Bye Bye Germany (2017)

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.

Director:

Sam Garbarski

Writers:

Michel Bergmann (screenplay), Sam Garbarski (collaboration on screenplay)

Stars:

Moritz Bleibtreu, Antje Traue, Tim Seyfi

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Moritz Bleibtreu	...	David Bermann
Antje Traue	...	Special Agent Sara Simon
Tim Seyfi	...	Fajnbrot
Mark Ivanir	...	Holzmann
Anatole Taubman	...	Fränkel
Hans Löw	...	Verständig
Pál Mácsai	...	Szoros
Václav Jakoubek	...	Krautberg
Jeanne Werner	...	Elsa
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joachim Paul Assböck	...	Kleinschmitt
Joel Basman	...	Lubliner (as Joel Basmann)
Jeff Burrell	...	Officer
Harvey Friedman	...	Joseph Goebbels
Tania Garbarski	...	Frau Sonia
Éric Gigout	...	Jüdischer Gefangener

Storyline

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

holocaust survivor | holding an umbrella for a woman | marriage proposal | reference to mein kampf | reference to statue of liberty | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | War

---

Details

Country:

Germany Luxembourg Belgium

Language:

German English

Release Date:

27 April 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bye Bye Germany

Filming Locations:

Luxembourg

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,874, 15 April 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$72,365, 8 November 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samsa Film,IGC Films,Entre Chien et Loup

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

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.

---

Goofs

Sara wears her headgear (garrison cap) indoors while interrogating David. It is against US Army regulation to wear headgear indoors Soldiers will not wear headgear indoors, unless under arms in an official capacity, or when directed by the commander, such as for indoor ceremonial activities.

---

Soundtracks

Drei kleine Geschichten
Performed by Evelyn Künneke

User Reviews

Some Bumps in the Road But Overall an Engaging Film

It's 1946 and post-war Frankfurt, Germany is in shambles, with hundreds of thousands of Jews and other survivors of the Holocaust living in U.S. Displaced Persons Camps, waiting to get licenses to come to Palestine or America.

One such person is David Bermann, whose entire family was wiped out in the concentration camps, and who now is focused on gathering together other survivors to make enough money in a small linen business so they can successfully afford to emigrate. However, he's also under investigation by a U.S. Special Agent, portrayed by the striking German actress Antje Traue, for being a possible Nazi collaborator.

This movie, for the most part, deftly combines humor, tragedy, camaraderie, and survivors guilt, into what I thought was quite an original presentation. However, not everything works, questions remain unanswered, and the film, at times, seems to lose its dramatic effect.

Overall, though, I still found the movie to be mostly interesting and engaging despite its drawbacks.