Sources of Life (2013)

This is a family story that covers thirty years in the life of the Freytag family (narrated by the grandson, Robert). When his grandfather returns from Russia in 1949, he becomes part of ... See full summary »

Director:

Oskar Roehler

Writers:

Oskar Roehler (screenplay), Klaus Richter (collaboration on screenplay)

Stars:

Jürgen Vogel, Meret Becker, Moritz Bleibtreu

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jürgen Vogel	...	Erich Freytag
Meret Becker	...	Elisabeth Freytag
Moritz Bleibtreu	...	Klaus Freytag
Lavinia Wilson	...	Gisela Ellers
Lisa Smit	...	Laura Werner
Leonard Scheicher	...	Robert Freytag
Sonja Kirchberger	...	Marie Freytag
Margarita Broich	...	Hildegard Ellers
Ilyes Moutaoukkil	...	Robert Freytag als Kind
Alexandros Gehrckens	...	Robert Freytag als Kind
Annika Becker	...	Laura als Kind
Marie Becker	...	Laura als Kind
Kostja Ullmann	...	Junger Klaus
Thomas Heinze	...	Dr. Martin Ellers
Wilson Gonzalez	...	Schwarz (as Wilson Gonzalez Ochsenknecht)

Storyline

This is a family story that covers thirty years in the life of the Freytag family (narrated by the grandson, Robert). When his grandfather returns from Russia in 1949, he becomes part of the German "economic miracle" by producing garden gnomes. Klaus, Robert's father, wants to become a writer. He marries Gisela who almost immediately gets pregnant with Robert - but the marriage doesn't work. Both parents abandon the child, and Robert goes on living with both pairs of grand parents. While his father belongs to the 1968 generation that rebels against their fathers he falls in love with the neighbor's's daughter Laura.

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Plot Keywords:

infidelity | female frontal nudity | sex scene | caught having sex | skinny dipping | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

Soundtracks

Anita
Written by Costa Cordalis (uncredited), Jean Frankfurter (uncredited) and Charles Level (uncredited)
Performed by Costa Cordalis

User Reviews

A very strange movie

Oskar Roehler's movie is hard to classify. He wants to tell a story about a family that covers thirty years but for the viewer it's hard to say if it's a drama or a grotesqueness. The movie never finds a balance between them. Roehler's cast contains some of Germany's best actors: Jürgen Vogel, Moritz Bleibtreu, Meret Becker - but the script doesn't allow them to really perform in the best way possible. Instead Vogel has to be the grumpy granddad who hardly shows any feelings. Bleibtreu has to play a one-dimensional idiot who still orders his son to go to bed and drink his milk once he is almost a grown-up. It's only the young actors - Leonard Scheicher and Lisa Smit - whose natural performing skills save the film somehow. I cannot really recommend to watch this movie - if not for the soundtrack that consists of a couple of the best rock and pop songs of the era.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

14 February 2013 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Sources of Life

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$821,276

Company Credits

Production Co:

X-Filme Creative Pool, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

174 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1