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Juliane Köhler, Merab Ninidze, Matthias Habich, Sidede Onyulo, Lea Kurka ... see more see more... , Karoline Eckertz , Gerd Heinz , Hildegard Schmahl , Maritta Horwarth , Regine Zimmermann , Gabrielle Odinis , Bettina Redlich , Julia Leidl , Mechthild Großmann , Peter Lenaeku , Silas Kerati , Kanya Man , Andy Rashleigh , Anthony Bate , David Michaels , Andrew Sachs , Diane Keen , Herbert Knaup , Dokdin Kanyaman , Kenny Brown , Marian Lösch , Steve Weston , Joel Wajsberg , Miriam Wajsberg , Bela Klenze , Levit Pereira , Steven Price , M.M. Shah

A family on the run for their lives finds themselves in a beautiful but utterly unfamiliar world in this drama based on the autobiographical novel by Stefanie Zweig. Walter Redlich (Merab Ninidze) is ... read more read more...a successful Jewish lawyer living in Germany during the rise of the Third Reich. Aware of the increasing dangers of remaining in Germany, Walter seeks exile on a farm in Kenya, while his socially prominent wife, Jettel (Juliane Koehler), and his young daughter, Regina (Lea Kurka), stay behind, as does his father, Max (Gerd Heinz), and Jettel's sister, Kaethe (Regine Zimmermann). In time, as the pogroms against the Jews increase in Germany, Jettel and Regina join Walter in Kenya, but the transition is not easy for Walter, who is still learning the nuts and bolts of running the farm (and discovers that Germans are not welcomed by the British settlers in Kenya), or Jettel, who is not accustomed to physical labor and resents having to help with the farming. While Regina at first finds her new surroundings alienating and unfamiliar, she soon becomes fascinated with the rugged beauty of Kenya and becomes fast friends with Owuor (Sidede Onyulo), who serves as the family's cook. In time, Germany invades Africa, and Walter finds himself in a British internment camp; Jettel and Regina also are captured, but Jettel uses her sexual allure to persuade a British officer to arrange for Walter to be put in charge of another farm, and Regina is sent to a boarding school for girls. After the war, the Redlichs must decide whether to remain in Kenya or to return to the country that would have persecuted them. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

88% liked it

6,475 ratings

Critics

86% liked it

97 critics

R, 2 hr. 21 min.

Directed by: Caroline Link

Release Date: March 7, 2001

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DVD Release Date: September 30, 2003

Stats: 413 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (413)

  • moonrivers
    May 17, 2012
    moonrivers
    A different tale of WWll, that of an affluent Jewish family that escapes Germany to live dirt poor in Kenya. A very busy film, interesting and multileveled, with stuff constantly going on that threatens to break up the small clan, not the least being how they themselves disagree... read more about Africa and her people, Germany and her people, and where is it that they really belong. Thoroughly engaging.
  • itsjustme2004
    April 19, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    An excellent historical expose of exiled jews, and the trials they suffered during WWII. Very insightful film. One more take on the Nazi atrocities, and the resettlement of Jews. Interesting to show that there were those who believed enough in their German heritage to have the co... read moremmittment of reconstruction.
  • michaelneumann
    February 2, 2004
    michaelneumann
    Bob almighty! I have no idea just W.T.H.I.G.O. (What The Heck Is Going On) with my head. Tubbs had to help me to bed last night, even. Too much "Drink", I think, and now I got a vicious hangunder. Stinkin' Super Bull party. I never knew a bull could be so super. And the celebrati... read moreng? Y! (Yikes!). I.C.B.H.C. (I Can't Believe How Crazy) we were. All for a bull (and it wasn't even that nice either, despite its superness - it even had the audacity to refuse to wear sombreros. ¡Que horrible!). I mean, the war's still goin' on! And here we are crazyin' it up for a party. Whitesnake passed out early (ghosts can't hold their "Drink", apparently). And Squiggy darn near drank his life away. He had so much "Drink", he almost made the bum-to-hallucination crossover (which would be a first).

