Haunting at filmforum Duisburg: A House Tells German History
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A House, a Century, an Echo of History
The sentence It shall be our home forever opens a cinematic space where private longing and German history are inextricably linked. On Thursday, October 22, 2026, filmforum Duisburg will showcase Volker Schlöndorff's film adaptation Haunting - A Century Story based on the novel of the same name by Jenny Erpenbeck.
The House as a Silent Witness
A property by a Mark Brandenburg lake forms the center of this wide-ranging narrative. For decades, the residents change, while the house remains a silent constant. The story spans from the Weimar Republic through National Socialism and war to the GDR and the time of German reunification. Through changing life stories, an intense panorama of the 20th century emerges.
Between Home, Loss, and New Beginnings
The drama connects historical upheavals with personal fates. A Jewish cloth manufacturer acquires a piece of land in the 1930s but soon has to sell his property. An architect and his wife build a modern house, get caught in the tensions of the GDR system after World War II, and flee to the West. Later, the estate becomes the home of a writer and her family.
Volker Schlöndorff's Cinematic Staging
Director and screenwriter Volker Schlöndorff adapts Jenny Erpenbeck's multifaceted novel into a visually powerful cinematic narrative. The film’s set design arises from architecture, landscape, and historical traces: rooms become sites of memory, windows turn into perspectives on a tumultuous past. Axel Schneppat's camera and Annette Fock's music create a concentrated theatrical atmosphere on the cinema screen.
Acting with a Large Cast
Martina Gedeck, Lars Eidinger, Susanne Wolff, Michael Maertens, Ulrich Matthes, Detlev Buck, Angela Winkler, and Ludwig Trepte embody characters whose hopes and losses reflect across generations. The art of acting makes visible how political systems invade private spaces and how difficult it is to maintain a sense of belonging.
A Film between Literature and Contemporary History
Haunting - A Century Story combines literary adaptation, family saga, and historical drama. The staging does not look at history from a safe distance but from the closeness of a house where people live, love, are displaced, and start anew. The cinematic stage experience focuses on the question of what allows a home to endure when the world around it changes.
Conclusion: The audience can expect an intense, 120-minute cinematic experience about home, memory, and the fractures of German history. Those who appreciate great acting, precise dramaturgy, and a visually strong literary adaptation will experience a film at filmforum Duisburg that resonates long after the credits.
Official Channels of Volker Schlöndorff and the Production:
- Website: filmforum Duisburg
- Production: Ziegler Film
- Distribution: STUDIOCANAL
