Winnetou’s Son

Max, also known as the “Chief,” is an enthusiast of Native Americans of the Old West. The chubby, bespectacled ten-year-old dresses in beaded vests and leather trousers, sleeps on the floor, and spouts a slew of honorable proverbs by which he lives his life. While away at a camp devoted to embodying the Native American lifestyle, Max discovers that the young stage actor who plays the son of Winnetou (the famed Apache hero of Karl May adventure stories) has been injured. Despite his mother’s concerns, Max resolves to try out for the role he was born to play. With the help of his melancholy friend, Morten—whom Max dubs “Lone Wolf”—and his ne’er-do-well father, Max embarks on a rigorous physical and mental training regime to defy all the odds against him. Populated with a cast of kooky characters, André Erkau’s WINNETOU’S SON is a fun family film about living to your fullest potential. (In German with subtitles) –E.B.