    U. (Ugh). I feel as if it isn't just the "Drink" that's getting to me. I think something else is at work here. Something...dark. And no, I don't mean dark like the Methochaun's jet black saliva. I mean [i]DARK[/i] dark. Ya know, like, uber-dark. Uhh...Oh, like 4 Candymen of the Uh-Pocket Clips are riding in on their lollipop steeds, bringing the sweet-tasting end of the world with them. Yeah, that kinda dark. Hmm. I wonder I.T.C.B.S. (If They Could Bring Some) more maple syrup, 'cause these waffle legs just aren't the same without it. (chokes down a dry waffle leg; groans) Oooooh, bad move!


    ...
    [i][size=1]Bogart approaches![/size][/i]
  • mvieaddict
    May 20, 2010
    mvieaddict
    Nowhere in Africa,winner of the 2002 Best Foreign Film Oscar, told the story of a Jewish family that emigrated from Germany to Kenya before WWII, to escape the rising Nazi's in their home country. The movie focused on a lawyer named Walter Redlich, his wife,and their daughter, Re... read moregina, who narrated the story.She told us what happened to Walter, Jettel and her self, in an interesting story, even with a slow pace,how the Redlich family had to cope with poverty as they started over in a totally different land among people speaking a different language. It was heartbreaking, especially as they were separated from their families and comfortable life,but they also knew that they could not go back. , I do recommend this movie, for the ones who had not seen it yet, it is visually quite stunning, and the performances and direction were simply good.
  • SunilJawahir
    April 20, 2009
    SunilJawahir
    A great film that's a bit basic but very well acted.
  • kansai2kansas
    April 13, 2012
    kansai2kansas
    Love, friendship, and family honour... That seems a lot of topics to cover within a two-hour movie, ain't it?

    Yet for what it's worth, director Caroline Link has uplifted German cinema to international fame with the beauty of this film, allegedly based on an autobiographical nov... read moreel. That alone gives the movie the four stars it deserves.
  • philliprenke
    January 15, 2009
    philliprenke
    This academy award winner for best foreign film is about a Jewish family that flees Hitler's Germany and takes refuge in Kenya. Unlike the multitude of other films about Jewish oppression at the time this film doesn't focus on their heritage but the difficulty being in a foreign ... read moreland and their own fears and prejudices for the African people.
  • allapologies456
    August 22, 2007
    allapologies456
    Winner for Best Foreign Film, Nowhere in Africa is the heartwarming story of a Jewish family who flee to Africa after the Nazis come to power. Culturally rich and beautifully written, Nowhere in Africa quickly became one of my favorites.
  • Nascarlieber3
    January 14, 2007
    Nascarlieber3
    Amazing. It's a different tale of a Jewish family surviving during WWII in Africa. They still have to go through some of the hardships that the Jewish people went through, but they go through it in Africa.
  • jedi787plus
    May 21, 2006
    jedi787plus
    Remarkable German movie, but beware of its semi-hardcore nudity! First ever movie to portray Jews having sex, unfortunately... They should bring here Puenktchen & Anton (directed by the same Caroline Link and starring the same Juliane Koehler) instead!

View All Nowhere in Africa (Nirgendwo in Afrika) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Richard Nilsen
June 26, 2003
Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic

Everything in the film rings true, is deeply moving, richly photographed, and wonderfully acted.

Eric Harrison
May 16, 2003
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

The acting is excellent. Full Review

Vic Vogler
May 9, 2003
Vic Vogler, Denver Post

The film has the glorious sweep of an epic. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
May 9, 2003
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Link creates a complex and fascinating portrait of a marriage under the enormous stress of geographical dislocation and historical trauma.

Joe Baltake
May 2, 2003
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

There's a wealth of material here -- all sorts of fascinating details -- that more than fill up the film's generous two-hours-plus running time. Full Review

Tom Long
April 25, 2003
Tom Long, Detroit News

One very fine film.

David Edelstein
April 22, 2003
David Edelstein, Slate

The pacing of Nowhere in Africa is a mite drowsy, but there are payoffs for the director's uninsistent touch. Full Review

Jane Sumner
April 17, 2003
Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News

A worthy, complex and nuanced film. Full Review

Jay Boyar
April 11, 2003
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

Nowhere in Africa is a movie of many moods and nuances. In addition to being a Holocaust saga, it's a girl's story, a woman's story and the story of a marriage.

Peter Howell
April 5, 2003
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Superbly acted and brilliantly lensed, Nowhere In Africa is that hard-to-achieve movie where the small picture counts for more than the bigger one. Full Review

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