Sources of Life

2013 2h 54m DE

😐

5.9

MID

★5.9TMDB · 21

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

This is a family story that covers thirty years in the life of the Freytag family (narrated by the grandson, Robert). When his grandfather returns from Russia in 1949, he becomes part of the German "economic miracle" by producing garden gnomes. Klaus, Robert's father, wants to become a writer. He marries Gisela who almost immediately gets pregnant with Robert - but the marriage doesn't work. Both parents abandon the child, and Robert goes on living with both pairs of grand parents. While his father belongs to the 1968 generation that rebels against their fathers he falls in love with the neighbor's's daughter Laura.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jürgen Vogel
Erich Freytag
Meret Becker
Elisabeth Freytag
Moritz Bleibtreu
Klaus Freytag
Lavinia Wilson
Gisela Ellers
Kostja Ullmann
Klaus, jung
Sonja Kirchberger
Marie Freytag
Thomas Heinze
Martin Ellers
Margarita Broich
Hildegard Ellers

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Oskar Roehler
Writers: Klaus Richter, Oskar Roehler
Languages: German
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

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 174 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Oskar Roehler, shot by Carl-Friedrich Koschnick. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jürgen Vogel and Meret Becker and Moritz Bleibtreu carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2112136 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Oskar Roehler directs. Carl-Friedrich Koschnick behind the camera. Martin Todsharow scores. Peter R. Adam cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in Germany. Dialogue in German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 174 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Released 13 years ago.
3Directed by Oskar Roehler, shot by Carl-Friedrich Koschnick. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Martin Todsharow. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Peter R. Adam shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jürgen Vogel and Meret Becker and Moritz Bleibtreu carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt2112136 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 21 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.