Martin Kiefer Movies
- 2008
A precocious girl turns sleuth to recover a missing diary and uncovers more than she bargained for in this family-friendly comedy-drama. Eleven-year-old Paula (Thelma Heintzelmann) is a smart girl who has been forced to be more self-reliant than she'd wish thanks to the busy lives of her folks. Paula's most prized possession is her diary, in which she spins tales from her rich fantasy life about romantic adventures with a handsome young hero. Paula runs afoul of a pair of youthful thieves who take a knife to her backpack and make off with its contents, including her diary. Tobi (Paul Vincent de Wall), one of Paula's classmates who has a secret infatuation with her, hears about the missing diary, and he offers to help her find it. Before long, Paula and Tobi are playing detective on a grander scale than expected, and they buy more time to search for the diary by sending her younger sister Jenny (Constanze Spranger) to summer camp in Paula's place. However, when Paula and Tobi learn the truth about the thieves, they find they've uncovered a crime ring with ties to trafficking in kidnapped children. Paulas Geheimnis (Paula's Secret) also stars Albert Berisa, Claudia Michelsen and Juide Girisken. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thelma Heintzelmann, Paul Vincent de Wall, (more)
- 2007
A pair of juvenile delinquents growing up in without dreams or prospects turn to violent crime in this drama from Germany. Adam (Ludwig Trepte) and Tommek (Martin Kiefer) are two friends who live in a crumbling housing project in Leipzig. Adam is a misfit who isn't sure how to behave around others, while Tommek is a rebel given to vandalism and glue-sniffing. Sara (Jil Funke) is a neighborhood girl with a crush on Adam, but between his hesitant nature and his unacknowledged attraction to Tommek, he doesn't respond when she reaches out to him. One night, Adam and Tommek get blind drunk at a friend's party, and the two decide they're bored. Tommek then suggests something that will add some excitement to their lives -- murder. Sieben Tage Sonntag (aka Seven Days Sunday) was the first feature film from writer and director Niels Laupert. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ludwig Trepte, Martin Kiefer, (more)
A handsome but disaffected college graduate unable to deal with the pressures of the ultra-competitive job market in director Christoph Hochhaüsler's dark coming of age comedy. Armin (Constantin von Jascheroff) certainly has the brains to get a good-paying job, but the pressure from his parents to find gainful employment seems to be pushing him strait over the edge. After witnessing a tragic car accident and phoning in a false confession to the local newspaper, Armin finds his darkest impulses slowly taking control as he scrawls obscene graffiti on the bathroom wall, fantasizes about violent crimes, and has forced-sex with a vicious, leather-clad motorcycle gang. The trouble is, Armin can't distinguish where his fantasy world ends and where his reality begins anymore, and the danger that lurks beneath his innocent surface is about to get the best of him. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Constantin Von Jascheroff, Manfred Zapatka, (more)
- 2003
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ivan Shvedov, Sergei Frolov, (more)
