Habermann (2011)

40% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(80 ratings)

1938, a small village in Sudetenland. The saw mill owner Habermann is the biggest employer in his village and married to Jana, a young and beautiful Czech woman, who is half Jewish. Although Habermann is not interested in politics or ideology, he and his family will be steamrolled by the insanity of… More 1938, a small village in Sudetenland. The saw mill owner Habermann is the biggest employer in his village and married to Jana, a young and beautiful Czech woman, who is half Jewish. Although Habermann is not interested in politics or ideology, he and his family will be steamrolled by the insanity of World War II... -- (C) Official site

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Yoraye Hz, Juraj Herz
Written By: Wolfgang Shimmer
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Aug 5, 2011 Limited
Studio: Corinth Films

Critic Reviews

John Anderson, Variety
More soap opera than high drama, the film is confused and confusing, and tedious to boot.
Mike Hale, New York Times
As directed by the Czech veteran Juraj Herz in prestige-television style, the bulk of the film is a classically proportioned and tasteful wartime soap opera.
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice
A World War II melodrama with a hook, Habermann does a credible job of personalizing a period of the war largely unknown outside the Czech Republic.
Nick Schager, Time Out New York
Compensates for its under-occupation familiarity with poignant performances, confident direction and an impressively sober sense of how the era's tragedy kept expanding exponentially.
Jesse Cataldo, Slant Magazine
A portrait of a town that never feels completely real, devoid of normality or everyday activity, a depiction which undercuts the eventual emotional escalation.