Amrum

April 1945. On the remote German Wadden island of Amrum, everything is in short supply in the final weeks of the war. Twelve-year-old Nanning must do everything he can, as the “man of the house,” to provide food for his heavily pregnant mother, his younger brother and sister, and his aunt. Despite all the hardships, life on the beautiful, windswept island almost feels like paradise. But when peace finally arrives, Nanning struggles with his parents’ Nazi beliefs—and with those who oppose them on the island.

Amrum is a powerful coming-of-age story by German director Fatih Akin (Gegen die Wand, Aus dem Nichts), in which he once again collaborates with Diane Kruger, who plays a young farmer resisting the Nazis. The film is inspired by the childhood memories of Akin’s friend and mentor Hark Bohm, who wrote the novel of the same name. Young German actor Jasper Billerbeck delivers a convincing debut performance as Nanning. The film had its world premiere in the prestigious Cannes Premieres section. In Germany, Amrum became a major success and one of Fatih Akin’s most widely attended films.