User Reviews

There is a quote (attributed to Anton Chekhov, although I don't know if it was actually he who said it) "All happy families are alike. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." I'd say that "Die Vaterlosen" ("The Fatherless" in English) shows this to be true.

Part of the issue is that a family's full story isn't always known, and the family here is about to learn some unpleasant secrets. True, this sort of story has gotten told many times, but this movie (Marie Kreutzer's directorial debut) allows time for the characters to fully develop; a sharp contrast to Michael Bay's movies, where each scene lasts a few seconds, and the characters either get killed or save the day.

In conclusion, this is a movie that you should see. Avoiding the common tropes that we see in this movies, it creates one of the finest looks at families of any movie that I've seen. Not to mention that we get some great looks at the Austrian countryside.

I saw this film as part of the Ghent filmfestival 2011. Given the announcement text, a story like this can either be drowned in dramatic clichés (e.g. tears, name calling and even fights), or it can bring to light what caused the mixed relationships as of this moment, eventually leading to new horizons. I was relieved that the latter was the case, a job well done as delivered by this debuting director.

The 104 minutes that this film takes, are well spent and developments are evenly spread over this time frame. What mostly impressed me is that all family members get the chance to be properly introduced at well chosen moments, so that we get a clear picture about where each member stands. And all of them have their purpose in the story line when subsequent events come by. A lot of things happened in the past and are relived during this reunion, all of these potentially bringing new reasons for yelling at each other and slamming some doors, to never meet again.

An observer may try to stay neutral, but is bound to get involved in the proceedings. The very least you'll do is imagining how a similar reunion would work out in your own family. No doubt that your past includes some things that are best forgotten, but others will remember nevertheless and hold it against you. And vice versa, no doubt. Though the commune is rather an unusual element, the core of this film is not far-fetched and very realistic.

All in all, I gave a score of 5 (out of 5) for the audience award when leaving the theater. Good actors, nice dialogs, story well told, and I saw some useful sub-plots that did not cloud the issue. Two examples of the latter are the last words of the father (heard by one son, who bluntly refuses to pass them on), and the unexplained death of a child (many years ago, but still unclear who is to blame). Both sub-plots kept us wondering what's behind it, and it took some time before we learned both to be necessary ingredients for the finale. That's all in the game of a perfect film script.

As a non-German speaking individual, it took me quite some time until I could get my hands on this film, but I am so glad I did.

The first thing that is formidable about this film, in my opinion, is the pace. The story starts from a familial encounter after a tragic event, and unfolds backwards. The fact that you slowly peel away the history of the family following the death of its father pours a lot of profound beauty into the story.

Each story, each argument, each tragedy slowly unfurls and brings meaning into the relationships of all the characters. The slow, village scenery brings a melancholic, yet elegant taste to the film as well.

Each of the actors did a great job portraying the story. Nowadays when Emily Cox has become so widely known for her role in the last kingdom, her wealth of emotion and range comes as no surprise. I am curious and would like to explore her other films as I'm sure she has done a great, enjoyable performances, as she has done in this film, in many other places. Bravo!

If you haven't watched this film, I greatly recommend that you do. You won't be disappointed!