Die Freibadclique (2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Die Freibadclique is a German historical drama which premiered in 2017.

 

The story, set in Germany in 1944 and 1945, focuses on five teenagers who are forced to join the German army in a desperate but futile attempt to stop the attack of the Allied Forces.

 

Here is some basic information about this drama:

 

** English title: Summer of ’44: The Lost Generation

** Written and directed by Friedemann Fromm

** Based on a book by Oliver Storz (2008)

** Language: German (and occasionally English)

** Subtitles: no English subtitles!

** Released on DVD in 2018

** Run time: 103 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

The five teenagers who are 15 in 1944

** Jonathan Berlin as “Onkel”

** Joscha Eissen as “Zungenkuss”

** Theo Krebs as Knuffke (aka Charlie)

** Andreas Warmbrunn as “Bubu”

** Laurenz Lerch as “Hosenmacher”

 

Other characters

** Lily Epply as Lore – a young woman in 1944

** Vica Kerekes as Gunda – a young woman in 1945

** Johannes Geller as Jumbo

** Andreas Lust as Untersturmführer – a German officer

** Karel Dobry as McKee – an American officer

 

Oliver Storz was born in Schwäbisch Hall in the southern part of Germany in 1929.

 

In 1944, when he was 15, he was forced to join the German army.

 

He survived the war. After the war he had a long and successful career as a writer and a film director.

 

His book Die Freibadclique - on which this drama is based - was published in 2008. He died only three years later, in 2011.

 

As stated above, the story is set in Germany in 1944 and 1945. Most scenes are set in Schwäbisch Hall, where Storz was born. 

 

The main characters, the five teenagers, were all born in 1929 (just like Storz). 

 

The five members of this clique often meet each other at the local open-air swimming pool where access is free. Hence the title of the book and the drama.

 

In 1944, when they are 15, they are forced to join the German army (just like Storz).

 

Two of the five teenagers do not survive the war, but three of them do. When the war is over, they return to their home town Schwäbisch Hall.

 

As you can see, there are some auto-biographical elements here, but this is not an auto-biography.

 

The story is set in Oliver’s home town and the leading characters are from his own generation: they were born in 1929. The starting point is the same. But their lives are different from his life.

 

What do reviewers say about this historical drama?

 

Here are some results:

 

On IMDb it has a rating of 57 percent.

 

On Amazon there are at the moment 65 ratings of this product; five with reviews.

 

The average rating is 4.6 stars which corresponds to a rating of 92 percent.

 

In my opinion, the rating on Amazon is too high, while the rating on IMDb is more appropriate.

 

This drama is not really successful. While the first half (about the war in 1944 and 1945) is quite good, the story begins to fall apart in the second half (when the war has come to an end).

 

This drama is neither great nor good. It is average. This is why it deserves a rating of three stars (60 percent).

 

PS. Friedemann Fromm (born 1963) is the director of several historical movies, including the following:

 

** Jenseits der Mauer (2009)

** Nacht über Berlin (2013)

 

*****

 

Summer of '44 -

A lost Generation

A German historical drama

which premiered in 2017

*****

Die Freibadclique

A historical novel

by Oliver Storz

(2008)

 

*****