Fatherland

Summer 1949: After 16 years in exile, Thomas Mann returns to Germany for the first time, accompanied by his daughter Erika. Their journey takes them through a country scarred by war and politically divided, from Frankfurt to Weimar (the places where Goethe was born and died), from the American occupation zone to the Soviet-controlled east. Whilst the writer is celebrated in public, old feelings of guilt and hurt resurface within the family … As in IDA and COLD WAR, Pawlikowski tells the story with formal precision and emotional restraint of people searching for their place between history and personal loss. Carried by magnificent performances from Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler – one of the most talked-about films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
(Florian Widegger)