Fatherland

Play trailer

1:34

Fatherland

Now Playing

1h 22m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

118 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

FATHERLAND centers on the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas May (Hans Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) -- actress, writer and rally driver. In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins -- from US dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar. Returning home after sixteen years in exile in the US, Thomas Mann has to face not only a divided fatherland, but also a deep fracture within his own family. With FATHERLAND, Pawlikowski picks up where he left off with his award-winning IDA and COLD WAR, exploring -- in his elliptic, distilled style -- the themes of identity, family, love and guilt amid the turmoil and confusion of post-war Europe.

Now in Theaters

Now Playing

Buy Tickets

Critics Consensus

Pairing Hanns Zischler and Sandra Hüller in a quietly compelling father-daughter dynamic, Fatherland continues director Paweł Pawlikowski's exploration of post-WWII Europe with characteristic intelligence and refinement.

Read Critics Reviews

Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

1 day ago

5/5

Provocative, insightful, thrillingly acted and tightly scripted, Fatherland will be the Polish contender for the Oscar and is a theatrical must-see.

Go to Full Review

Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

5 days ago

3.5/4

A haunting but quiet reflection on the past that sneaks up and hits you with a groundswell of emotions.

Go to Full Review

Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

5 days ago

4/5

How do you heal an entire country when you can’t even heal your family? Or heal yourself?

Go to Full Review

Robert Denerstein

Denerstein Unleashed

2 hrs ago

Weariness and resignation penetrate Zischler's performance, as if Mann knows that his day is done.

Go to Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

1 day ago

7/10

A Pawlikowski film that requires no solemnity to achieve depth, engaging in a dialectical discourse on the transience of the artist, featuring splendid performances by Sandra Hüller and Hanns Zischler. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Maxance Vincent

InSession Film

1 day ago

A

Paweł Pawlikowski at his best.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Gregory O

7 hrs ago

A Dud! No point to the movie. Appears to be a work in progress.

See more

Patrick

1 day ago

Very poignant film.

See more

John D

3 days ago

Sandra Huller my goat

See more

Anton A

6 days ago

What a nice, quiet and slow film!

See more

Gerald K

Oct 26, 2026

Sandra Hüller's performance is excellent

See more

linda e

1 day ago

The movie was good. it was dragging in some places. It was a good C.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Paweł Pawlikowski

Director

Hanns Zischler

Thomas Mann

Sandra Hüller

Erika Mann

August Diehl

Klaus Mann

Anna Madeley

Betty Knox

Devid Striesow

Johannes R. Becher

Fatherland: Exclusive Movie Clip - Party Slap

2:02

Now Playing

View more videos

Fatherland: Trailer 2

1:34

Now Playing

Fatherland: Trailer 1

2:05

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

FATHERLAND centers on the relationship between the Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas May (Hans Zischler) and his daughter Erika (Sandra Hüller) -- actress, writer and rally driver. In the summer of 1949, at the height of the Cold War, father and daughter embark on a challenging and emotional road trip in a black Buick taking them across a Germany in ruins -- from US dominated Frankfurt to Soviet controlled Weimar. Returning home after sixteen years in exile in the US, Thomas Mann has to face not only a divided fatherland, but also a deep fracture within his own family. With FATHERLAND, Pawlikowski picks up where he left off with his award-winning IDA and COLD WAR, exploring -- in his elliptic, distilled style -- the themes of identity, family, love and guilt amid the turmoil and confusion of post-war Europe.

Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
Producer: Mario Gianani, Lorenzo Mieli, Ewa Puszczyńska, Jeanne Tremsal, Edward Berger, Dimitri Rassam, Lorenzo Gangarossa
Screenwriter: Paweł Pawlikowski, Hendrik Handloegten
Distributor: MUBI
Production Co: Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej, Extreme Emotions, MUBI
Genre: Drama
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 23, 2026, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $249.2K
Runtime: 1h 22m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings