The Garden

Sommerhäuser

Genre

Drama

Director

Sonja Maria Kröner

Run time

1h 36min

Cast

Laura Tonke, Thomas Loibl

It is the sweltering summer of ’76, unbearable heat, too many wasps. A shared Bavarian family yard becomes the setting for a grotesquely funny and uncompromisingly dissecting look at family life. The death of an overbearing matriarch reveals cracks within the family’s relationships and subtly changes their dynamics. And while the adults bicker over selling the garden, the kids are free to explore the mysterious neighbouring lot. Then they hear about a girl that has disappeared.

Deceptively easy going in its development, the films constantly enchants and never lets the audience loose while showing power relationships in this widespread family and a society with a lot of glass ceilings in effect. These characters are far closer to personal catastrophe than they would want to admit.

Shot in nowadays surroundings of Munich this is one of very few films that evoke Western Germany everyday life in a most convincing way. From men’s shorts and sandals to the right lemonade, this will give audiences a deep sense of the mindset people lived with – and by being utterly precise about these years it lets us reflect on the changing times and ever non-changing power structures.

Sonja Maria Kröner’s feature debut is deeply atmospheric and ruled this year’s Filmfest Munich supreme, winning two New German Cinema awards for production and directing and establishing her as a vital new voice.

(Christoph Gröner)

Genre

Drama

Director

Sonja Maria Kröner

Run time

1h 36min

Cast

Laura Tonke, Thomas Loibl

It is the sweltering summer of ’76, unbearable heat, too many wasps. A shared Bavarian family yard becomes the setting for a grotesquely funny and uncompromisingly dissecting look at family life. The death of an overbearing matriarch reveals cracks within the family’s relationships and subtly changes their dynamics. And while the adults bicker over selling the garden, the kids are free to explore the mysterious neighbouring lot. Then they hear about a girl that has disappeared.

Deceptively easy going in its development, the films constantly enchants and never lets the audience loose while showing power relationships in this widespread family and a society with a lot of glass ceilings in effect. These characters are far closer to personal catastrophe than they would want to admit.

Shot in nowadays surroundings of Munich this is one of very few films that evoke Western Germany everyday life in a most convincing way. From men’s shorts and sandals to the right lemonade, this will give audiences a deep sense of the mindset people lived with – and by being utterly precise about these years it lets us reflect on the changing times and ever non-changing power structures.

Sonja Maria Kröner’s feature debut is deeply atmospheric and ruled this year’s Filmfest Munich supreme, winning two New German Cinema awards for production and directing and establishing her as a vital new voice.

(Christoph Gröner)

Info

Rating

(none)

Production year

2017

Global distributor

Beta Cinema

Local distributor

Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival MTÜ

In cinema

11/27/2017