Movie: Almanya – Welcome to Germany

The (not so new – 2011) movie “Almanya – Welcome to Germany” (IMdB, 日本のサイト) took me by surprise. A comedy that ingeniously plays with common cliches about Turkish immigrants in German, but never drops into the abyss of so many movies not capable of sustaining it with good content. The movie follows three generations of Turkish immigrants, from the first arrival to the honoration with the chancellor.

The film premiered at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival in the section competition and won the Deutscher Filmpreis 2011 in the categories Best Script and Best Film.

Wir riefen Arbeitskräfte, es kamen Menschen.Max Frisch quoted in the movie

Although it plays in Germany, I was reminded of many stories of friends from my school times in Austria, where, especially in Vienna, immigration was as common as in Germany. A heart-warming and at the same time clairvoyant portrait of the problems immigrants face in their new country, surrounded by different culture and different expectations. Something I realized again when moving to Japan.

Very enjoyable.