Family Affairs

Selects #13

16 Jul–15 Oct 25

Nine kinds of families, happy and otherwise, are featured in this streaming program. 

You can’t choose your family, as the saying goes. Relatives are closely tied to one another, whether they like it or not. Sibling rivalry and conflict have been the subject of storytelling since time began. And the complex relationship between parents and children, which wavers between wanting recognition and wanting independence, has served as a backdrop for innumerable film dramas. Yet for all the conflicts families produce, they are also a source of unity and solidarity. How filmmakers choose to depict happy or unhappy families in various constellations also always reflects prevailing social conditions. 

All films

  • Vacation

    ‘Ferien’, GER 2007, directed by Thomas Arslan, 91 min, no subtitles, rating: 6

  • Ping-Pong

    ‘Pingpong’, GER 2005, directed by Matthias Luthardt, 87 min, with English subtitles, rating: 12

  • Windows on Monday

    ‘Montag kommen die Fenster’, GER 2006, directed by Ulrich Köhler, 92 min, with English subtitles, rating: 12

  • On the Same Planet

    ‘Auf demselben Planeten’, GER 2002, directed by Katrin Eissing, 85 min, with English subtitles, rating: 12

  • Family Crypt – A Love Poem to My Mother

    ‘Familiengruft – Ein Liebesgedicht an meine Mutter’, FRG 1982, directed by Maria Lang, 11 min, with English subtitles, rating: 12

  • There’s No Such Thing as Blue Mice

    ‘Blaue Mäuse gibt es nicht’, GDR 1958, directed by Klaus Georgi, 11 min, no subtitles, rating: 0

  • The Cuckoos

    ‘Die Kuckucks’, GDR 1949, directed by Hans Deppe, 92 min, no subtitles, rating: 0

  • Little Dorrit

    ‘Klein Dorrit’, GER 1934, directed by Carl Lamač, 93 min, with English subtitles and AD/SDH, rating: 12

  • The Buddenbrooks

    ‘Die Buddenbrooks’, GER 1923, directed by Gerhard Lamprecht, 106 min, with English subtitles, rating: 0