Return to Montauk

Rückkehr nach Montauk
Max Zorn, a writer in his early sixties, travels to New York to launch his new book. His wife Clara is expecting him; she has been working on the book’s publication for the American publisher. Zorn’s very personal novel tells the story of a great but failed love affair. Max soon meets the woman who was the target of his affections at the time, German-born Rebecca, now a successful lawyer in New York. The pair return to Montauk for one winter weekend in this small coastal town at the end of Long Island where they were once so happy together. Rebecca is distant and hurt. Max tries to get close to her. They talk about their years apart, rekindling memories of their shared past. But is there a present or a future for the feelings they once had for each other? After his adaptation of ‘Homo Faber’, Volker Schlöndorff once again returns to the universe of his friend Max Frisch. Variations on the motifs of happiness and the pain that comes with remembering are transposed to the screen for this new, cinematic version.
by Volker Schlöndorff
with Stellan Skarsgård, Nina Hoss, Susanne Wolff, Niels Arestrup, Isi Laborde, Bronagh Gallagher, Mathias Sanders, Malcolm Adams
Germany / France / Ireland 2017 English 106’ Colour

With

  • Stellan Skarsgård (Max)
  • Nina Hoss (Rebecca)
  • Susanne Wolff (Clara)
  • Niels Arestrup (Walter)
  • Isi Laborde (Lindsey)
  • Bronagh Gallagher (Rachel)
  • Mathias Sanders (Mark McDonald)
  • Malcolm Adams (Roderick)

Crew

Director Volker Schlöndorff
Screenplay Colm Tóibín, Volker Schlöndorff
Cinematography Jérôme Alméras
Editing Hervé Schneid
Music Max Richter, Thomas Bartlett, Caoimhin O'Raghallaigh
Sound Design Sélim Azzazi
Sound Jean-Paul Mugel, Olivier Dô Hùu
Production Design Sebastian Soukup
Costumes Majie Poetschke, Angela Wendt
Make-Up Barbara Kreuzer, Alexandra Lebedynski
Assistant Director Kai Siggelkow, Don Julien
Casting Cornelia von Braun, Amy Rowan, Meredith Jacobson Marciano
Line Producer Holger Reibiger, Sabine Schenk
Producers Regina Ziegler, Volker Schlöndorff, Francis Boespflug, Stéphane Parthenay, Conor Barry
Executive Producer Hartmut Köhler
Co-Producers Til Schweiger, Tom Zickler, Sidonie Dumas, Christoph Liedke, Marc Gabizon, Rainer Kölmel, John Keville, Mike Downey, Sam Taylor
Commissioning Editor Götz Schmedes, Claudia Simionescu, Bettina Ricklefs, Andreas Schreitmüller
Co-Production Barefoot Films Berlin
Gaumont Neuilly sur Seine
Senator Film München
Starhaus Filmproduktion München
Film & Music Entertainment Dublin
WDR Köln
BR München
ARTE France Cinéma Issy-les-Moulineaux
ARTE Straßburg
WDR/ARTE Köln

World sales

Gaumont

Produced by

Ziegler Film

Volksfilm

Pyramide Production

Savage Production

Volker Schlöndorff

Born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1939, he moved to France in 1956 and studied in Paris. Having worked as assistant director to Louis Malle, Jean-Pierre Melville and Alain Resnais, his 1966 film Der junge Törless (Young Torless) marked the first international success for New German Cinema. Die Blechtrommel (The Tin Drum) won the 1979 Palme d'Or at Cannes and an Oscar®. From 1992 to 1997 he was head of Studio Babelsberg. He was most recently present at the Berlinale in 2014 with Diplomatie (Diplomacy) and his early work which had long been kept under wraps, Baal.

Filmography (selection)

1960 Wen kümmert’s; short film 1966 Der junge Törless · Mord und Todschlag 1967 Der Paukenspieler; short film 1969 Michael Kohlhaas – Der Rebell · Baal 1970 Der plötzliche Reichtum der armen Leute von Krombach 1971 Die Moral der Ruth Halbfass 1972 Strohfeuer 1974 Georginas Gründe; TV movie · Übernachtung in Tirol 1975 Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum 1976 Der Fangschuss 1977 Nur zum Spaß, nur zum Spiel 1978 Deutschland im Herbst 1979 Die Blechtrommel 1980 Der Kandidat 1981 Die Fälschung 1982 Krieg und Frieden 1983 Un Amour de Swann (Eine Liebe von Swann) 1985 Death of a Salesman (Tod eines Handlungsreisenden) 1987 A Gathering of Old Men (Ein Aufstand alter Männer) 1989 The Handmaid’s Tale 1991 Homo Faber 1992 Billy, how did you do it? 1996 Der Unhold 1998 Palmetto – Dumme sterben nicht aus 2000 Die Stille nach dem Schuss 2001 Ten Minutes Older. The Cello 2004 Der neunte Tag 2005 Strajk – Die Heldin von Danzig · Enigma – Die uneingestandene Liebe 2007 Ulzhan – Das vergessene Licht 2011 La Mer à Laube (Das Meer am Morgen) 2014 Diplomatie 2017 Return to Montauk

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2017