Mostly Martha (2002)
Bella Martha

Mostly Martha is billed as a romantic comedy but is also a powerful drama and character study of Martha and those around her. Martha, a perfectionist chef, lives in her tightly controlled life with little interest in anything beyond her cooking. Add a dash of conflict and a pinch of romance and we see Martha’s life reach a boiling point. After her sister’s sudden death, Martha’s niece comes to stay while searching for her father. Martha is forced to examine her own feelings about herself and what is most important in life.

You may have seen the American adaptation of this film entitled No Reservations (2007) starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Abigail Breslin. However, in the original German film Mostly Martha, Martina Gedeck stars as Martha with Director Sandra Nettelbeck.

The Lives of Others (2007)
Das Leben der Anderen

Where were you when the Berlin Wall came down? The Lives of Others is set just prior to that in the 1980s of East Berlin. The story relates life under the watchful eye of the East German secret police, the Stasi. Focused on a the surveillance of a successful playwright and his actress girlfriend, their lives are forever changed including all of those around them… even those of the watching Stasi. Freedom and governmental control are at odds producing fear, paranoia, guilt, and occasionally mercy.

Sebastian Koch stars as the playwright while Martina Gedeck (also in Mostly Martha) plays his actress lover. This film was written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck.

Das Boot (1981)

Das Boot or simply The Boat is the one submarine film you must see. Based on the command of Heinrich Lehmann-Willenbrock and his U-96 U-boat during World War II, the film covers the reality of one mission. This isn’t just a German interpretation of World War II but a movie about people… their dedication to duty for country and the camaraderie they shared. For 209 minutes you feel the tense solitude and danger while being below the surface in constant search for the enemy. The story is told from the perspective of war correspondent, Lt. Werner played by Herbert Gronemeyer.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen