Fatherland

It’s summer 1949, and after fleeing Europe for America 13 years prior, writer Thomas Mann is returning to the Allied-occupied city of Frankfurt to accept a prestigious award, with his actress, writer, and rally driver daughter Erika by his side. But their travels become fraught as Mann intends to journey on to Soviet-controlled Weimar to receive a second prize—even though venturing into Communist territory could imperil his status upon returning to the U.S. Ignoring the risks, father and daughter set out in a black Buick cruiser for a road trip across a divided Germany in ruins, confronting both the horrors of war and long-buried family trauma on the drive.

Master filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski returns to the Festival with another incisive, impeccably crafted drama set during the Cold War, a kind of spiritual sibling to 2013’s Ida and 2018’s Cold War. Photographed in luminous black-and-white by his longtime cinematographer Lukasz Zal, who shot the previous two films, Fatherland offers a mesmerizing look at a country torn apart by conflict, and the wandering souls navigating the emotional aftermath of loss.