MONTREAL FILM FESTIVAL, August 30, 2014 – To Life!, a new German film making its world premiere here, is the story of Ruth, a former cabaret singer who experienced the Nazi occupation in Poland during World War II, and Jonas, a young drifter who is living in his van in Berlin.
Ruth is being relocated into a government-run housing project in the city. Jonas gets a day job helping to move Ruth into her new apartment in the project. When Ruth refuses to ride in the moving company’s truck, Jonas offers to drive her to the new apartment in his van.
The ride is the beginning of a remarkable connection between the 60+ Polish Jew, who has increasing difficulty in dealing with the past, and the 20-something Jonas, who has his own present-day demons. When Ruth attempts suicide shortly after moving into the apartment, Jonas rescues her, and later discovers in her apartment a film collection of Ruth’s cabaret performances made after the war. The connection between Ruth and Jonas deepens as Jonas becomes increasingly curious about how the talented Ruth ended up alone in a housing project and as Ruth realizes that Jonas, who she learns is suffering from multiple sclerosis, is avoiding his adoring girlfriend Emily in order to shield her from his disease.
To Life! Is the story of two people of different ages from very different backgrounds helping each other to emerge from despair and embrace life again. It is a touching, inspiring film with excellent performances by Hannelore Elsner as Ruth, Max Riemelt as Jonas, and Ayline Tezel as Emily,
The film, in German with English subtitles, was directed by Uwe Janson, who has made more than 70 films. The writing is credited to Stephen Glantz and Thorsten Wettcke. The film’s running time is 86 minutes.
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