ASTRID SCHULT: WINTER HUNT/WINTERJAGD (2017) - SAN FRANCISCO JEWISH FILM FESTIVALMICHAEL DEGEN IN WINTER HUNT/WINTERJAGRThis is a contemporary German thriller that just happens to refer to WWII crimes against the Jews.
Quote:
On a cold, wintry night, Lena shows up on the doorstep of the Rossberg family mansion. She claims her car has broken down, but her arrival is intentional. Lena is in pursuit of Anselm Rossberg, an aged Auschwitz guard who lives with his daughter, Maria. Anselm and Maria both deny Anselm's past, but Lena is determined to get him to confess, even as her own weapon is turned on her and she is forced into a moral dilemma.
-IMDb summary.
A closet drama, with a couple of new twists involving a painting. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that the actor who plays the 90-year-old ex-Nazi is Michael Degen, a German Jew who survived the war in Berlin hiding with his mother while his father was sent to the camps and died. He's had quite a career and life. A handsome old man, who somewhat resembles Scorsese - but without the glasses. Another interesting touch: Maria is played by Degen's own daughter, Elizabeth Degen. Carolyn Genzkow is suitably raw and intense as Lena.
Winter Hunt/Winterjagr, 78 mins., was shown on German television 2 Oct. 2017/ Screened for this review as part of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. Showtmes:
Thurs. 26 Jul. at 8:55 p.m. at the Castro Theater in San Francisco, Sat. 4 Aug. at the Piedmont Theater in Oakland, and Sun. 5 Aug. at 6:25 p.m., San Rafael.
ELIZABETH DEGEN, MICHAEL DEGEN IN WINTER HUNT/WINTERJAGR