Sebastian Urzendowsky Movies

The horrors and moral compromises of war set the stage for this harrowing drama from director Max Färberböck, based on a true story. An anonymous female reporter (Nina Hoss) is living in Berlin in the spring of 1945; most of the city has been reduced to rubble by bombing, the German army has been decimated, and most of those left behind are expecting the arrival of Russian troops and fearful of what awaits them. The reporter is one of a number of women who are hiding wherever they can in the city, expecting that they will be raped and brutalized by the Russians. It doesn't take long for their worst fears to be realized as the emotionally ravaged Russian soldiers take out their anger and frustration on their new captives. But the reporter, who can speak Russian, is determined not to allow herself to be violated by the soldiers, and she decides to curry favor with a Soviet officer who will then protect her from his underlings. The reporter's plan works as she becomes the lover of Major Andrej (Yevgeni Sidikhin), an officer with decidedly mixed feelings about his work. But as the reporter trades consensual sex for the safety Andrej can give her, both are aware who is the victor and who is a captive, and elsewhere in Berlin both German survivors and the soldiers occupying Berlin show the scars of war as they bring out the worst in one another. Anonyma -- Eine Frau in Berlin (aka A Woman in Berlin) received its world premiere at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Filmmaker Ed Herzog and actress Heike Makatsch (Almost Heaven) reunite for this easygoing comedy drama concerning two unfamiliar sisters attempting to connect during a short holiday in Spain during the off-season. Anne (Makatsch) is a stressed out Berlin music executive who has hit her thirties and recently learned that she is six weeks pregnant with the child of her terminally mellow boyfriend Philipp (Marc Hosemann). Despite the fact that she loves Philipp dearly, the fact remains that he is fairly unreliable and she is the dictionary definition of a workaholic. After making the decision to keep news of the pregnancy to herself, Anne and her eighteen year old sister Marie (Anna Maria Muehe) book an apartment in a seaside resort town in Spain and set out for a brief vacation. The two sisters don't really know one another too well, but what better opportunity to get acquainted than during a relaxing getaway? Despite their most sincere attempts to find some common ground, Anne and Marie gradually find themselves pushed farther apart than ever before when Anne makes a drunken attempt to seduce a vacationing student named Max (Sebastian Urzendowsky), who later warms up to the younger of the two siblings. As the reality of her age and disillusionment sets in, Anne experiences a minor breakdown that leaves her feeling exceptionally vulnerable. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

German director Hans-Christian Schmid teams up again with writing partner Michael Gutmann for the ensemble film Lichter (Distant Lights). The film takes place during a few days around the Oder River, which acts as a border between Poland and Germany. Several different interrelated stories involve young adults who smuggle cigarettes, a businessman who sells black-market mattresses, and a cab driver trying to get his daughter a communion dress. While trying to cross the river at night, Ukranian Kolya (Ivan Shvedov) is arrested while two other Ukranians (Sergei Frolov and Anna Yanovskaya) are helped by the cab driver. Lichter premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi