Jerichow (film)
| Jerichow | |
|---|---|
|
theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Christian Petzold |
| Written by | Christian Petzold |
| Starring |
Benno Fürmann Nina Hoss |
| Music by | Stefan Will |
| Cinematography | Hans Fromm |
| Edited by | Betinna Böhler |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German, Turkish |
Jerichow is a 2008 German drama film written and directed by Christian Petzold.[1] It is loosely inspired by the American novel The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) by James M. Cain.[2]
The film was invited into the competition of the 65th Venice Film Festival, as the first film to be shown, and was also nominated for the 2009 German Film Prize in the Best Feature Film and Best Director categories.[3][4] The official German premiere was on 8 January 2009. The American showings were in German with English subtitles. As the title suggests, the film takes place in the German town of Jerichow.[5]
Plot summary
A former criminal is married to a Turkish immigrant to Germany, Ali Ozkan, who marries a woman named Laura. Ali's wife starts an affair with Thomas, an Afghanistan war veteran from Germany, because she is beaten by her husband. Thomas came into their life when he helped Ali after he crashed his car due to being drunk. Ali mistreated him as well after he accepted a job proposal. As the drama continues, violence starts.
Cast
- Benno Fürmann as Thomas
- Nina Hoss as Laura
- Hilmi Sözer as Ali Özkan
- André Hennicke as Leon
- Claudia Geisler as Sachbearbeiterin
- Marie Gruber as Kassiererin
- Knut Berger as Polizist
Reception
Wesley Morris, a writer for The Boston Globe, liked the film despite what he called silly romance and even sillier suspense.[5] In a review for Philadelphia Weekly, Matt Prigge gave the film a mixed review with a B rating.[2] Roderick Conway Morris, of International Herald Tribune, complimented the performances of the three actors.[4] Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review, saying "Petzold, who also wrote the script, doesn't make level one thrillers, and his characters may be smarter than us, or dumber".[1]
Deviations from source novel
Despite being inspired by the Cain novel, Petzold's plot unfolds differently.[5] In the film's inspiration, a young woman is married to an older man. In this version, a previous criminal is married to a Turkish immigrant to Germany, Ali Ozkan, who marries a woman named Laura.
References
Notes
- 1 2 Roger Ebert (June 26, 2009). "A twist to eternal triangle (HighBeam Research)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- 1 2 Matt Prigge (August 4, 2009). "Jerichow". Philadelphia Weekly. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ↑ "Nominations at a Glance". Welt Online. March 9, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- 1 2 Roderick Conway Morris (August 29, 2008). "Jerichow A satire of politics, lust and comedy itself Venice Film Festival (HighBeam Research)". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- 1 2 3 James Verniere (July 3, 2009). "`Jerichow' rings up an old theme (HighBeam Research)". The Boston Herald. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
External links
- Jerichow at the Internet Movie Database