Fatherland

Shot in black and white in a 4:3 aspect ratio, Paweł Pawlikowski’s latest historical drama continues his exploration of post-war Europe, following Ida and Cold War.

In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, writer Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) embark on an emotional and challenging road trip in a black Buick across a Germany still in ruins.

Returning home after sixteen years of exile in the US, Mann must confront not only a divided fatherland, but also deep divisions within his own family.

Pawlikowski and cinematographer Łukasz Żal use restrained camerawork that mirrors Mann’s stony reserve, reflecting the historical and personal pain that lingers beneath Germany’s uncertain new beginning.