Franz Buchrieser Movies

Separated from her biological father for more than a decade, a teenage girl living with her mother in Paris sets out to reconnect with her wayward dad in director Mia Hansen-Løve's sincere family drama. Years ago, Victor and Annette spent an idyllic spring in Venice with their beloved daughter, Pamela. Though Victor would frequently neglect his work in favor of frolicking with Pamela outdoors, visiting Annette's parents, and hanging out in the park with local drug dealers during those picturesque days, lovelorn Annette remained convinced that her husband would become more responsible when her family returned to Paris. Old habits die hard, though, and soon after returning home, Victor and Annette have a monumental blowout. In the aftermath, Victor moves in with a junkie he has fallen in love with and Annette disappears into the city with Pamela. Flash-forward 11 years later, and 17-year-old Pamela is still living in Paris with her mother. When an inquiry into father's whereabouts reveals that Victor is living nearby, curious Pamela decides to check in on her long-lost dad. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

This thriller stars Jurgen Prochnow as an alcoholic sailor who agrees to deliver two young English women to the Caribbean. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

A street-hardened cop softens up after he gets entangled with an 18-year-old but very tough girl who hangs out with other juvenile delinquents in this violent German actioner. Their strange relationship begins when the cop meets her while trying to arrest a group of her friends. During the scuffle, she manages to steal the cop's gun and uses it to pay off a debt. After several chases and near seductions, the cop and the girl hook up, but then the cop finds himself with a difficult decision. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Hanna Schygulla and Angela Winkler are the stars of the German psychological drama Friends and Husbands. Having both been burned by unhappy relationships with men, Schygulla and Winkler become more and more reliant upon each other. The men in their lives can't come to grips with their strong friendship, and begin writing off Schygulla and Winkler as "oddballs." As in most of her films, writer/director Margarethe von Trotta probes the unspoken human complexities that draw people together. Von Trotta also weaves a political subtext into the proceedings: it isn't immediately obvious, but it's there all the same. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young woman who works in a bookstore has been terrified by nightmares about having committed suicide in a past lifetime, combined with a sense of deja vu regarding a specific apartment building. When she meets a young man who works in an optical company, whether she knows it or not, she is that much closer to the truth about her visions. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Rainer Werner Fassbinder's sweeping 16-hour-long drama Berlin Alexanderplatz is an adaptation of the novel by Alfred Doblin. Franz Biberkopf (Günter Lamprecht) is released from prison as the film opens; he had been jailed for four years after killing his girlfriend Ida. Franz becomes involved with Lina (Elisabeth Trissenaar) and promises to no longer break the law. The 1920s German economy is horrible, and Franz has difficulty providing for himself and his partner. He goes into business with Lina's uncle, who eventually betrays Franz, sending him into a serious downward spiral. Franz becomes involved with a criminal named Reinhold (Gottfried John), a womanizer who convinces Franz to get rid of the woman Reinhold himself has discarded. After a botched robbery, Franz loses his arm in a car accident. With assistance from his ex-girlfriend Eva (Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla) and her pimp, Franz recovers and returns to the city. He starts to make some money by acting as a pimp for a prostitute named Mieze (Barbara Sukowa), but Reinhold returns and kills her. The authorities arrest Franz for the murder. The film ends with Franz in a mental hospital, a prime candidate to join the ranks of the upstart National Socialist party. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Near Lake Constance, a messiah wannabe named Kristlien, or "Little Christ," attempts to take care of society's outcasts, in this movie based on the novel by Martin Walser. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide