Amrum

Fatih Akin tells a story from Hark Bohm’s childhood in Amrum, in spring 1945. To help his beloved mother Hille (Laura Tonke) feed the family, twelve-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck) hunts seals, goes fishing at night and works in the fields. When the war is over, the family faces new problems. Hille, who is heavily pregnant and a staunch National Socialist, falls into a deep depression following the collapse of the Third Reich. The only thing that might comfort her is a slice of bread and honey. Jasper tries to track down the ingredients despite the war rationing. Laura Tonke – who learnt Amrum’s Frisian dialect “Öömrang” for the role – succeeds in portraying the mother’s incomprehensible harshness without condemning her. (bik)