Germany 2026
Opening October 1, 2026

Directed by: Lena Stahl
Writing credits: Lena Stahl, Juli Zeh
Principal actors: Hannah Herzsprung, Damian Hardung, Alexander Fehling, Christian Friedel, Haley Louise Jones

This excellent and important movie is based on a novel by Juli Zeh, who is one of Germany's most prolific and acclaimed authors, who, apart from writing, also works in a voluntary capacity as a judge in Brandenburg. In 2007, Zeh first wrote the story as a theater play, and two years later the book was published. Bearing that in mind, and considering that this was written before the pandemic, this dystopian story is even more amazing.

We find ourselves in Germany in the near future (in the film it is not clear, but in the book the story takes place in 2057). Every citizen is monitored on a daily basis by way of wearing an implanted chip, allowing absolute transparency. The ruling system, called the “Method,” represents a society that promises health and maximum safety for all. Therefore, the chip delivers daily records of every citizen about their state of health, by transmitting details like blood pressure, exercise level, sleeping, and dietary habits. The citizen is reminded immediately if he deviates from what is required to guarantee his healthy lifestyle.

The life of scientist Mia Holl (Hannah Herzsprung) changes abruptly when her brother Moritz (Damian Hardung) is accused of raping and murdering a woman. The evidence, based on DNA, is overwhelming, but Mia is convinced of his innocence. A contradiction that forces her to take action—against a system that allows no doubt. How can she prove his innocence and who can she still trust? Her colleague Christiane (Haley Louise Jones), who is also her best friend, her brother’s solicitor (Christian Friedel), or the charismatic journalist Kramer (Alexander Fehling)? When her brother commits suicide, her fight for truth and justice turns her into the hunted and the outcast, as the courts of the health dictatorship impose severe penalties on anyone who is “hostile to the ‘Method,’” in order to eliminate potential sources of danger. The totalitarian regime needs to “win.” How can she go on? She withdraws her trust in the “Method.” Yet her aim is not to overturn it, but to draw attention to abuses and errors that legitimize inhumane behavior. Mia’s resistance to the “Method” is passive, not active.

This production is star studded. The cast consists of some of the best of today's German actors. Hannah Herzsprung, who German TV watchers know from Weissensee and Babylon Berlin, plus Damian Hardung, who became famous as a teenager on the German TV series Club der roten Bänder and later on with Maxton Hall, plus Alexander Fehling (as Andreas Baader and in Homeland are a joy to watch. Of course, you have to consider that this movie is a dystopia, all colors (like in other dystopian movies) are subdued, and this really eerie feeling is with you all the time... Still, it is amazing, plus of course, the behind-the-camera star-studded crew is worth mentioning: camera by Philipp Haberlandt (Babylon Berlin, Black Mirror), production designer Christian M. Goldbeck (Oscar^® for Im Westen nichts Neues, as well as composer Volker Bertelmann (Oscar^® for Im Westen nichts Neues, Oscar^®-nominated for Conclave).

It is an important movie to watch, in tune with the times. (Ulrike L.)