Sommersturm (2004)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Marco Kreuzpaintner

Writers:

Thomas Bahmann (screenplay)
Marco Kreuzpaintner (screenplay)

Release Date:

2 September 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

life happens without warning

Plot:

Tobi and Achim, the pride of the local crew club, have been the best of friends for years and are convinced...

Plot Keywords:

Gay | Rowing | Storm | Best Friend | Germany

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Robert Stadlober	...	Tobi
Kostja Ullmann	...	Achim
Jürgen Tonkel	...	Hansi
Miriam Morgenstern	...	Sandra
Alicja Bachleda-Curus	...	Anke
Angelika Brennfleck	...	Thea
Josefine Müller	...	Claudia
Joseph M'Barek	...	Ferdinand
Tristano Casanova	...	Georg
Roman Storm	...	Günther
Jeff Fischer	...	Flasche
Johannes Franke	...	Martin
Anton Rattinger	...	Gruber
Gerhard Oberwetter	...	Busfahrer
Tobias van Dieken	...	Naturschützer (as Tobias Vandieken)

Also Known As:

Summer Storm (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, language and drug content.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Germany:12 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | Norway:11

Filming Locations:

Bevertalsperre, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany

Company:

Claussen & Wöbke Filmproduktion GmbH

Quotes:

[first lines]
Tobi: She said, I don't mind!
Achim: Those very words. Now chill, I have to keep at 140.

Movie Connections:

References "Sesame Street" (1969)

Soundtrack:

The Summer We Had

A mature, moving teen drama from Germany.

Sommersturm (Summer Storm) is about Tobi and Achim who have been best friends for years. As cox and oarsman, they have helped their team win several rowing cups in the past and are now looking forward to the big regatta in the countryside. But this trip is no summer camp, and the problems soon arise. As Achim's relationship with his girlfriend grows more serious, Tobi starts to realise that his feelings for Achim run deeper than he's willing to admit to himself. He feels confused, unsure of himself and increasingly left out. When the much-anticipated Berlin girls' team is being replaced by a team of athletic,young gay men, Tobi and his teammates are suddenly forced to grapple with their prejudices, fears and perhaps their hidden longings. As the tension grows, Tobi, Achim and the others head towards a confrontation as fierce and ultimately as liberating as the summer storm gathering over the lake...

"Summer Storm" is an emotionally mature and honest film which deals with the issue of coming out with humour, sensitivity and understanding. The performances are excellent, with the actors and actresses tending to underplay emotions rather than hamfisting them home, which tends to happen in American teen dramas. The performance by the award winning Robert Stadlober (Best Leading Actor at the Montreal Film Festival, 2001) was particularly standout. All characters are identifiable and likable, and although some characters verge on the cliché, clichés are clichés because they originated in truth.

Director, Marco Kreuzpaintner and cinematographer Daniel Gottschalk make the landscape lush, tranquil, yet with a strong sense of isolation, loneliness and foreboding. Visual metaphors are seamlessly woven into the films narrative without becoming too cliché or distracting.

The film is un-hyperbolic in its treatment of the familiar themes of coming of age, the search for identity, friendship and sexuality (both homosexuality and heterosexuality). Sommersturm is a beautiful, moving and honest film.