The Forest for the Trees (Der Wald vor lauter Baumen) (2003)
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75% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
72% of users liked it
(590 ratings)
A recent college graduate on her first teaching assignment finds her initial optimism quickly dashed due to the indifference of her students and the bitter cynicism of her fellow educators. Melanie (Eva Löbau) is a fresh-faced teacher who's eager to get in the classroom and share her enthusiasm… More A recent college graduate on her first teaching assignment finds her initial optimism quickly dashed due to the indifference of her students and the bitter cynicism of her fellow educators. Melanie (Eva Löbau) is a fresh-faced teacher who's eager to get in the classroom and share her enthusiasm for learning, but in order to get her career off the ground she'll first have to leave all of her loved ones in the country and establish herself in the city. Despite being exceptionally well-read on all the latest educational theory, however, Melanie quickly finds herself caught up in a hopeless wave of loneliness after arriving at the high school and getting a harsh dose of reality; not only are her students more unruly than she could have ever imagined, but the worn-down staffers seem intent on ensuring that she is dragged directly down to their level of misery and general malaise. Later, Melanie attempts to strike up a relationship with her neighbor Tina (Daniela Holtz), only to find herself unable to abide by the strict social codes of her strange new surroundings. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Maren Ade
- Written By
- Maren Ade
- Genres
- Art House & International, Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 22, 2005 Limited
- Studio
- Komplizen Film GbR
Critic Reviews
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Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News
Forest has the look of a film that might have been made by a first-timer with visions of Sundance in her head.
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Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
An affecting, very intelligent work, done with an eye for realism and a heart for the lonely, insulted and injured.
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, Time Out
Eva Löbau's lynchpin performance as Melanie is a shattering lesson in the tropes of timidity and awkwardness, and serves in taking this cinema of cruelty into as yet uncharted territory.
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Eddie Cockrell, Variety
Tapping in to primal fears of professional ineptitude and social rejection with an almost sadistic meticulousness, The Forest for the Trees is a precisely modulated first film.
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Matthew Turner, ViewLondon
Engaging, low-budget German drama with a strong script and a heart-breaking central performance from Eva Löbau.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
No Featured Audience Ratings Found…
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Cast
-
Eva Löbau
as Melanie Pröschle, Melanie Pröschle
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Daniela Holtz
as Tina Schaffner
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Jan Neumann
as Thorsten Rehm
- Ilona Schulz
-
Robert Schupp
as Tobias
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Nina Fiedler
as Bine
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Martina Eckrich
as Renate Pföhler, Renate Pföhler
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Ruth Köppler
as Elvira Fischer-Walter
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Hans-Rüdiger Kucich
as Gerd Postweller
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Heinz Röser-Dümmig
as Lutger Reinhardt
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Achim Enchelmaier
as Bernd
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Monika Hirschie
as Melanie's Mother
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Volker Jeck
as Melanie's Father
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Hans-Peter Gastiger
as Recycler
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Andreas Bornhardt
as Garden Centre Worker
-
Siegfried Schneider
as Herr Meiser
-
Alexander Ajdinski
as Class 9 Student
-
Manuel Buchmüller
as Class 9 Student
-
Carolin Deck
as Class 9 Student
-
Tobias Eicker
as Class 9 Student
-
Franziska Fischer
as Class 9 Student
-
Giuliano Fiume
as Class 9 Student
-
Verena Gerstner
as Class 9 Student
-
Tina Grund
as Class 9 Student
-
Felix Heil
as Class 9 Student
-
Axel Hottenträger
as Class 9 Student
-
Gabor Katai
as Class 9 Student
-
Alexandra Klett
as Class 9 Student
-
Robin Maier
as Class 9 Student
-
Verena Sallinger
as Class 9 Student
-
Nadine Scheer
as Class 9 Student
-
Patrick Schrimpf
as Class 9 Student
-
Fabienne Stichnoth
as Class 9 Student
-
Dominik Tuminello
as Class 9 Student
-
Philipp Vajsman
as Class 9 Student
-
Lena Wacker
as Class 9 Student
-
Felix Weigel
as Class 9 Student
-
Jessica Weingärtner
as Class 9 Student
-
Noemi Weinkötz
as Class 9 Student
-
Claire Wiebelt
as Class 9 Student
-
Florian Wolf
as Class 9 Student
-
Jennifer Wunsch
as Class 9 Student
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Mona Bakkar
as Class 5 Student
-
Hannah Bonacker
as Class 5 Student
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Torben Brandauer
as Class 5 Student
-
Patrick Braun
as Class 5 Student
-
Jan Bühler
as Class 5 Student
-
Luisa Caruso
as Class 5 Student
-
Michaela Czoupek
as Class 5 Student
-
Alexander Diel
as Class 5 Student
-
Simon Eich
as Class 5 Student
-
Jasmin Fechner
as Class 5 Student
-
Nathalie Frey
as Class 5 Student
-
Rico Groh
as Class 5 Student
-
Janina Heil
as Class 5 Student
-
Lukas Hertweck
as Class 5 Student
-
Maximilian Hofmann
as Class 5 Student
-
Maria Kalinowski
as Class 5 Student
-
Markus Kober
as Class 5 Student
-
Paulina Lang
as Class 5 Student
-
Ramona Look
as Class 5 Student
-
Laura Mundle
as Class 5 Student
-
Thorsten Meier
as Class 5 Student
-
Larissa Nakovics
as Class 5 Student
-
Jeremy Nauert
as Class 5 Student
-
Vanessa Neu
as Class 5 Student
-
Sandra Nusser
as Class 5 Student
-
Robin Rexer
as Class 5 Student
-
Jassin Schlump
as Class 5 Student
-
Clarissa Stransky
as Class 5 Student
-
Nick Steidinger
as Class 5 Student
-
Stefan Traub
as Class 5 Student
-
Patricia Tuminello
as Class 5 Student
-
Julia Ulrich
as Class 5 Student
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Mareike Väth
as Class 5 Student
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Carina Zikofsky
as Class 5 Student
- Eva Loebau
