Watching full-length films in German is one of the best ways to practice your language skills while also having fun. German cinema, dating back to classics like “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (1929), is full of incredibly beautiful films. What’s sometimes harder to find are films released within our lifetimes, so here are 12 Contemporary German Films (in alphabetic order) from several genres, all of which are available at the Reed Instructional Media Center.
“Barbara” (2012): Barbara, an East German doctor, is sent to work in a small town hospital as punishment for requesting to leave the country. While planning an escape to the West, she discovers she has reasons to stay. A personal and touching drama, Barbara is also a vignette of life in East Germany.
“Bella Martha” / “Mostly Martha” (2001): A touching German romantic comedy about Martha, a woman trying to balance her passion as a chef with the difficulties of caring for her stubborn niece. Martha herself is as fiery and stubborn as her niece, and they often butt heads, but the introduction of a friendly, good-looking Italian chef seems to have an effect on their relationship.
“Das Experiment” / “The Experiment” (2001): Loosely based on the Stanford prison experiment, Das Experiment imagines the psychological toll on a group of people randomly assigned roles as “prisoners” or “guards”. Moritz Bleibtreu, one of Germany’s most famous actors, stars in this dark thriller.
“Das Leben der Anderen” / “The Lives of Others” (2006): Possibly the most acclaimed modern film to come out of Germany, Das Leben der Anderen is about East German surveillance during the Cold War. A Stasi officer, listening in on a young couple, becomes fascinated with their lives. The film has won numerous awards for its dramatic brilliance and accurate display of the historical atmosphere, and is a must-see.
“Der Untergang” / “Downfall” (2004): An epic drama about the final days of the Nazi regime, Der Untergang is told from the perspective of Traudl Junge, Hitler’s personal secretary. The film dramatises the events that lead up to Hitler’s downfall, while dealing with themes of responsibility and guilt.
“Fack ju Göhte” (2013): The German equivalent of a Jack Black film, Fack ju Göhte is about a former bank robber who mistakenly gets hired as a substitute teacher. Although you’ll probably never see this film on a syllabus, it’s universally well-known in Germany as one of the funniest and stupidest films of our generation.
“Good Bye, Lenin” (2001): Set during the Reunification of West and East Germany, Alex has to protect his mother, who awoke from a coma to a brand new world. He reconstructs a mini-GDR in her apartment, but the deception goes too far and he starts to blur reality and fiction. An excellent watch for those interested in post-unification German culture, history, and comedy!
“Herr Lehmann” / “Berlin Blues” (2003): Just before the German reunification, Herr Lehmann introduces us to Frank Lehmann, a twenty-something bartender living lazily in West Berlin. When his parents come to visit, his depressingly boring life is upset, and he has to reevaluate his lifestyle. If you’re looking for an enjoyable and fun film, this isn’t it, but it’s a great period piece full of clever dialogue.
“Lola Rennt” / “Run Lola Run” (1998): Lola is thrust into a dangerous situation by her boyfriend, Manni, and has twenty minutes to collect 100,000 deutsche Marks, and so she runs…and runs…and runs. The rest can only be described as an MTV-inspired thriller with as many experimental techniques as you can hope to cram in an 80-minute film. A cult classic action-thriller with a plot and characters so energetic, you’ll be breathless yourself by the end.
“Sophie Scholl: Die letzten Tagen” (2005): Based on a true story, this epic drama recreates the final days of Sophie and her brother, two members of an underground resistance group in Nazi Germany called the “Weiße Rose”. Although the film is tragic and may leave you weeping, it’s narratively excellent and cinematographically beautiful.
“Türkisch für Anfänger” (2012): One of the more ridiculous suggestions on this list, this film is essentially a goofy spin-off of “Lost”. Four teenagers get stranded on a beautiful desert island and have to put aside their caricaturised differences and get along. Full of politically-incorrect stereotypes and language, Türkisch für Anfänger will set you up perfectly for a trip to Germany.
“Vincent will Meer” / “Vincent Wants to Sea” (2010): A young man with Tourette’s wants nothing more than to escape his mental institution and take a trip to Italy. With the help of Marie, a woman with an eating disorder, the two break out and take a road trip full of misadventures.