Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler star in Pawel Pawlikowski’s black-and-white road movie ‘Fatherland,’ a Cannes Best Director winner that’s already drawing Oscar attention. MUBI plans a U.S. theatrical release this fall, with a father-daughter journey spanning
By the time Cannes had wrapped, Pawel Pawlikowski’s road movie “Fatherland” had already made its case in the loudest possible way: it was tipped for the Palme d’Or, and it ended up winning Best Director.
Pawlikowski shared that prize with Los Javis for their “The Black Ball.” He also walked away with the same award in 2018 for “Cold War.” Even without the top Palme d’Or honor, “Fatherland” announced itself early as a serious Oscar contender coming out of the Cannes competition.
At the center of the film is Sandra Hüller. playing actress and writer Erika Mann. alongside Hanns Zischler as her father—Thomas Mann. Their journey takes them from U.S.-controlled Frankfurt to Soviet-dominated Weimar, Germany, in 1949. It’s a return not just across geography but across time: Thomas Mann and Erika have lived in California in exile for more than a decade. and now a black Buick becomes their vehicle through a postwar landscape in ruins.
In Weimar, the story turns toward what Thomas Mann is set to receive: the Goethe prize for his literary contributions. But the road isn’t smooth, and the family story isn’t tidy. Their family is already deeply fractured—an injury traced to Erika’s relationship with her twin brother. Klaus Mann (August Diehl).
Pawlikowski has talked about casting Hüller in a way that makes the performances feel inseparable from the filmmaking. In comments to IndieWire. he described watching “the transformation of her face” and said it “really. really happens.” He added that she “doesn’t seem to be acting. ” pointing instead to a “fake smile” that then shifts—“in her eyes”—as something opens up. Pawlikowski recalled one take where “things come to the surface… in a way that’s not scripted and not acted. ” saying it “mysteriously unfolds.”.
That mix—precision on the outside, rupture underneath—has helped keep Hüller’s awards prospects in view. She’s seen as a potential Best Actress contender for “Fatherland.” She’s also in the conversation thanks to her performance in Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose. ” a film that’s also coming from Mubi. which won her best actress at the Berlinale. And beyond this road movie. the “Anatomy of a Fall” Oscar nominee is listed as a Best Supporting Actress race contender for “Project Hail Mary.”.
One reviewer’s take captures what many fans of Pawlikowski’s work will recognize right away: “the aching black-and-white. the Academy aspect ratio. the streak of fatalism running between dueling identities.” The same review says it contains what Pawlikowski admirers have come to expect from films like “Cold War” and “Ida. ” calling it “another austere. rigorously crafted odyssey through European postwar regret. ” while insisting that the father-daughter relationship is what will move audiences.
Mubi has lined up a U.S. theatrical release for “Fatherland” this fall. For now, the first trailer is already out—an early invitation to follow Erika and Thomas Mann down that ruined road, where the destination is public acclaim, but the damage is personal.
Sandra Hüller Hanns Zischler Fatherland Pawel Pawlikowski Thomas Mann Erika Mann Cannes Best Director Palme d’Or Mubi Rose Berlinale Project Hail Mary Anatomy of a Fall road movie black-and-white