''Fog in August'' (german: Nebel im August) is a 2016 German

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by Kai Wessel. It is based on the 2008 novel '' Fog in August'' by Robert Domes, and is inspired by the documented true story of the 14 year old Yenish boy Ernst Lossa (1929–1944). It was listed as one of eight films that could be the German submission for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the 89th Academy Awards, but it was not selected.

Plot

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

in 1944, Yenish a boy named Ernst Lossa is transferred to a

mental institution Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

, where he labors under the watch of Dr. Veithausen. Ernst, initially identified as a troublemaker, lives up to his role and frequently rebels in minor ways. He does not plan to stay in the institution long, but expects to be taken home (and eventually to

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

) by his father, Christian Lossa, but is denied discharge based on the fact that his father has no permanent address after being released from a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

. Initially, certain patients in the hospital are marked to be sent to the

Hadamar Killing Facility The Hadamar killing centre (german: NS-Tötungsanstalt Hadamar) was a killing facility involved in the Nazi "involuntary euthanasia" programme known as ''Aktion T4''. It was housed within a psychiatric hospital located in the German town of Had ...

to be murdered, but central authorities dictate that the '

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

' operation and decisions be transferred to individual institutions, leaving Dr. Veithausen to direct his nurses to kill patients under their care. The newly hired nurse, Sister Kiefer, has transferred from Hadamar and is willing to exterminate child patients using

barbiturate Barbiturates are a class of depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential as we ...

s. Meanwhile Sister Sophia tries to protect the children from being poisoned. Ernst befriends Nandl, a fellow patient, and over time they become aware of Dr. Veithausen's plans to murder the patients in the institution. He attempts to work out an escape plan to save Nandl and himself. The doctor, following the logic of

racial hygiene The term racial hygiene was used to describe an approach to eugenics in the early 20th century, which found its most extensive implementation in Nazi Germany (Nazi eugenics). It was marked by efforts to avoid miscegenation, analogous to an animal ...

, devises a plan to starve patients slowly by feeding them boiled vegetable soup with all nutrients removed, which satisfies his Nazi superiors. Not long after, Ernst plans his escape during an air raid, but he fails when a bomb drops nearby and the falling debris injures Nandl and kills Sister Sophia. After the nurse's funeral, Ernst accuses Veithausen of being a murderer. Dr. