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Recent German Releases on DVD
Increasing numbers of German films and German co-productions are being distributed in the US. The powerful dramas The Edge of Heaven, Four Minutes, and Summer ’04 are currently available on DVD.
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- Hanna Schygulla (Susanne Staub) and Baki Davrak (Nejat Aksu) in a scene from "The Edge of Heaven"
- (© by corazón international, courtesy of The Match Factory)
The Edge of Heaven (Auf der anderen Seite)
Following up on the success of his 2003 film Head-On (Gegen die Wand), director Fatih Akin’s film The Edge of Heaven is a poignant tale that traces the intertwined lives of six individuals, crisscrossing Germany and Turkey.
The lives of a Turkish-German pensioner and his university professor son are suddenly altered after the father's favorite prostitute, Yeter, becomes a live-in girlfriend. Meanwhile, after encoutering problems in a police riot in Instanbul, the prostitute’s radical student daughter, Ayen, flees to Hamburg, where she befriends Lotte. After Ayten is deported, Lotte travels to Turkey to try to help her. The story is a beautiful exploration of relationships, and fans of German cinema will recognize Fassbinder muse Hanna Schygulla among the remarkable cast.
Among its distinctions, The Edge of Heaven has been awarded Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival and the European Film Awards and Best Director at the Bavarian Film Awards. It also received the European Parliament Lux Prize in 2007, which ensures that the film will be made available in all 23 official European Union languages.
More about The Edge of Heaven on the German Films website
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- Jenny (Hannah Herzsprung) and Traude (Monica Bleibtreu) in a scene from "Four Minutes"
- (© courtesy of Beta Film GmbH)
Four Minutes (Vier Minuten)
For their performances in this passionate drama, Monica Bleibtreu and rising star Hannah Herzsprung have garnered much attention and a number of awards.
Traude (Bleibtreu) is an elderly piano teacher has been giving lessons at the nearby women’s prison since the end of WWII. After all these years, she is surprised to find talent in young inmate Jenny (Herzsprung).
As Traude helps Jenny prepare for an upcoming piano competition, the two women become close despite the limited amount of time they are able to spend together. Each woman, however, harbors a secret: a violent past, which has indelibly shaped the life she has led. As the story progresses, these two strong personalities are bound to clash.
Four Minutes, which was directed by Chris Kraus, has received awards for Best Film at multiple international film festivals, including the FIPRESCI Awards, as well as at the German Film Awards. The film also received the Audience Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2007.
More about Four Minutes on the German Films website
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- Martina Gedeck (Miriam) and Robert Seeliger (Bill) in a scene from "Summer '04"
- (© Photo courtesy of German Films)
Summer ’04 (Sommer ’04 an der Schlei)
Martina Gedeck of The Lives of Others and Mostly Martha fame stars in this powerful drama by director Stefan Krohmer.
Set in the beautiful scenery around the Schlei, an inlet of the Baltic Sea, a liberal, open-minded couple, Miriam (Gedeck) and Andre (Peter Davor), are spending their vacation. Their teenage son and his girlfriend soon join them. When the coquettish young girlfriend, Livia, starts spending time alone with an older man, Miriam is concerned. She soon finds herself, however, entangled in a highly provocative love triangle that has tragic consequences.
Full of uncertainty and tension, this romantic thriller raises questions about moral conceptions and explores the delicate balance of emotions and power in personal relationships.
