Katharina Thalbach

An ordinary working woman helps to spark a revolution in this historical drama inspired by a true story. Agnieszka Kowalska (Katharina Thalbach) has been working as a welder in the shipyards of Gdansk, Poland, since 1950, struggling to support her son since divorcing her husband. Working conditions at the shipyard have always been difficult and dangerous, and in 1961 Agnieszka begins speaking out, confronting her bosses about the rights of the workers; her fellow employees are at once grateful to her and worried about what might happen if she rocks the boat too hard. Agnieszka's personal life takes a turn for the better when she meets and marries Kazimierz Walczak (Dominique Horwitz), a kind man who moves into her neighborhood. However, after a serious accident at the shipyard claims the lives of several employees and their families are denied pension benefits, Agnieszka takes the bosses to task and begins organizing a union to protect the rights of the workers, an effort that slowly evolves into Poland's rebellious Solidarity movement. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff, Strike (aka Strajk -- Die Heldin von Danzig) was based on the true story of Polish labor advocate Anna Walentynowicz, though Walentynowicz has publicly criticized the film for certain historical inaccuracies. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Former theater director Leander Hausmann sets out to prove that the children of the Berlin Wall had more on their mind than politics in this bittersweet coming-of-age tale, set about a decade before the wall was dismantled. Hausmann's teens live along "Sun Alley," a street split in two by a checkpoint between East and West Berlin, and they occasionally talk of starting a resistance movement. Their revolutionary dreams are quickly dashed, however, in favor of dreaming about the opposite sex. Easterners Micha (Alexander Scheer) and Mario (Alexander Beyer) spend their days listening to bootlegged Rolling Stones records and endlessly scheming ways to lose their virginity. Meanwhile, Micha has to put up with his eccentric clan, including a mom (The Tin Drum's Katharina Thalbach) who's dreaming up disguises for escaping the country, a pop (Henry Huebchen) who bemoans the state of Eastern products, and a sis (Annika Kuhl) who throws herself at any available man in town. Nicknamed "The Eastie Boys," Sonnenallee certainly resonated with audiences in its homeland: Germans flocked to the film in record numbers, making it one of the country's most successful homegrown productions in years. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

A burnt-out Berlin cop investigating his 652nd case slowly loses the ability to discern the differences between the grim realities of the job and a decaying personal life as his mental instability grows progressively worse. His latest case is particularly nasty and puzzling, but Detective Bernie Kominka (Gotz George) finds himself strangely pleased, for it distracts him from his tumultuous home life wherein his wife grows fussy and distant, and his nearly lunatic son proclaims his undying hatred for him. The mystery involves the apparently sexually-motivated mutilation, beating death, and robbery of a young man. During his initial investigation of the crime scene, Kominka notes a yellow umbrella that is surreptitiously picked up by a young woman. While vainly searching for clues, Kominka's marriage finally crumbles, but not before he is suspended by his boss/brother-in-law Hecht (Christian Redl) during a heated argument. With no work and no family, Kominka, who seems to be teetering on the brink of a breakdown without realizing it himself, starts looking for the woman and the missing umbrella. During his search, he learns that the victim's ex-wife has become a suspect and that the deceased had been selling his son to pedophiles. Kominka finds the woman, Anna Weller (Corinna Harfouch) soon enough. A recent divorcée, she is as vulnerable and fragile as he is. Without identifying himself as a cop, Kominka picks Anna up at a singles bar and the two embark upon a decidedly sexual and unhealthy relationship that only worsens the situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Movie-making cliches are parodied in this German comedy which features to warring actresses, meddling producers, indulgent directors, and an ignored writer. Not only must they contend with each other, they must also deal with the bankers who have the power to shut them down at any moment. The story begins at the premier of director Viktor Rote's newest film "The Tin Cat," which stars his popular wife Riki Rote. The film's writer and Viktor's brother Richard is miffed when he is not allowed into the screening. Viktor's ambitious mistress and aspiring star the Nina is also not invited in. The film is a hit so Rote is allowed to begin his new film by producer George Kuballa. George is also head of the studio. His rich and frequently rejected wife is Lore, a major financial studio backer who prefers spending her time consorting with her handsome young chauffeur. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

