1900. Munich's Oktoberfest. A traditional annual celebration of the long-since-faded Bavarian royalty. After already running for nearly a century, it is a major source of income – especially for the city's brewery bosses. Many are reliant on the profits made from selling beer at the Oktoberfest, as is the small family brewery headed by Ignaz and Maria Hoflinger. When Curt Prank, a new player, comes to town, his ruthless acquisition methods upset the balance of power. Resisting his shadowy buy-out, Maria soon pays a bloody price for sticking to her guns. The thirst for revenge leads to a devastating and vicious war breaking out among Munich's beer mafia, revealing the ugly face that lurks behind the festive façade of the Oktoberfest. Yet in the chaos, a forbidden love between Maria's elder son and Curt's beautiful daughter is blossoming...
"The story unfolds at a considerable rate. The short scenes and harsh cuts create an atmosphere of push, the excellent camera (Felix Cramer) surprises with ambitious perspectives, the music (Michael Klaukien) with a great deal of style and irony (…) The light and the soundtrack in particular transform the drama into dreamlike and fairy-tale sequences, turning artificiality, like a Caravaggio, into art and frenzy into enjoyment." (Spiegel)
Director: Hannu Salonen
With Mišel Matičević, Martina Gedeck, Mercedes Müller, Brigitte Hobmeier, Maximilian Brückner, Klaus Steinbacher, Markus Krojer, Francis Fulton-Smith and others
Channel: Das Erste
Year: 2020
Produktion company: Zeitsprung Pictures, Violet Pictures