Pawel Pawlikowski’s latest film “Fatherland” requires you to know both the historical backdrop of 1949's Germany, as well as the famous people that populated it, as all of it's characters are based on real people from that time. You also need to be familiar with the world of literature, music and art of Germany in the 1930's, and to get the most out of “Fatherland” you further need to know whom among those people collaborated with the Nazi's during their time in power, and those who fled the country of their home to survive. Going into the film, I had no idea about any of this, I just thought it was a film set in post-war Germany, rather than being about real people from this time as well as actual events that took place then. I was just excited to see the new film from Pawel Pawlikowski, who seemed to be mining similar themes and visual motifs from his previous films “Ida” (2013) and “Cold War” (2018), both films that enthralled me greatly.
What impressed me the most about “Fatherland” was that even though I had no prior knowledge about any of these people, what they were famous for, and how they were all linked, Pawlikowski still made me care about the journey Thomas Mann was taking alongside his daughter Erika, as he returns to Germany for the first time in over fifteen years. You can tell this is a country he no longer recognises, and he finds sadness in this, while also enjoying the fuss and carry on both sides of Germany are giving him in regards to the ceremonies he is attending. So many names are dropped during the film that I knew that there was a huge chunk of historical resonance that I was missing in “Fatherland”, but I was still enjoying the film on its surface level. Then came a party scene where Erika meets up with a man she obviously knew previous, but was not on great terms with. The two talk about Erika's brother Klaus, as this mystery man states he always liked Klaus, to which Erika replied “so much so that you had his book banned”. The two talk about the contents of the book which is about a stage actor who sells his soul to the Nazi's so he can continue to work while they are in power, and the book is called “Mephisto”, and suddenly my ears pricked up and I saw my entrance into the historical aspect of “Fatherland”. I am a big fan of Istvan Szabo's film “Mephisto” (1981), which is based on the book of the same name, written by Klaus Mann. Whoa! This excited me no end, and once the film was over and I was at home, I started researching the names dropped in “Fatherland” and saw all the connections coming together beautifully, as I suddenly understood the film on a deeper level. Some people may think that you shouldn't need to do homework to enjoy a film, and to a certain point I agree with this, but for some reason I just loved going through the people mentioned in this film, and seeing all the connections between them all. For instance, I had no idea that Klaus Mann based his book “Mephisto” on his former brother-in-law, who was once married to his sister, Erika. Yes, the Erika of this film. Another connection I researched, had to do with Thomas meeting up with the grand children of composer Richard Wagner, who wanted his music to be played once more as it is not the music's fault it was associated so closely with Hitler and the Nazi's. Thomas says something along the lines “I think the Opera House should be razed and your mother tried”. I looked up the daughter of Richard Wagner, of which he had none, whereas his daughter-in-law, Winifred Wagner, turned out to br deeply entangled with the family of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. Very interesting stuff.
The other thing that I was in awe of with “Fatherland” was in its recreation of Germany of 1949. It actually feels like you are there, or that the footage was shot when the film was set. Production designers, Marcel Slawinski and Katarzyna Sobanska, deserve all the praise they can get because the world they have created is hugely believable on what I am sure must have been a limited budget. Pawel Pawlikowski has re-teamed with cinematographer Lukasz Zal, and the two of them continue to work with the same visual motifs they began on “Ida” and continued with on “Cold War”. Like the previous two films, “Fatherland” is shot in black and white and in the square 1:37 aspect ratio, and something that I mentioned in my review for “Ida” is the verticality of the shots composed by Zal and Pawlikowski. What I mean by that, is that they are very aware of the up and down space of their frame, not just left to right, and often use this space to highlight tall trees or large columns on buildings. It may not seem like much, but it is very noticeable and I think they use this space better than most directors / cinematographers who use this aspect ratio. One aspect of film making I talk little about is musical scores, because I know little about the art; I only know what I like without being able to talk deeper about it, but I have to say that I loved the organ score from Marcin Masecki which suited “Fatherland” perfectly. Another small detail that I have to mention, which added to the authenticity of the time period, was the sound design, and particularly the sound of the old phone lines which were spot on.
Hanns Zischler is quite wonderful as Thomas Mann, presenting the author as someone chuffed with the attention he is getting while at the same time saddened with what Germany has become since he left, and the fact that so many elite people involved in its destruction are still living life like normal, unpunished. There is also a hint of sadness in Zischler's performance too, as he tries to pretend its business as usual, even after the suicide of his son Klaus. Sandra Huller, likewise, is excellent as his fed up daughter Erika. While it is quite an understated performance, and extremely different from the turn she gave in “Rose”, Huller is great at showing the pure emotion her brother's suicide has caused her, as well as the rage that exists beneath the surface towards collaborators of the Nazi party that saw her family have to leave Germany in the first place. She also gives out the best onscreen slap I have seen in a very long time; damn, that hand connects hard, and the actor on the other end receiving it looks genuinely surprised.
So what is “Fatherland” actually about? It is about an old man, exiled from his birth country for fifteen plus years, finally returning to find the place he once called home no longer exists and in its place are two different ideologies that are forming where Germany once stood. Klaus briefly mentions the division of Germany in a tone of disgust when talking to Erika on the phone at the start of the film: “Mr Mann, which side are you on? Stalin or Mickey Mouse?”. But the film then asks where is home though? Is it where your house is? Where your heart is? Where your family is? Where you were born? Or is it none of these? While looking at a country divided, Pawlikowski also looks at a family divided, and the barriers between them all that stops them from healing or even coming to terms with such a division in the first place. “Fatherland” is an incredible film with so much depth, and a lot on it mind, that it baffles me how Pawel Pawlikowski’s film only runs a brisk 82 minutes long.
Overall, I found Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Fatherland” is be an utterly delightful film, and this is without me knowing the historical backdrop of the times and the people that populated it. Those that are familiar with that information are in for a treat, as this is an amazing film filled with so much depth, as it looks both at a country divided and a family divided. The black and white cinematography is stunning to look at, as is the attention to detail used in the production design that brings Germany of 1949 to life once more. The film also has a really lovely ending too. I really loved “Fatherland” a lot and am stunned at how much Pawel Pawlikowski has been able to cover in a mere eight two minutes.
4 Stars.
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