By 1941, Adolf Hitler had taken personal command of the German military apparatus. His initial successes made this seem like a good idea at the time, but by 1944, after an unparalleled series of military defeats which Hitler refused even to acknowledge, a group of high-ranking military and political figures in Germany decided to assassinate him and take over the government. Unfortunately for them, their assassination attempt failed, and the knives were out to find all the people involved in the attempt. The most wanted person in the coup was Carl Goerdeler (Dieter Schaad), a respected figure in German public life for many decades. Twenty years earlier, a girl by the name of Helene Schwärzel (Katherina Thalbach") met Goerdeler. After the coup attempt, during the nationwide manhunt, Helene recognized him and notified the authorities. In addition to receiving a huge reward, she became the focus of a nationwide propaganda campaign, and was widely resented for her "success." When the Allies won the war, they prosecuted her under a "crimes against humanity" statute, and she spent six years in prison. A basically clueless, apolitical person, she seems to have been puzzled by the whole affair, and she never spent her reward money. This historical drama tells the about her involvement in this significant story. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this medical science fiction thriller, Vera Pukall (Katherna Thalbach) is a reporter. She is going to a meeting requested by someone who wouldn't identify themselves, but who indicated that it was urgent. When she gets there, she finds a dead, very famous scientist. The police rule it a suicide, but she has doubts. When she looks into it, she discovers a sinister human cloning plot; even the dead man's wife is bearing a fetus made from her own father's cells. Vera is getting a bit too close to the truth for comfort, and the bad guys attempt to do her in. However, she's a resourceful type, and manages an amazing escape. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

An American filmmaker travels to modern day Berlin to make a film based on a real-life incident from 1942 in which 13 Jewish prisoners from a concentration camp were promised freedom if they appeared in a German propaganda film. Unfortunately, the German's lied. The psychological process undergone by the modern filmmaker while shooting the story provide the basis of this arty and challenging film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Otto Sander plays a German film director who shows his films to a skeptical panel of censors in this satire. He unspools the reels of his work in front of officials and religious leaders who make up the censorship board. Many filmmakers' and celebrities' faces familiar to German audiences appear in the film. One of the most memorable scenes involves a line-up of well-known directors awaiting their own appearance before the unforgiving board. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

This film by Doris Dorrie concerns two men who fight over one of their wives. Angelica (Sunny Mellis) is a fairly conventional housewife who is concerned about her marriage, because her husband Victor (Heiner Lauterbach) has been ignoring her. So Angelica calls in a remedy, her petite friend Lotte (Katharina Thalbach) to light some fire under Victor. Lotte has no problem in doing that, because she enjoys the result, but this time the fire turns into a conflagration that runs out of control. With Lotte taking off from the incendiary effects of her actions and Victor obsessed with chasing after her, Angelica's original problem is reversed, and now Lotte is suffering the consequences. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Sex and politics are meant to coincide with each other in this over-extended, dull drama set in 1934 in Finland, yet they seem to cancel each other out. Johanna (Katharina Thalbach) has fled Nazi Germany to visit a friend in Finland, and from there she continues on to her friend's family's estate. Once at the estate, Johanna passionately argues with her friend's pro-Nazi brother and at the same time, falls for the second, good-looking brother who shares her own anti-fascist feelings. The two are soon engaged in an active sexual relationship that continues as they travel north to an Arctic port. Once there, they suddenly revert to their political personas as they begin to debate whether Johanna should stay with him in relative safety or go to Paris where she can join others in the resistance movement. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Even in war, the life of a rich family is different, according to this fictional story about Francois Korb (Armin Müller-Stahl) an arms manufacturer who sold both to the Germans and the Allied forces. Korb's home life is less than ideal, since his wife is having an affair with his brother, and his young son is inseparable from a teddy bear. To remedy the son's situation, the parents take in a little refugee girl as a temporary companion and playmate, and the two children become fast friends -- and when they meet again long after the war, the influence of family is all the more apparent. Meanwhile, the arms dealer will learn the hard way that weapons kill. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide