Familienfest (original title)
UFA FICTION GmbH • Cinema • ARTE • November 25, 2016
The UFA FICTION production "Familienfest" is about Hanne's 70th birthday party, which leads to a scandal when old wounds are reopened. The leading roles are played by Günther Maria Halmer, Hannelore Elsner, Michaela May, Lars Eidinger, Marc Hosemann and Barnaby Metschurat, among others.
Hannes (Günther Maria Halmer), the tyrannical head of the family, is turning 70. His second wife (Michaela May) has invited the sons from his first marriage (Lars Eidinger, Marc Hosemann, Barnaby Metschurat) and their partners (Jördis Triebel, Daniel Krauss, Nele Mueller-Stöfen) and even his ex-wife (Hannelore Elsner) to a reconciliation party. At first, nobody could have guessed that the lavish Berlin family home would become a place of truth and catastrophe. A scandal erupts at the party as old wounds are reopened.
Content of the movie
Hannes, the tyrannical head of the family, turns 70. Anne, the second wife and stepmother, has invited him to a reconciliation party. But a scandal breaks out at the party. Old wounds open up.
The three childless sons Max, Gregor and Frederik and their partners and even Hannes’ ex-wife Renate have arrived from Paris. At first, nobody could have guessed that the spacious family home in Berlin would become a place of truth and catastrophe.
Decades of quarrels and arguments have alienated the family. No one is really interested in the other, the joy of reunion seems superficial. And in the Westhoff house, much is just a sham: the big house, the idyll, the love. Father Hannes, a celebrated concert pianist, has become an ironic loner over the years and is only too happy to show it. He is an eloquent patriarch, an egocentric who always has the laughs on his side – albeit sometimes at the expense of others. At the age of seventy, he has become increasingly isolated. Hannes has no friends for life, in fact he has become the enemy of life. A brilliant, charismatic man whose flaunted superiority affects the whole family.
But how long can one remain silent, suppress true feelings, keep up appearances? In the Westhoff house, the moment has come on the day of the party when the suppressed conflicts come to light. Son Max cannot and will not
wait any longer, because the truth urgently needs to be told before it remains hidden forever. Until now, no one has wanted to admit that Max is terminally ill. Even when his latest conquest, nurse Jenny, points out his critical condition, she is not taken seriously. And yet – in the face of imminent death, people are still capable of anything. After Max’s last big performance, the birthday speech in front of the eagerly awaiting guests, father and eldest son finally become close again.
wait any longer, because the truth urgently needs to be told before it remains hidden forever. Until now, no one has wanted to admit that Max is terminally ill. Even when his latest conquest, nurse Jenny, points out his critical condition, she is not taken seriously. And yet – in the face of imminent death, people are still capable of anything. After Max’s last big performance, the birthday speech in front of the eagerly awaiting guests, father and eldest son finally become close again.
Statement from producer Benjamin Benedict
The family.
Probably the most important and formative thing in all our lives. The most important thing of all – but also annoying, difficult, exhausting, demanding, torn, sometimes funny, surprising, energy-sapping, changeable, beautiful, annoying and much more.
But almost never boring.
The family shapes all people. Everyone has had at least one, and often many, family experiences. The family also represents the basic structure of society. It is – still – the decisive small building block for the way people live together. It forms the most important framework for all our life experiences.
The idea of using a family celebration that ends in escalation as the framework for a narrative is not new. The dynamics of such celebrations, in which the past and the present come together, have been described and experienced in many different ways, including in the everyday stories of a wide variety of families and their celebrations, whether at Christmas or on
birthdays.
However, we were fascinated by the complexity of the specific family conflicts in this film “Family Feast”. The prevailing dynamics here are determined by power and dependency relationships and the celebration of the patriarch’s birthday exposes old and new wounds.
In our highly productive partnership with Caroline von Senden and ZDF, we developed a shared vision of a special, very intimate family portrait. Under the direction of Lars Kraume, the story has found a particularly sensitive and subtle realization. The narrative is special and unique and at the same time universally valid in comparison with all of our family experiences.
Nina Haun’s outstanding cast of wonderful actors, who brought the family vividly to life with their enormous enthusiasm and outstanding talent, was indispensable. By showing fractures and contradictions, all nine actors filled the family members with
life and provided insights into the complex characters. Leonard Cohen wrote: “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in. ” – this also applies to the family in this film and the art of its actors in a way that is both profound and entertaining.
Cast & Crew
CAST
Hannes
Günther Maria Halmer
Renate
Hannelore Elsner
Anne
Michaela May
Max
Lars Eidinger
Jenny
Jördis Triebel
Gregory
Marc Hosemann
Frederik
Barnaby Metschurat
Charly
Nele Mueller-Stöfen
Vincent
Daniel Krauss
CREW
Screenplay
Andrea Stoll, Martin Rauhaus
Direction
Lars Kraume
Camera
Jens Harant
Producer
Benjamin Benedict
Producer
Verena Monssen
Editorial ZDF
Caroline von Senden
Casting
Nina Haun
Production design
Olaf Schiefner
Costume design
Anette Guther
Make-up
Anja Daum, Frauke Pira
Cut
Barbara Gies
Music
Julian Maas, Christoph M. Kaiser
Sound
Matthias Richter
Production management
Stephan Gehrke
Production management
Natalie Clausen
Customer
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