The Tobacconist

Directed by Nicholas Leytner
Year: 2018
Country: Germany
Language: German with English Subtitles

Seventeen-year-old Franz journeys to Vienna to apprentice at a tobacco shop. There he meets Sigmund Freud (Bruno Ganz, “Wings of Desire”, “Downfall”), a regular customer, and over time the two very different men form a singular friendship. When Franz falls desperately in love with the music-hall dancer Anezka, he seeks advice from the renowned psychoanalyst, who admits that the female sex is as big a mystery to him as it is to Franz. As political and social conditions in Austria dramatically worsen with the Nazis’ arrival in Vienna, Franz, Freud, and Anezka are swept into the maelstrom of events. Each has a big decision to make: to stay or to flee?

"Stunning! A vibrant coming-of-age story and an intriguing portrayal of Sigmund Freud, expertly portrayed by Bruno Ganz."


"An engaging coming-of-age story! Recreates a time and a place with exactitude. Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire, Downfall) slips seamlessly into Sigmund Freud’s skin."


"Highly recommended! Searching for something dark and different? Look no farther than The Tobacconist... a lovely coming-of-age rom-com; the movie's ace-in-the-hole is that fine Swiss actor Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire) in one of his final roles."


"The personal lives side by side with the political in a coming-of-age tale taking place in Vienna during the Nazi occupation."


"A luminous portrayal of Freud by the late Bruno Ganz, with exquisitely crafted imagery... laced with a delicately conceived dark yet whimsical humor."


Cast
Simon Morze
Bruno Ganz
Johannes Krisch
Emma Drogunova
Regina Fritsch
Gerti Drassl

Crew
Directed by Nicholas Leytner