Jerichow

2008 1h 32m DE

👍

6.5

SOLID

🔥

90%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★6.5TMDB · 88🍅90%Rotten Tomatoes●71Metacritic★7IMDB · 3,505

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a small Northern German town, a dishonourably discharged Afghanistan veteran is offered a job as a deliveryman by an alcoholic Turkish entrepreneur, through which the former meets the latter's gorgeous wife.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

Fandango At HomeRent

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Cast

Benno Fürmann
Thomas
Nina Hoss
Laura
Hilmi Sözer
Ali Özkan
André Hennicke
Leon
Claudia Geisler-Bading
Sachbearbeiterin
Marie Gruber
Kassiererin
Knut Berger
Polizist

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Christian Petzold
Writers: Christian Petzold
Languages: German, Turkish
Countries: Germany

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 18 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, Turkish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Christian Petzold, shot by Hans Fromm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Stefan Will. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bettina Böhler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Benno Fürmann and Nina Hoss and Hilmi Sözer carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1224153 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Christian Petzold directs. Hans Fromm behind the camera. Stefan Will scores. Bettina Böhler cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in German, Turkish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 18 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: German, Turkish.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Christian Petzold, shot by Hans Fromm. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Stefan Will. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Bettina Böhler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Benno Fürmann and Nina Hoss and Hilmi Sözer carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt1224153 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 88 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Hans Fromm
Original score: Stefan Will
Editing: Bettina Böhler
Production design: Klaus-Dieter Gruber
Costume design: Anette Guther
Makeup / hair: Monika Münnich
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Box office: $906,590
Original language: DE
IMDB: Jerichow (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes: 90% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 71/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 3,505 votes
MPAA: Unrated

Awards

1 win & 3 nominations total

Also by

Christian Petzold

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-05-20
★ 7/10
All we know about "Thomas" (Benno Fürmann) is that he is lucky to be alive and that he was dishonourably discharged from the army after something went wrong in Afghanistan. Now, he is living in an house left to him by his mother without two Euros to rub together. Then serendipity takes an hand in his life as he encounters "Ali" (Hilmi Sözer). When I say encounter, well it's more of a baptism really as the latter man - merrily full of alcohol - narrowly misses "Thomas" before careering his Range Rover perilously close to a river. Luckily, there's no real harm done but with the police already on the case of this habitual drunk driver, it's only a matter of time before he loses his licence. Fairly immediately, that happens and so the still grateful "Ali" recruits a new driver to help him manage his 45 fast-food kiosk business empire. The job also comes with one extra benefit. "Laura" (Nina Hoss) is married to "Ali" and the two take an instant shine to each other. It's not that she hates her husband, indeed she's actually quite grateful to him, but he essentially bought her - or her debts - and so you couldn't exactly call it a love match. When "Ali" makes a business trip back to his Turkish birthplace but really has an ulterior motive, is this the start of the truth unravelling from this web of deceit and lies? On the face if it, this is a simple love-triangle with the wealthy husband married to the younger lady who has an affair with their handsome help. There is more to it, though, and I felt much of that came from the engaging Sözer whose characterisation of the shrewd but slightly paranoid businessman with a story of his own takes the acing plaudits here. There's an effective paucity of dialogue that allows the scenario to develop in a fashion that can at times seem rushed, but that does not end in any fashion that we might reasonably have anticipated. It also asks the question: if you have twelve deliveries to make, do you do the nearest first or the farthest?

Production companies