A One Mann’s Movies review of “Fatherland”. (From the 2026 London Film Festival). (2026, 2.5*, NR).
Hitting UK cinemas on Friday, Fatherland is a cold war film that looks beautiful and has perfectly good acting. But, for me…..
I think I might have had an off day!
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
In 1949, Erika (Sandra Hüller) is accompanying her father, Nobel laureate author Thomas Mann (Hanns Zischler), on a literary tour through West and East Germany. As family tragedy strikes, it becomes apparent that the spiritual healing Mann deems essential for the divided country may be necessary for their own relationship.
Certification:
UK: 12A; US: NR. (From the BBFC website: “Suicide references, drug references”.)
Talent:
Starring: Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler, August Diehl, David Menkin, Joachim Meyerhoff.
Directed by: Paweł Pawlikowski.
Written by: Paweł Pawlikowski, Henk Handloegten.
Running Time: 1h 22m.
Review:
Positives:
- It looks fabulous, filmed in crisp black and white in an almost square (1.37 : 1) format.
- The production design, reflecting a 1949 Germany in reconstruction, is exquisite.
- After criticising her for her performance in Digger, Sandra Hüller verily knocks it out of the park. A screaming rant at fascist songs going on in the street below her hotel window is a memorable movie moment. Might this earn her an Acting Nomination? Quite possibly.
- It was really good to see Anna Madeley – Mrs Hall from TV’s All Creatures Great and Small – donning a really convincing US accent to play Betty Knox, a member of the Associated Press.
Negatives:
- I’m afraid the story didn’t interest me. “Wartime Thriller” – did I miss something? Even with its ‘barely there’ 82 minutes – I found myself bored and wanting it to end.
Summary Thoughts:
OK. So, I was really tired after having already seen two long films already that day; I was sat in the very back row in the cramped confinement of the Royal Festival Hall with its poxy little screen and less than perfect audio; and I was feeling like warmed-up death from a terrible head-cold. All of this means that perhaps I didn’t see this film in the best environment to help me appreciate it!
But I’m not going to follow the easy “Oh, but it’s clearly fine-art and as a ‘critic’ I have to give it 4 stars at least”. No. I won’t do that. Because it just failed to engage me at all.
Hey ho… moving on.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
The trailer for the film is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I2-X9v-ogs.
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