Jakob Matschenz Movies
- 2008
A high-school teacher assigned the thankless task of teaching autocracy as part of the school's project week decides to spice up his lessons by conducting a decidedly unorthodox experiment in this adaptation of the popular novel by Todd Strasser. Though his students are initially apathetic about teh prospect of being schooled in the evils of fascism yet again, the lesson soon takes an unexpected turn of events that no one in the classroom could have seen coming. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, (more)
- 2007
Plenty of teenagers have to deal with bad skin, but one guy is cursed with something worse than acne in this independent coming of age drama. Guido (Jacob Matschenz) is a teenage boy growing up in Germany's Neander Valley, which is famous as the place where the first evidence of the Neanderthal Man was discovered. Guido wants nothing more than to be an ordinary kid who doesn't stand out, but he suffers from a severe case of neurodermatitis, and his irritated skin makes him painfully visible in a crowd. Outcast Guido falls in with a pack of party animals and starts drinking heavily, but when his skin responds badly to his beer swilling, Guido is forced to become a straight arrow. Tired of his schoolmates, Guido begins hanging out with his older brother Martin (Tim Egloff), a slacker who lives with his delinquent pal Rudi (Andreas Schmidt), and Guido makes Rudi his new role model when he learns his father (Falk Rockstroh) has been having an affair with the woman next door. Guido's skin miraculously clears up and he finally is able to win a girlfriend, Katrin (Luana Bellinghausen), but while his love life has improved, he still doesn't know what to do about his troubled relationship with his folks, or their failing relationship with one another. Neanderthal was screened in competition at the 2007 Turin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jakob Matschenz, Andreas Schmidt, (more)
- 2007
An eleven year-old Turkish boy with something to prove, two mischief makes from a small town, and a cuckolded cop facing a personal crisis all make their way to the district of Kruezberg for the annual May Day celebration, only to find the volatile annual event spinning quickly out of control. Young Yavuz is convinced that he could impress his older brother if he could just "floor a cop," yet after meeting a former member of the student revolts of the 1960s, he gradually comes to view authority from a new perspective. Meanwhile, small time Mindenties Jacob and Pelle are all geared up for their big adventure in the capitol, though their aimless search for the city's best kebob shop and attempts to join a protest march for the anarchic "Black Book" eventually find the day taking a most unanticipated turn. And while hapless policeman Uwe and his partner have been assigned the task of maintaining order in Kruezberg, attempting to focus on the task at hand proves especially difficult do to the fact that Uwe's wife is openly seeing another man. As Uwe ponders his partner's suggestion of visiting a local bordello that caters kindly to cops, the perspective of each person involved serves to paint a uniquely different picture of the day's events. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benjamin Höppner, Jakob Matschenz, (more)
A financially devastated German town receives an encouraging boost with the arrival of a popular soccer star, though a heated love triangle threatens to overshadow the good vibes in this sexually liberated comedy from filmmaker Norbert Baumgarten. The arrival of soccer superstar Blondi has brought a wind of rejuvenation to the downtrodden eastern German town, but as the championship game draws near, the soccer team president's son, Micah, threatens his relationship with longtime girlfriend Sylvia by sleeping with her best friend. Incensed at her boyfriend's infidelity, Sylvia seduces Blondi on the eve of the championship game, leaving the whole town wondering just what has happened to their newfound lucky charm. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johanna Klante, Florian Lukas, (more)
- 2002
Swiss filmmaker Katalin Gödrös makes her feature debut with the German-language drama Mutanten. Paula (Karoline Teska) is a 13-year-old girl who lives with her mother (Barbara Philipp) and despises the idea of spending the summer vacation with her father (Peter Lohmeyer). She concocts a theory that all of humanity is stricken with a mutant virus. In her mind, everyone is infected except the moody 16-year-old Jens (Jakob Matschenz). When he steals a car and goes on the run, Paula goes with him. They encounter 19-year-old Charlotte (Sabine Timoteo) and set out to see the place where Jens' parents were killed. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karoline Teska, Jakob Matschenz, (more)
