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Der freie Wille

Deutschland 2004-2006 Spielfilm

The Free Will

Theo, a rapist, is released after nine years in a psychiatric hospital’s prison ward. His fear of women and the unfulfilled desire this generates turns normal life into a kind of martyrdom. At the age of 27, Nettie finally manages to cut herself free from her father and a lifetime of mental abuse at his hands. Theo and Nettie meet. The moment they start loving each other marks the beginning of their journey to the limits of free will.

 

Matthias Glasner: "This film is about things we think of as monstrous or abnormal. We shot it in chronological order and, when I looked through the camera and saw what Theo does to this woman in the opening sequence, I had my doubts as to whether I would stay the course. But I wanted to make a tender film about the terror of loneliness. And so I filmed everything with the same amount of interest – regardless of what happened, and no matter if events were brutal or guardedly hopeful. 'Der freie Wille' is not a film about an issue such as, in this case, say, physical and mental violation. It's not a film that grapples with a difficult topic but rather a kind of 'trip', during which we accompany two people resolutely to the end. For better or for worse."

Source: 56. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (catalogue)

Credits

Director

  • Matthias Glasner

Screenplay

  • Matthias Glasner
  • Judith Angerbauer
  • Jürgen Vogel

Director of photography

  • Matthias Glasner

Editing

  • Mona Bräuer
  • Julia Wiedwald

Cast

  • Jürgen Vogel
    Theo
  • Sabine Timoteo
    Nettie
  • André M. Hennicke
    Sascha
  • Manfred Zapatka
    Claus Engelbrecht
  • Judith Engel
    Anja Schattschneider
  • Anna Brass
    Frau in den Dünen
  • Anne-Kathrin Golinsky
    Kaufhausverkäuferin
  • Maya Bothe
    Frau im Hinterhof
  • Frank Wickermann
    Michael
  • Anna de Carlo
    Kellnerin

Production company

  • Colonia Media Filmproduktions GmbH (Köln)
  • Schwarzweiss Filmproduktion (Berlin)

Producer

  • Frank Döhmann
  • Matthias Glasner
  • Christian Granderath
  • Jürgen Vogel

Alle Credits

Director

  • Matthias Glasner

Assistant director

  • Sarah Altmann

Screenplay

  • Matthias Glasner
  • Judith Angerbauer
  • Jürgen Vogel

Director of photography

  • Matthias Glasner

Assistant camera

  • Kai Stichel

Lighting design

  • Ingo Scheel

Production design

  • Tom Hornig
  • Conny Kotte

Costume design

  • Sabine Keller

Editing

  • Mona Bräuer
  • Julia Wiedwald

Assistant editor

  • Adi Wolotzky
  • Silke Zirnité

Sound design

  • Björn Wiese

Sound

  • Stefan Soltau
  • Hubert Bartholomae

Sound assistant

  • Tini Tüllmann
  • Claudia Schumacher

Casting

  • Simone Bär

Cast

  • Jürgen Vogel
    Theo
  • Sabine Timoteo
    Nettie
  • André M. Hennicke
    Sascha
  • Manfred Zapatka
    Claus Engelbrecht
  • Judith Engel
    Anja Schattschneider
  • Anna Brass
    Frau in den Dünen
  • Anne-Kathrin Golinsky
    Kaufhausverkäuferin
  • Maya Bothe
    Frau im Hinterhof
  • Frank Wickermann
    Michael
  • Anna de Carlo
    Kellnerin
  • Bernadette Büllmann
    Sängerin "Ave Maria"
  • Andreas L. Maier
    Marius
  • Franziska Jünger

Production company

  • Colonia Media Filmproduktions GmbH (Köln)
  • Schwarzweiss Filmproduktion (Berlin)

in co-production with

  • Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)/Arte (Köln)

Producer

  • Frank Döhmann
  • Matthias Glasner
  • Christian Granderath
  • Jürgen Vogel

Producer (TV)

  • Andreas Schreitmüller
  • Andrea Hanke

Line producer

  • Pit Krause

Unit production manager

  • Martin Kopischke

Location manager

  • Thomas Kürsten
  • Kathrin Laugalies

Production assistant

  • Heike Gnida

Original distributor

  • Kinowelt Filmverleih GmbH (Leipzig)

Funding

  • Film- und Medien Stiftung NRW (Düsseldorf)
  • Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH (MBB) (Potsdam)

Shoot

    • 12.09.2004 - 31.01.2005: Berlin, Mülheim, Ostsee, Belgien
Duration:
4682 m, 171 min
Format:
DV - überspielt auf 35mm, 1:1,66
Video/Audio:
Farbe, Dolby SRD
Censorship/Age rating:

FSK-Prüfung: 27.07.2006, 106925, ab 16 Jahre, feiertagsfrei

Screening:

Uraufführung: 13.02.2006, Berlin, IFF - Wettbewerb;
Kinostart (DE): 24.08.2006;
TV-Erstsendung (DE FR): 22.04.2009, Arte

Titles

Additional titles
  • Originaltitel (DE) Der freie Wille

Versions

Original

Duration:
4682 m, 171 min
Format:
DV - überspielt auf 35mm, 1:1,66
Video/Audio:
Farbe, Dolby SRD
Censorship/Age rating:

FSK-Prüfung: 27.07.2006, 106925, ab 16 Jahre, feiertagsfrei

Screening:

Uraufführung: 13.02.2006, Berlin, IFF - Wettbewerb;
Kinostart (DE): 24.08.2006;
TV-Erstsendung (DE FR): 22.04.2009, Arte

Awards

FBW 2006
  • Prädikat: besonders wertvoll
Tribeca Film Festival New York 2006
  • , Bester Darsteller
IFF Berlin 2006
  • Preis der Gilde deutscher Filmkunsttheater
  • Silberner Bär, Gesamtleistung als Darsteller, Co-Autor und Produzent
Source-URL: https://www.filmportal.de/en/movie/der-freie-wille_0b0fc2793eee25bbe04053d50b37637d