The Miracle of Bern 2003
Das Wunder von Bern (original title)
1h 58min | Comedy, Drama, Sport | 16 October 2003 (Germany)
Storyline:
A young boy from a working class family in post-war Germany struggles with his estranged father returning from war captivity, while a friend of his plays for the German National Soccer Team at the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland.
Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer 2010
PG | 1h 33min | Adventure, Comedy, Family | 16 April 2010 (USA)
Storyline:
Branded as a ‘nerd’ and harassed by the school bully, 12-year-old Arthur is rescued by a magical alchemist/troll but is soon able to return the favor. Arthur’s loving mom, who struggles to keep her devious ex-husband from gaining custody of Arthur, dismisses her son’s ‘fantasies’ until she realizes their all-too-real immediate danger and joins forces with Arthur, the troll, the Knights of the Square Table (Arthur’s pals Natalie and Tim), and a dashing but washed up video-game master named Shane. Together, they hope to conquer an unleashed dragon and the wicked vice-principal who threaten civilization.
Run the Tide 2016
PG-13 | 1h 40min | Drama | 2 December 2016 (USA)
Storyline:
Rey gave up his chance at college and love to raise his young half-brother Oliver, who looks nothing like him – “same mom, different dads.” But when his meth addicted mother, Lola, is released from prison determined to rebuild her family, Rey kidnaps his younger brother and escapes their desert home for the California coast, chasing the dream that he let go years ago. Lola turns to her ex-husband Bo to help find her missing boys, bringing up ghosts from their own failed relationship. With nothing but the open road ahead of them, and Lola and Bo in close pursuit, Rey and Oliver race away from a past they never wanted, towards a future that could have been.
Priklyucheniya Toma Soyera i Geklberri Finna 1982
3h 45min | Adventure, Family | TV Movie 27 March 1982
User review:
It’s ironic but true – although the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are an American classic of iconic status, it would be the old nemesis USSR to go down in history as the country of origin of their most faithful film adaptation. Almost all the story lines of the two books are told, and in a non-embellished fashion. While some may criticize its (lack of) pace, the careful storytelling makes this three hour TV-movie right especially for younger audiences. Precisely because this is not as high budget as some of the US versions, it is astonishing to watch how detailed the Mississippi towns were built in the Soviet Union (everything had to be built from scratch)! Try this one if you love the book and don’t mind the harsh realism of the story.
The Boy in the Dress 2014
1h 3min | Comedy, Drama, Family | TV Movie 26 December 2014
Storyline:
*May Contain Spoilers* Dennis attends a school with a very strict dress code and, although he is their football team’s star striker, he feels out of place, missing the glamorous mother who walked out on the family, leaving him feeling estranged from his father. After being attracted to a fashion magazine he befriends free-spirited school-mate Lisa, a talented would-be designer, who persuades him to model a dress she has made. Initially he feels awkward but takes to the cross-dressing as his own form of rebellion and wears the dress to school, passing himself off as a French girl, but he is exposed and expelled by the stony headmaster. With no Dennis the soccer team looks doomed in a cup final against a superior side but Lisa has an idea and the whole team takes to the field in dresses, defying the head to expel them too if Dennis cannot play. As a result he helps win the cup and is declared a hero, reunited with his father, though he is still expelled – until he discovers the headmaster’s own guilty secret.
It’s Not Me, I Swear 2008
C’est pas moi, je le jure! (original title)
1h 50min | Comedy, Drama, Family | 25 September 2008 (Canada)
Storyline:
Léon is ten years old, has lots of problems and an overly fertile imagination. Of course, there is mom and dad who are always fighting, and those annoying neighbors who get to spend the summer at the beach. And then, there’s Léa, the exasperating girl who’s always right about everything. In the summer of ’68, when mom decides to leave everything behind to start a new life in Greece, Léon is prepared to do anything to kill the pain. Destroy the neighbors’ house, become a professional liar and even, why not, fall in love with Léa. Together, they will overcome the pain of growing up when you feel abandoned.
La maison des bois 1971
52min | Drama | TV Mini-Series (1971– )
User review:
Set in the French countryside during the Great War of 1914-18 Pialat’s extraordinary seven episode TV serial extends the themes of his debut feature L’Enfance Nue, the director however having much more freedom and time to explore the nature of childhood and the impact on children abandoned by their parents. The series focuses on the experiences of three children (including even Michel Tarrazon, the young star of the earlier movie) living out in the country with gamekeeper Albert and Maman Jeanne on the country estate of a Marquis. The gamekeeper and his wife have their own older children, Marcel and Marguerite, but the three boys have been sent there by their parents who have been caught up in the war, the fathers called up to the front, the mothers simply unable to look after them in the present climate.
Wengler und Soehne 1987
Wengler & Söhne (original title)
2h 19min | Drama, History
Storyline:
This film tells a story spanning three generations, from 1871 to 1945. After the farmer’s son, Gustav Wengler, returns from the Franco-German war in 1871, he goes to work in a precision mechanics and optical company. He soon becomes a master craftsman; he is loyal and devoted to this company and promises his director on his deathbed that his sons and grandchildren will also stand by the company. At last, the time comes for his talented grandson Paul to honor this promise and join the company. In the meantime, however, the company has gained a worldwide reputation and supports the Third Reich. Although Paul is skeptical about the Nazi leadership, he continues working for the company. When he sees the company destroyed during the war, old Gustav Wengler realizes his family is responsible for the turn the country has taken.
