After being abandoned by their Nazi parents at the end of World War II, five German siblings embark on a harrowing journey across their war-torn country. Led by the eldest, 14 year-old Lore, the children are forced to confront their parents’ actions and the reality of a new world.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like a grief-soaked German fairy tale.
Acting
Saskia Rosendahl's face holds entire wars.
Direction
Shortland makes you complicit in Lore's confusion.
Director
Cate Shortland
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Cate Shortland learned German specifically to direct this film, and cast non-professional children she found in rural towns.
Based on Rachel Seiffert's novel, it's part of Germany's ongoing 'Vergangenheitsbewältigung'—the painful, generations-long process of coming to terms with the Nazi past.
DE
AU
