Johanna Wokalek Movies
- 2008
- R
Director Uli Edel teams with screenwriter Bernd Eichinger to explore a dark period in German history with this drama detailing the rise and fall of the Red Army Faction, a left-wing terrorist organization that became increasingly active following World War II. Also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, the Red Army Faction was formed by the radicalized children of the Nazi generation with the intended goal of battling Western imperialism and the West German establishment. Adapted from author Stefan Aust's definitive account of the group that resorted to killing innocent civilians in the name of democracy and justice, The Baader Meinhof Complex stars Moritz Bleibtreu as Andreas Baader and Martina Gedeck as Ulrike Meinhof. Bruno Ganz co-stars as Horst Herold, the head of the German police force faced with the task of bringing the Red Army Faction to justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martina Gedeck, Moritz Bleibtreu, (more)
- 2007
At some point in the not-so-distant future, an unnamed European city has evolved into a bizarre dystopian metropolis, whose residents inhabit towering utopian high-rises and work, collectively, in a single compound. Such is the backdrop of Austrian director Christian Frosch's intense and offbeat sci-fi thriller Silent Resident (AKA Weisse Lilien, 2007). Amid this strange onscreen environment, a young woman named Hannah (Brigitte Hobmeier) screams out for asylum from her physically abusive husband, Branco (Xaver Hutter). She ultimately grows so distraught that she flees from Branco on impulse - assisted by her friends, who help her move into the top floor of their facility. While Hannah's future brightens for a period, given her blossoming romance with the detective Hauks (Martin Wuttke) and the disappearance of Branco (who fails to turn up as expected after Hannah moves), the poor woman's paranoia builds - she constantly suspects that she is being watched by an unseen presence and learns of the dire fate of a previous occupant (whose body was spotted hurling from the upper balcony). Meanwhile, her friendships and romance with Hauks also begin to take on a decidedly odd character. Frosch filmed this saga at Alterlaa, formerly a utopian housing complex in Vienna, Austria. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brigitte Hobmeier, Johanna Wokalek, (more)
- 2005
German writer-director Til Schweiger's romantic comedy Barefoot (Barfuss) concerns itself with the plight of Nick Keller (Schweiger) a young man branded as an outcast and a ne'er-do-well by his exorbitantly wealthy family. Unable to hold a permanent job, and harboring deep-seated contempt for anyone in a position of authority, Nick retains the admiration and respect of only his mother, who persistently believes that one day, he will somehow rise above his loser past and accomplish something of merit. Indeed, this appears to be the case when Nick accepts a job at a psychiatric clinic and saves a troubled young woman namedLeila (Johanna Wokalek) from suicide, but she soon turns up at his home late one night, barefoot and clad in a nightgown. This issue-ridden girl battles post-traumatic stress disorder from her mother's untimely death, and harbors a phobia about being touched. Nonetheless, a quirky and unpredictable romance soon blossoms between Nick and Leila, and they set out together on an unforgettable road trip. For the first occasion in his life, Nick soon becomes accountable to someone other than himself. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Til Schweiger, Johanna Wokalek, (more)
The opening film of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival in 1999, Aimée & Jaguar drew attention not only for the lesbian love story that it narrates, but equally for the political position of the lovers -- Aimée, the wife of a Nazi officer, and Jaguar, a Jewish journalist. The story is based on the memoirs of Lilly Wust (the Aimée character), who is 85 and still living in Germany. In 1943, as Allied bombers leave Berlin in ruins, Lilly Wust Juliane Köhler earns a Cross of Motherhood for bringing up four children while husband Günther Detlev Buck is away fighting on the eastern front. She leads a bourgeois existence, with occasional love affairs on the side, and the bust of Hitler is a prominent decoration in their flat. When Lilly receives a love letter signed 'Jaguar,' she suspects a male admirer. But it is the self-confident Felice Schragenheim Maria Schrader who initiates this forbidden romance. A passionate love affair begins amidst the bombing raids and the threat of persecution. Madly in love, Lilly wants to divorce her husband, which causes a terrible storm, not just because her lover is a woman, but because she is Jewish and fighting for the Resistance. But nothing stops the love-blind Lilly. The two women make a pact of love and marriage and try to block out the reality of war and persecution; however, the Gestapo soon catches up with them. Aimée & Jaguar is based on Erica Fischer's best-selling book, published in 1994 and translated into eleven languages; the real life Lilly Wust was 80 years old when she told Erica Fischer her story. Maria Schrader and Juliane Köhler shared the Silver Bear for the Best Actress at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival, for their roles in Aimée & Jaguar, while the film received the Teddy Award, given to films dealing with gay and lesbian issues. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maria Schrader, Juliane Köhler, (more)
