Whether in the form of the unspeakable, of nearly forgotten memory, or of an inchoate waiting, silence pervades these three films, despite their differences in genre, setting, and tone.
All Films will be in German with English Subtitles.
Free admission. Q&A after each screening | Images Cinema, 7:00 PM
Sponsored by Williams College Department of German and Russian with generous support from the Austrian Cultural Forum New York and Goethe-Institut Boston.
Das letzte Schweigen / The Silence
by Baran bo Odar (2010)
Mon., October 26th, 7:00 PM
Starring: Ulrich Thomsen, Claudia Michelsen, Wotan Wilke Möhring
Nominated for German Film Critics Awards Best Film and Best Actress.
13-year-old Sinikka vanishes on a hot summer night. Her bicycle is found in the exact place where a girl was killed 23 years ago. The dramatic present forces those involved in the original case to face their past.
Director: Baran bo Odar
Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
“In his feature debut, Swiss director Baran bo Odar counterpoints the tranquillity of the landscape with the mental torment of everyone involved, and what could have been just another serial-killer whodunit becomes a complex study of grief, obsession and the persistence of guilt.”
– Total Film
Die Wohnung / The Flat
by Arnon Goldfinger (2011)
Mon, November 2nd, 7:00 PM
Starring: Michael Adler, Yaron Amit, Avrham Barkai
The flat on the third floor of a Bauhaus building in Tel Aviv was where my grandparents lived since they immigrated to Palestine in the 1930’s. Were it not for the view from the windows, one might have thought that the flat was in Berlin. When my grandmother passed away at the age of 98 we were called to the flat to clear out what was left. Objects, pictures, letters and documents awaited us, revealing traces of a troubled and unknown past. The film which begins with the emptying out of a flat develops into a riveting adventure, involving unexpected national interests, a friendship that crosses enemy lines, and deeply repressed family emotions. And even reveals some secrets that should have probably remained untold.
Director: Arnon Goldfinger
Runtime: 1 hour 37 minutes
Genre: Documentary
“A film that begins as a family quest but evolves into a gripping study of know-don’t-tell reticence and the umbilical tie of a lost homeland.”
– New York Times
Atmen / Breathing
by Karl Markovics (2011)
November 9th, 7:00 PM
Starring: Thomas Schubert, Karin Lischka, Georg Friedrich
Breathing is the portrait of an incarcerated teenager attempting to win parole by working at a local morgue. Raised from birth in institutions, he is initially impassive and self-sabotaging in his behavior; soon, though, he begins to respect the solemn work of handling the dead, and starts to come to terms with his own youthful crime.
Director: Karl Markovics
Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes
Genre: Drama
“Breathing stands as a sure-handed look at an individual’s slow journey toward realization.”
– New York Times