Sources of Life

SOURCES OF LIFE is a sweeping saga that charts the course of three generations of a post-war German family. Based on filmmaker Oskar Roehler’s memoir Origins, it’s rife with nostalgia and cultural references to the birth pangs of the fledgling Federal Republic of Germany. Erich Freytag fought for the Nazis in the war and now struggles home to his unwelcoming wife Elisabeth. While Erich becomes a successful manufacturer of garden gnomes, his eldest son Klauss espires to be a writer. Klaus falls in lust with crazy Gisela, who is, frustratingly, a better writer than he is. Gisela bears a child named Robert, then vanishes and leaves the baby with his father. After years of shocking neglect, sad but defiant Robert is taken in by his grandparents, who help him find peace. Klaus and Gisela are based on Roehler’s train-wreck parents, who were prominent Socialist authors. A bittersweet tour de force featuring some of Germany’s most compelling actors. (In German with subtitles) —B.B.