A film of captivating clarity and beauty
After the end of World War II, Nobel Prize-winning author Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter, the actress, author, and cabaret artist Erika (Sandra Hüller), embark on a journey through a Germany in ruins—from Frankfurt in the American occupation zone to Soviet-controlled Weimar. On the occasion of the Goethe anniversary, people on both sides of the inner-German border hope for words of comfort, approval, and forgiveness from the greatest of all storytellers. Amid euphoric Wagner heirs and literarily sophisticated generals, Germany’s most important writer is courted and sometimes even berated, while the drama of his own family quietly escalates. It is the first time since the war that Thomas Mann has returned to his homeland, from which he had once fled into exile. A journey into the wounded German soul, meant to heal—for Erika and the “Magician,” as his children often called Thomas Mann, it becomes a journey into the very depths of their being.
Following the Oscar-winning *IDA* and the multi-award-winning drama *COLD WAR* —THE LATITUDE OF LOVE (Best Director at Cannes, five European Film Awards, including Best Film)—Paweł Pawlikowski tells a grand German family story set against the turmoil of the postwar era through stunning cinematic imagery. With tender yet unyielding resolve, *FATHERLAND* interweaves the turning point of German history with the finale of a family saga. An intense cinematic experience, carried by an outstanding ensemble cast.
Germany, Poland, Italy, FranceGermany: 2026, 82 min
Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
starring Hanns Zischler (Thomas Mann), Sandra Hüller (Erika Mann)
