Goethe stalks his own doomed hero through centuries of heartbreak.
A dramatic love story based on Goethe's sensational 18th century work. Werther travels to Wahlheim where he meets and falls in love with Charlotte (Lotte), and she with him. Unfortunately, she is already engaged to Albert, a man eleven years her senior. Werther attempts to distance himself from the two, however.... Goethe himself is also a hero of the play: he follows his character through all his life - until the final shot.
Acting
Ayanagi Shou doubles as tortured Werther and watching Goethe.
Direction
Harada Ryou collapses 250 years into one suffocating gaze.
Director
Harada Ryou
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Goethe's 1774 novel triggered actual copycat suicides across Europe—Werther Effect is now a clinical term.
Harada Ryou's staging famously had Goethe physically intervene in scenes, a device kept for this film's climax.
JP
