Sources Of Life

Germany 1949: Veteran soldier Erich feels like a stranger after his return to his homeland, which in the meantime has become a new Federal Republic. Through Erich and his children’s and grandchildren’s generations, we experience the milestones in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany: his wife has a lover, in order to promote the “economic miracle” a garden gnome factory is built, his son becomes a poet, but it’s his son’s wife who is far more talented, and his grandson, strengthened by the Group 47 and free love, is surprisingly capable of finding the only one, true love and becomes a cheerful and good person in a country of narcissists, petty bourgeoisie, and former Nazis. And even Erich is moved, despite his frustration, to acts of greatness.

Oskar Roehler was born in 1959 in Starnberg, the son of husband and wife authors, Gisela Elsner and Klaus Roehler. He started his career as a screenwriter of various cinema films and directed his first feature GENTLEMAN in 1995. His film NO PLACE TO GO (DIE UNBERÜHRBARE, 2000), a very personal and sensitively told portrait of his mother, was Roehler’s breakthrough. The film was awarded the German Film Award in Gold, among other awards, and Hannelore Elsner received the German Film Award for Best Actress for her role in the film. His other award-winning films include: ANGST (DER ALTE AFFE ANGST) which was in the competition at the Berlinale in 2003, AGNES AND HIS

BROTHERS (AGNES UND SEINE BRÜDER) which screened in Ven- ice, his film adaptation of Michel Houellebecq’s novel of the same name ATOMISED (ELEMENTAR- TEILCHEN, 2006), LULU & JIMI (2008), and JUD SÜSS – FILM OHNE GEWISSEN (2010).