Summary
An aged tailor recalls his life as the schoolteacher of a small village in Northern Germany that was struck by a series of strange events in the year leading up to WWI.
Cast
Christian Friedel
The School Teacher
Ernst Jacobi
The School Teacher as an Old Man (voice)
Leonie Benesch
Eva
Ulrich Tukur
The Baron
Fion Mutert
Sigmund
Ursina Lardi
Marie Louise
Burghart Klaußner
The Pastor
Steffi Kühnert
The Pastor's Wife
Maria Dragus
Klara
Josef Bierbichler
The Steward
Rainer Bock
The Doctor
Susanne Lothar
The Midwife
Roxane Duran
Anna
Eddy Grahl
Karli
Levin Henning
Adolf
Leonard Proxauf
Martin
Gabriela Maria Schmeide
The Steward's Wife
Janina Fautz
Erna
Detlev Buck
Eva's Father
Birgit Minichmayr
Frieda
Carmen-Maja Antoni
Bathing Midwife
Michael Kranz
The Tutor
Thibault Sérié
Gustav
Johanna Busse
Margarete
Enno Trebs
Georg
Theo Trebs
Ferdinand
Miljan Chatelain
Rudolf
Branko Samarovski
The Farmer
Klaus Manchen
The Farmer (voice)
Sebastian Hülk
Max
Kai-Peter Malina
Karl
Kristina Kneppek
Else
Stephanie Amarell
Sophie
Bianca Mey
Paula
Aaron Denkel
Kurti
Mika Ahrens
Willi
Anne-Kathrin Gummich
Eva's Mother
Luzie Ahrens
Schoolchild
Gary Bestla
Schoolchild
Leonard Boes
Schoolchild
Felix Boettcher
Schoolchild
Sophie Czech
Schoolchild
Paraschiva Dragus
Schoolchild
Selina Ewald
Schoolchild
Nora Gruler
Schoolchild
Tim Guderjahn
Schoolchild
Jonas Jennerjahn
Schoolchild
Ole Joensson
Schoolchild
Gerrit Langentepe
Schoolchild
Lena Pankow
Schoolchild
Sebastian Pauli
Schoolchild
Franz Rewoldt
Schoolchild
Kevin Schmolinski
Schoolchild
Alexander Sedl
Schoolchild
Nino Seide
Schoolchild
Marvin Ray Spey
Schoolchild
Malin Steffen
Schoolchild
Lilli Trebs
Schoolchild
Paul Wolf
Schoolchild
Margarete Zimmermann
Schoolchild
Christian Klischat
Gendarm
Michael Schenk
Detective
Hanuš Polak jr.
Detective
Sara Schivazappa
The Italian Nanny
Marisa Growaldt
The Maid
Vincent Krüger
Fritz
Rüdiger Hauffe
Workman
Arndt Schwering-Sohnrey
Farmer
Florian Köhler
Farmer
Sebastian Łach
Foreign Harvester
Marcin Tyrol
Foreign Harvester
Sebastian Badurek
Foreign Harvester
Krzysztof Zarzecki
Foreign Harvester
Sebastian Pawlak
Foreign Harvester
Lilli Fichtner
Girl at Harvest Feast
Amelie Litwin
Girl at Harvest Feast
Paula Kalinski
Girl at Harvest Feast
Matthias Linke
Band Musician
Vladik Otaryan
Band Musician
Peter Mörike
Band Musician
Hans-Matthias Glassmann
Band Musician
Nikita Vaganov
Band Musician
Mercedes Jadea Diaz
Eva's Sister (uncredited)
Simon Pawlowsky
Villager (uncredited)
Crew
Director, Screenplay, Story
Michael Haneke
Reviews
Geronimo1967
May 12, 2024
7
It all starts when the local doctor (Rainer Bock) is knocked from his horse by some wire carefully strung between two trees. Incapacitated and sent to the (not so) nearby hospital, his is just the start of some fairly brutal mishaps that befall this small rural community as Europe drifts towards the start of the Great War. It's a sort of feudal existence for this community were everything stems from the baron (Ulrich Tukur). When his young son is violently assaulted, tensions run high in the village and as more atrocities emerge they all start to turn on each other and suspicions run high. It might be, though, that the children of the pastor might hold the key. That's what the narrator, and rather naive teacher (Christian Friedl) eventually concludes, but as he investigates as surreptitiously as he can, we find a great deal more going on amidst a village of child molesting, cruelty, adultery and basically anything that could easily contribute to the negative mindset of those carrying out these acts of pretty calculated wickedness. Each of the villagers has their moment in the cinematic sun as we are taken, almost door to door, on a tour of their foibles and peccadilloes. It delivers quite a potent look at the almost, sometimes literal, incestuous nature of country life where people live in fear of losing their patronage and their survival depends on the harvest - and that depends on a God who is represented by Burghart Klaußner's enigmatically characterised pastor. This is a conflicted man more concerned with a status quo than necessarily with the truth. There is mystery here, but that rather fades into the background of quite a disturbing character study that is puzzling and intriguing.
Media
Status:
Released
Original Language:
German
Budget:
$21,555,450.00
Revenue:
$11,652,157.00
Keywords
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