Jan Schütte's film about Bertolt Brecht's last summer is a wonderful biopic. People who know Brecht's biography and his work recognize that the director succeeded in rendering even small details as perfect as possible. When I saw that Sepp Bierbichler plays Brecht, I thought: that's not possible. However, he surprised once more with his versatility. Monica Bleibtreu as Helene Weigel is simply incredibly good. Besides the main roles, the hitherto unknown actress Margit Rogall in the role of Brecht's collaborator Ruth Berlau is miraculous.
Besides offering a great cast, the film deals with a Brecht who has lost hope in the New Germany called DDR - or GDR in English -, but has not the force anymore to protest. So, he is widely adjusted and swallows his resignation as an inner emigration into himself. As one knows, Brecht died already with 58 from a heart attack. Partially one gets the impression that the director focused specifically Brecht-connoisseurs as audience (although this is not a necessary condition to understand the movie). For example when Ruth Berlau jumps out of her seat crying that Brecht's daughter wanted to burn her - Berlau died in the Charité Hospital in Berlin from a fire that she caused by her cigarette - and this is exactly what she is doing in the movie. Or we see Brecht very uncomfortably sitting in his chair trying to but not succeeding in writing - Brecht used to write standing on specially high desks. Shortly before Brecht leaves his summer residence in Buckow, young GDR-pioneers are reciting for him one of his famous love-poems from "Baal" - at that time, Brecht may have known that with the summer also his lifetime has gone.
Besides offering a great cast, the film deals with a Brecht who has lost hope in the New Germany called DDR - or GDR in English -, but has not the force anymore to protest. So, he is widely adjusted and swallows his resignation as an inner emigration into himself. As one knows, Brecht died already with 58 from a heart attack. Partially one gets the impression that the director focused specifically Brecht-connoisseurs as audience (although this is not a necessary condition to understand the movie). For example when Ruth Berlau jumps out of her seat crying that Brecht's daughter wanted to burn her - Berlau died in the Charité Hospital in Berlin from a fire that she caused by her cigarette - and this is exactly what she is doing in the movie. Or we see Brecht very uncomfortably sitting in his chair trying to but not succeeding in writing - Brecht used to write standing on specially high desks. Shortly before Brecht leaves his summer residence in Buckow, young GDR-pioneers are reciting for him one of his famous love-poems from "Baal" - at that time, Brecht may have known that with the summer also his lifetime has gone.