Beyond Silence (1996 film)
Jenseits der Stille | |
---|---|
Directed by | Caroline Link |
Produced by |
Jakob Claussen Thomas Wöbke Luggi Waldleitner |
Written by |
Caroline Link Beth Serlin |
Starring |
Sylvie Testud Howie Seago Emmanuelle Laborit Sibylle Canonica Matthias Habich Alexandra Bolz Birge Schade |
Music by | Niki Reiser |
Cinematography | Gernot Roll |
Edited by | Patricia Rommel |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
Country | Germany |
Language |
German German Sign Language |
Beyond Silence (German: Jenseits der Stille) is a 1996 German film and 1998 in English directed by Caroline Link. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 70th Academy Awards.[1]
Plot
The film tells the story of Lara, who grows up as the daughter of deaf parents. Lara herself is hearing and is fluent in sign language. Even as a young child, she serves as an interpreter for her parents in many situations. For example, she interprets at a credit negotiation at the bank, although not always completely truthfully.
In Christmas, Lara receives a clarinet from her Aunt Clarissa, an enthusiastic musician. Lara discovers the world of music, where her parents cannot follow her. In the years that follow, Lara is discovered to be a talented clarinet player.
After Lara's mother Kai is killed in a bike accident, Lara's father Martin feels abandoned. When the 18-year-old Lara wants to study at a music conservatory in Berlin, the family seems to break apart. The ending seems to reconcile it all: Lara's father tries to understand the love of music that his daughter feels, and the film comes to a careful reunion between Martin and Lara.
Cast
- Sylvie Testud - Lara
- Tatjana Trieb - Lara als Kind (Lara as Child)
- Howie Seago - Martin
- Emmanuelle Laborit - Kai
- Sibylle Canonica - Clarissa
- Matthias Habich - Gregor (Clarissa's husband)
- Alexandra Bolz - Marie
- Hansa Czypionka - Tom
- Doris Schade - Lilli
- Horst Sachtleben - Robert
- Hubert Mulzer - Herr Gärtner
- Birge Schade - Fräulein Mertens
- Stephan Kampwirth - Bankbeamter
Reviews
- "A successful film debut of a graduate of the Munich Film Academy. The film is a sensible presentation of the problem of the handicapped as well as the universal theme of the self discovery of a young woman and the plea for understanding and openness about seemingly disproportionate experiences." (film-dienst 25/1996)
- "Whoever would like to find out how loud the snow is and how the sounds of a clarinet can enchant people, should not allow themselves to miss this film: a German production which takes up extraordinary themes across the relationship-comedy and tells the story about saying goodbye to one's childhood with gentle humor and an idiosyncratic aesthetic." (Fischer Film Almanach, 1997)
- "A film that allows silence to become music and has found strength in the balance between laughing and crying, happiness and pain. "Jenseits der Stille" is memorable among German productions, and excellently cast. (Dirk Jasper FilmLexikon)
- "Thanks to good casting for all roles and assured acting performances under its direction, this [film is] a successful journey into the world of the deaf, with all its problems of social integration and family conflict." (FBW Langfilme)
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Bavarian Film Awards | Best Director | Caroline Link | Won |
Best Film Score | Niki Reiser | Won | ||
Chicago International Film Festival | Special Mention | Caroline Link | Won | |
Best Film | Caroline Link | Nominated | ||
Deutscher Filmpreis | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | Sylvie Testud | Won | |
Best Editing | Niki Reiser | Won | ||
Outstanding Feature Film | Caroline Link | Won | ||
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role | Emmanuelle Laborit | Nominated | ||
Best Direction | Caroline Link | Nominated | ||
Guild of German Art House Cinemas | German Film | Caroline Link | Won | |
Palm Springs International Film Festival | Best Foreign Language Film | Caroline Link | Nominated | |
Tokyo International Film Festival | Best Screenplay Award | Caroline Link | Won | |
Tokyo Grand Prix | Caroline Link | Won | ||
Vancouver International Film Festival | Most Popular Film | Caroline Link | Won | |
Young Artist Award | Best Family Feature - Foreign | Caroline Link | Nominated | |
Best Performance in a Foreign Film | Tatjana Trieb | Nominated | ||
1998 | Academy Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Caroline Link | Nominated |
National Board of Review | Top Foreign Films | Caroline Link | Won |
See also
- List of submissions to the 70th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of German submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- ↑ "The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
Book
- Caroline Link: Jenseits der Stille, Aufbau, 2001, ISBN 3-7466-1453-8 (Novel)
External links
- Ungewöhnliche Dreharbeiten - Bayrischer Rundfunk
- Filmeintrag auf omdb.org with underground information
- Beyond Silence at the Internet Movie Database
|