These German films created a spectacle in the cinema in 2024

2024 was once again an excellent year for cinema - and German cinema definitely played its part in it. Although it has to be said that there weren't any big box office hits, the German film also had a lot to offer in terms of quality. And these arethe best German films of the year.

Great cinema is being created - this list can once again be clearly seen - and not just in Hollywood.

Possibly the best German film of the year, or at least one that cannot be missing from such a list, is Matthias Glasner's dramaDie- it's not for nothing that the film was awarded the Lola in Gold at the German Film Awards this year. This was partly due to the excellent cast: Lars Eidinger, Anna Bederke, Lilith Stangenberg, Corinna Harfouch, Robert Gwisdek, Ronald Zehrfeld - the best of the best really came together. And the title says it all: many parts of the film are about exactly that – and about life in between. The three-hour epic shows a very broad picture of a family and its surroundings and some of the greatest moments of the almost past cinema year.

Chiara Fleischhacker's fantastic drama has just been released on November 28th and can therefore certainly be seen in one or two cinemasVena. At the center of the film is Jenny (greatly portrayed by Emma Nova), who - like her boyfriend Bolle (Paul Wollin) - is addicted to meth, but becomes pregnant unintentionally. This is her second child; her first son is being raised by her mother. So Jenny has to think about whether she really wants her second child - and she does. Outstanding is inVenaAbove all, the authentic and unvarnished, honest look at the main actress, her problems, the pregnancy, the decisions. Chiara Fleischhacker has achieved an honesty that is incredibly good - especially in German cinema.

WithScorched earthThomas Arslan has finally brought a film to the cinema again - and it can also be considered one of the best from Germany this year. In it, the criminal Trojan (Mišel Matičević) returns after twelve years on the runback to acquire new orders. However, he has to realize that Berlin and the world have changed a lot: cash is no longer a laughing matter, many things are now done digitally. But a painting robbery occurs, and at first it goes quite well - until it turns out that the client, Victor (Alexander Fehling), isn't playing with his cards completely open. Absolutely excellent straight-ahead genre cinema without any frills, but with an outstandingly good Mišel Matičević.

Ayşe Polat also presented a very excellent film this year, namely the thrillerIn the blind spot– a story told from multiple perspectives in three chapters that packs a lot of punch. In the first chapter, a German film crew in Turkey witnesses a mysterious ritual that a woman performs to preserve the memory of her son, who was kidnapped 25 years ago. In the second chapter, a young girl is suddenly haunted by a sinister force. And in the third chapter her father comes into play, who works for a criminal organization.In the blind spotis definitely a film that goes through your bones - absolutely merciless paranoia cinema.

It was exactly twenty years ago when Hannah Herzsprung starred as the aggressive piano player Jenny in the arthouse dramaFour minutescaused quite a stir; a film that has long since become a classic with its raw power. It's extremely unusual to make a sequel to a film like this - but that's exactly what happens15 yearsnow happened. And: It can easily compete with its predecessor. In the first part, the aggressive Jenny, a virtuoso piano player, is imprisoned for a murder that she did not commit but took upon herself to protect a friend. In15 yearsJenny has now served her time, but she still has her aggressiveness within her. She lives in an assisted living community and works as a cleaner in, of all places, the conservatory where she once played. The music teacher there has a plan to have Jenny appear with a Syrian refugee (Hassan Akkouch) in a casting show hosted by the pop star Gimmemore (Albrecht Schuch) - the friend for whom Jenny once risked murder. And, you already suspect: Jenny is looking for revenge. Already in4 minutesHannah Herzsprung has shone, and that's what she does in15 yearsagain – without question one of the best actresses we have in this country.

A film from Germany about the Third Reich – it doesn't sound that new and homey at first. But apart from the fact that we are now not too far away from being overrun by fascism again, Joachim Lang is thereLeaders and seducersNevertheless, something new was achieved in the well-known. Because it tells the story of Reich propaganda leader Joseph Goebbels (terrific: Robert Stadlober) and his former propaganda strategy, which was unfortunately as diabolical as it was brilliant. Joachim Lang exposes the constant orchestration and manipulation of the Nazis, and unfortunately one can often see far too many parallels in the present. As a viewer, you are particularly touched by the interviews with Holocaust survivors that are repeatedly edited into the film. An important, stirring and great film.

Finally, a documentary by one of the greatest German directors (Wim Wenders) about one of the(Anselm Kiefer). Wender sheds light on the artist's life, his inspirations, his creative processes and his works. To do this, Wenders spent two years with Kiefer and his art, immersing himself in his world in the same way you can now do as a viewer for 94 minutes. A great portrait that Wenders also shot in spectacular 6K 3D images.