Beloved Sisters (2014)

The aristocratic sisters Charlotte and Caroline both fall in love with the controversial young writer and hothead Friedrich Schiller. Defying the conventions of their time, the sisters ... See full summary »

Director:

Dominik Graf

Writer:

Dominik Graf (screenplay)

Stars:

Hannah Herzsprung, Florian Stetter, Henriette Confurius

5 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hannah Herzsprung	...	Caroline von Beulwitz
Florian Stetter	...	Friedrich Schiller
Henriette Confurius	...	Charlotte von Lengefeld
Claudia Messner	...	Madame Louise von Lengefeld
Ronald Zehrfeld	...	Wilhelm von Wolzogen
Maja Maranow	...	Frau Charlotte von Stein
Michael Wittenborn	...	Carl Ludwig von Knebel
Andreas Pietschmann	...	Friedrich von Beulwitz
Anne Schäfer	...	Charlotte von Kalb
Peter Schneider	...	Christian Gottfried Körner
Elisabeth Wasserscheid	...	Schwenke
Christine Zart	...	Haushälterin Stein
Wolf Dietrich Rammler	...	Heinrich von Kalb (as Wolf-Dietrich Rammler)
Klaus Lehmann	...	Henry Heron
Joachim Kappl	...	Friedrich von Stein (as Joachim Kappel)

Storyline

The aristocratic sisters Charlotte and Caroline both fall in love with the controversial young writer and hothead Friedrich Schiller. Defying the conventions of their time, the sisters decide to share their love with Schiller. What begins playfully, almost as a game among the three of them, soon turns serious as it leads to the end of a pact.

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Plot Keywords:

man undressing | male full frontal nudity | male nudity | male frontal nudity | writer | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Germany's official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 87th Academy Awards 2015.

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Soundtracks

Rameau: Ouverture (Dardanus)
Written by Jean-Philippe Rameau (uncredited)
Performed by Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski

User Reviews

Gorgeous drama

I saw this at the CPH PIX film festival in Copenhagen, and was very impressed. Although much of the story that is shown is speculative, it appears to be highly qualified speculation. Whether it reflects historical reality or not, it worked exceedingly well as an epic cinema drama.

As the title says, "The Beloved Sisters" is about the two sisters who loved Friedrich Schiller. Schiller himself is a kind of supporting character, as seen through the eyes of the sisters. The actresses who play the sisters are very good indeed, esp. the older one (Caroline), and it is expertly illustrated how they actually love each other more than they love Schiller.

Highlights include the scene where the sisters sit by Schiller's sickbed in the dark, and (as I interpret it) he can't tell them apart, and the reconciliation scene towards the end where Schiller stands between the sisters, and then discreetly moves away, allowing them to reconnect. Very powerful stuff.

I enjoyed this 171 minute movie immensely and can't wait to watch it again. Definitely one of the best experiences at the film festival.

My rating: 9 stars out of 10.

Details

Country:

Germany Austria Switzerland

Language:

German French

Release Date:

31 July 2014 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Beloved Sisters

Filming Locations:

Weimar, Thuringia, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,704, 11 January 2015

Gross USA:

$54,030

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,412,145

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bavaria Filmverleih- und Produktions GmbH, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Wega Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min 171 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1