David Berman and his friends, all Holocaust survivors, have only one purpose: to go to America as soon as possible. For this they need money. Close to his aim, David is not only deprived of his savings but also overtaken by his shady past.
Sequel to Lammbock. Stefan and Kai meet again after years. Stefan became a successful lawyer in Dubai while Kai is stuck in their home town. Kai has relationship issues and is trying hard ... See full summary »
After a botched robbery attempt five years ago, Ricky went to jail for his brother Rafael and his buddy Latif. Now that he is back out of jail, Latif wants to show his gratitude: he says he... See full summary »
Director:
Özgür Yildirim
Stars:
Neil Malik Abdullah,
Kai Ivo Baulitz,
Moritz Bleibtreu
Summer 1944, Schwäbisch Hall. Against the war propaganda and the ordered heroism, the five 16 year old boys of the swimming pool group dream about swing music, sex and freedom. And they ... See full summary »
Director:
Friedemann Fromm
Stars:
Jonathan Berlin,
Theo Trebs,
Andreas Warmbrunn
The story of a driven, hard-boiled woman, who, through the love of a 16-year-old boy, finds the strength to turn her back on violence and finally stop running.
Director:
Tomasz Emil Rudzik
Stars:
Karolina Gorczyca,
Hildegard Schmahl,
Lorenzo Nedis
Who was Arndt von Bohlen? A weird jetsetter in postwar German high society? A strange "bird of paradise" whose main interests were extravagant clothes and flashy make-up? Or simply ... See full summary »
Director:
André Schäfer
Stars:
Arnd Klawitter,
Arne Gottschling,
Christian Birko-Flemming
Maria, the mother of television presenter Lisa Wartberg, has an accident with memory loss. All she can remember is that she has never been to New York. Without further ado, the elderly woman smuggles herself aboard a cruise ship.
Director:
Philipp Stölzl
Stars:
Heike Makatsch,
Moritz Bleibtreu,
Katharina Thalbach
John is an introvert young soldier serving as a minesweeper in Evros. When he meets Chryssa, a woman passing immigrants from borders between Greece and Turkey, he will try to convince her run away and start a new life.
Director:
Panos Karkanevatos
Stars:
Andreas Konstantinou,
Elena Mavridou,
Levent Üzümcü
Jochen Falk and two further former Stasi agents embark on a dangerous mission to rescue the kidnapped president of Katschekistan. But soon it becomes clear that Falk pursues his own objectives.
Director:
Robert Thalheim
Stars:
Henry Hübchen,
Antje Traue,
Michael Gwisdek
April 1945. Because he stole two boxes of chocolate, the soldier Rudi is sentenced to death by the court-martial judge Dr. Schramm. Rudi manages to escape from the firing squad at the last ... See full summary »
Director:
Wolfgang Staudte
Stars:
Martin Held,
Walter Giller,
Ingrid van Bergen
David Berman and his friends, all Holocaust survivors, have only one purpose: to go to America as soon as possible. For this they need money. Close to his aim, David is not only deprived of his savings but also overtaken by his shady past.
Within one scene David Bermann (Moritz Bleibtreu) and his friends destroy the red Plymouth of their opponent. The actors really crashed the car with battens, picks and iron rods - and enjoyed it a lot. Actor Tim Seyfi described it: "For us it was a children's birthday party." Afterwards the car was an economical total loss. See more »
Goofs
After buying the newspaper, the salesman in the passenger seat's window is up. When the next shot is from over his shoulder, the car window is down. See more »
It is unfortunate that the English title is crass by comparison to the loaded meaning in the original German.
"Once upon a time" is an introduction to a story and to story telling and this is film is rich in the varieties of tales and the truths of stories. It's not quite 'Rashomon' but it does engage similar themes.
The film is well made and excellently acted with a high quality script; it offers the actors strong material and lots of shades of intention. The story takes a different angle to post war chaos and the desire for a new life after the destruction, all the while in the shadow of the ruins and the memories of those that perished.
The flow of the film keeps the attention as it bends and reveals more about the characters. The humor is mordant and expresses how people deflect pain through jokes. The leads could not be better.
It deserves attention and rewards the viewer's time.
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It is unfortunate that the English title is crass by comparison to the loaded meaning in the original German.
"Once upon a time" is an introduction to a story and to story telling and this is film is rich in the varieties of tales and the truths of stories. It's not quite 'Rashomon' but it does engage similar themes.
The film is well made and excellently acted with a high quality script; it offers the actors strong material and lots of shades of intention. The story takes a different angle to post war chaos and the desire for a new life after the destruction, all the while in the shadow of the ruins and the memories of those that perished.
The flow of the film keeps the attention as it bends and reveals more about the characters. The humor is mordant and expresses how people deflect pain through jokes. The leads could not be better.
It deserves attention and rewards the viewer's time.