Let Me Go (2017)

Let Me Go is a film about mothers and daughters, it is about ghosts from the past and the impact they leave on the present. Developed from Helga Schneider's true life story, Let Me Go ... See full summary »

Director:

Polly Steele

Writers:

Polly Steele, Polly Steele

Stars:

Juliet Stevenson, Jodhi May, Lucy Boynton

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juliet Stevenson	...	Helga
Jodhi May	...	Beth
Lucy Boynton	...	Emily
Karin Bertling	...	Traudi
Stanley Weber	...	Serge
Éva Magyar	...	Eva
Abhin Galeya	...	Chris
Lioba de Graaff	...	Young Helga
Elizabeth Webster	...	Dani
Simona Hughes	...	Fraulein Adler
Lou Rhodes	...	Nightclub Singer
Justin Butcher	...	Ralph
Justin Smalley	...	Barman in Jazz Club
Andrew Murton	...	Drunk Man (as Andy Murton)
Elena Platon	...	Serge's Ex

Storyline

Let Me Go is a film about mothers and daughters, it is about ghosts from the past and the impact they leave on the present. Developed from Helga Schneider's true life story, Let Me Go explores the effect on Helga's life of being abandoned by her mother, Traudi in 1941 when she was just four years old. The film is set in the year 2000 following not only Helga and Traudi's journeys but the next two generations and how Beth, Helga's daughter and Emily her granddaughter are confronted with the long-term effects of Traudi's leaving. When Helga receives a letter telling her that Traudi is close to death, it is Emily with whom Helga shares the truth. Emily volunteers to accompany her to Vienna to meet the great-grandmother she thought was dead, and experience the unraveling of the darkest of family secrets.

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Plot Keywords:

f rated | mother daughter relationship | vienna austria | london england | female protagonist | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Austria

Language:

German English

Release Date:

15 September 2017 (UK)

Also Known As:

Let Me Go

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

In Trust Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Would have been 10 stars (except one felt the budget a little).

When I saw this film the director gave us a talk afterwards, which nearly as engrossing as the film. It is an amazing and startling story, there was one moment when everyone (in our wonderful local independent cinema in Saffron Walden) literally gasped in unison.

This film has an engrossing story, we know this early in the film so this is not a spoiler. A mother abandons her 4 year old child to work for the Nazis, her child later tries to understand her mother. They have been estranged for many years but she tries to make amends with her.

Juliet Stevenson is wonderful - well that's a given (I love her, Truly Madly Deeply is one of favourite films ever). She apparently really wanted to make this film and made herself available. But the mother. Well she is something else. She is presented as a rather fail old lady, but she is CHILLING, brilliantly portrayed. Mesmerising. The rest of the cast are all excellent too - I personally liked the boyfriend A LOT!! (eye candy!). I think given the subject matter, we needed that!

The story has been a little adapted from real life (was a son not a daughter), afterwards at the Q and A we got to ask some questions, and mostly we asked did THIS really Happen, did she REALLY say that - can that really happen now? The answers were all 'yes'. Jeepers.

The budget was tiny by film standards, I seem to remember it was £1m or £2. Astonishing what was achieved, but one does feel a little lack of variety of locations and sets... but it doesn't really matter, thats why I gave it an 8, but maybe I sd just have gone for 10 anyway. The simplicity concentrates the mind on the story.

Watch this film, you will find yourself telling all your friends about it as I to the director, Polly, who spoke to the daughter many times, so was very moving. Really a great film. Should be HUGE!