Fabian – The Story of a Moralist

BERLIN 1931 – LOVE AND DECADENCE IN A TUMULTURAL TIME
Based on Erik Kästner's classic novel about interwar Germany.

Weimar Republic 1931. The disillusioned war veteran and aspiring writer Fabian escapes his dull day job as an advertising copywriter and his nightmares at night by throwing himself into Berlin's twilight world of bars, brothels and cabarets. In this environment he meets Cornelia. Fabian's attempts to maintain the intellectual's cold view of relationships crumble before her beauty. But can happiness last in an uncertain time when both individuals and German society are driven ever closer to a Faustian pact by desperation and a desire for revenge?

With its wild mix of styles and techniques, frenetic editing and free-flowing timelines, director Dominik Graf and editor Claudia Wolscht give us both a contemporary and hyper-modern version of Erich Kästner's classic novel from interwar Germany. This is cinematic storytelling like avant-garde jazz, free in form and strong in its emotional expression. Actors Tom Schilling ( A Coffee in Berlin ) and Saskia Rosendahl ( Lore ) are the emotional anchors of the story through their strong portrayal of Fabian and Cornelia's doomed romance.

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* * * * “ German film is back! Really good ” – TV4
* * * * “ Finely tuned details ” – Swedish Radio
* * * * “ Entertaining, well-acted and beautiful film ” – Swedish
* * * * “ Undoubtedly worth seeing ” – Filmeye

" Liberating" - Entertainment Guide
“ Tom Schilling, Albrecht Schuch and Saskia Rosendahl are brilliant in the roles ” – Aftonbladet
“ Best movie of the year ” – GQ
“ A tribute to Berlin and the art of cinema ” – The Time
“ Masterpiece ” – Radio One
“ High level of style and very modern feel ” – Variety
“ High-paced ” – The Hollywood Reporter
“ Strong performances by Rosendahl and Schilling ” – Cineuropa
“ Cultural and film eras in a boundless mix ” – Sight and Sound
“ Dynamic in form and elastic in style ” – Screen Daily
“ An unpredictable visual experience ” – Indiewire