Program Series: Retrospect
In 2025, it will be 80 years since the end of World War II. Kosmorama is marking this occasion by presenting a series of films in collaboration with Cinemateket in Trondheim, reflecting on how we, as humans, relate to war and the post-war era through cinema. This year's retrospective series examines the ripple effects of World War II, from just after the war’s end in Berliner Ballade to the present day in the documentary Austerlitz.
Austerlitz
It has now been 80 years since World War II and the Nazi genocide of the Jews came to an end. How do we relate to the memories and history of the Holocaust? This question receives a fascinating, ethically challenging, and cinematically intriguing response in the Ukrainian master Sergei Loznitsa’s observational documentary.
Berliner Ballade
The year is 2048, but the film’s story takes place a hundred years earlier. Gert Fröbe (Goldfinger) makes his debut in Berliner Ballade as Wehrmacht soldier Otto Normalverbraucher. The war is over, and he is now just an ordinary man—just as his name suggests. The film follows Otto as he tries to navigate his new life in post-war Germany, featuring real footage of a bombed-out Berlin. Surreal situations and a dreamlike perspective, combined with genuine humor and charm, make Berliner Ballade a comedy far ahead of its time.
Europa Europa
Europa Europa tells the story of Jewish boy Solomon “Solek” Perel’s fate during World War II. Following the Kristallnacht in Germany, he and his family are separated. After staying in Poland for a time, Solek flees to the Soviet Union. To avoid being discovered during the German invasion, he assumes a false identity.
Due to his language skills and cooperation with the Germans, Solek eventually finds himself recruited into the Hitler Youth. There, he must fight to protect his Jewish identity while navigating a dangerous and deeply conflicted existence.
Marathon Man
The Marathon Man (1976) is an intense thriller directed by John Schlesinger. A young Dustin Hoffman stars as the student and marathon runner Babe Levy. Completely unwittingly, he is drawn into a conspiracy involving Nazi war criminals in search of hidden treasures.
The Third Man
The Third Man is set in post-war Vienna, occupied by Allied forces. American writer Holly Martins arrives in the city to meet his childhood friend Harry Lime, only to learn that Lime has been killed in an accident. British intelligence claims that Lime was involved in the illegal sale of tainted penicillin, which resulted in the deaths of several children.
