovered it was Swiss German that is a little bit different. Probably the first movie I saw in this language and it's certainly not a bad one. It's a drama, not my favorite genre, but a interesting to watch drama, with good actors and a good, sometimes hard to watch story. Hard to watch, not as in bloody, but as in mental abuse and corporal punishment towards kids. Seeing those scenes make you realize kids from now are just so spoiled compared to certain kids in that time. Because even if it is a movie, life was that hard in most of the families in that time. The acting is excellent, with actors I never heared of. The filming and the story were much better than I expected it to be. A good drama in a foreign language.

Details

Country:

Switzerland Germany

Language:

Swiss German

Release Date:

25 October 2012 (Germany)

Also Known As:

The Foster Boy

Filming Locations:

Emmental, Kanton Bern, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

C-Films AG, Bremedia Produktion, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1