Ketelhuis Expat
In 1945 Amrum Island, 12-year-old Nanning hunts seals, fishes at night, and farms to help feed his family. Life feels idyllic on this windswept isle until peace reveals an unexpected danger closer to home.
On the remote German North Sea island of Amrum, the final weeks of the war are marked by extreme scarcity. Twelve-year-old Nanning, acting as the “man of the house” must do everything in his power to provide food for his heavily pregnant mother, his younger brother and sister, and his aunt. Despite the hardships, life on the stunning, windswept island feels almost like a paradise. But when peace finally arrives, Nanning must grapple with his parents’ Nazi convictions and the island’s opposing factions.
Amrum is a poignant coming-of-age story by German director Fatih Akin (Head-On, In the Fade). He reunites with Diane Kruger, who plays a young farmer resisting the Nazis. The film is inspired by the childhood memories of Akin’s friend and mentor, Hark Bohm, who authored the eponymous novel. Young German actor Jasper Billerbeck delivers a compelling debut performance as Nanning. The film had its world premiere in the prestigious Cannes Premieres section. In Germany, Amrum was a massive success, becoming one of Fatih Akin’s most-watched films to date.
