Presented in co-operation with the Goethe-Institut Irland
With Special Guest Margarethe von Trotta
By chance Paul Kromberger (Matthias Habich) discovers a photograph on the internet of the US opera
diva Caterina Fabiani (Barbara Sukowa) who is the spitting image of his dead wife. His growing sense
of alarm is transferred to his daughter, Sophie (Katja Riemann). Filled with curiosity, she leaves
Germany and journeys across the Atlantic to make contact with this stranger. At first Caterina is
dismissive and unprepared to impart any information about herself or her family. But, little by little,
secrets which have been hidden for decades come to light.
Director Margarethe von Trotta returns to the theme of sisterhood which she already explored in her
internationally noted films Sisters, or the Balance of Happiness and Marianne & Juliane. With emotional
verve the film tells of a sudden and unexpected invasion of the past into the present, of suppressed
fear and guilt, of a new self-confidence and how acknowledging the truth can free both the body and
the soul.
Berlin International Film Festival
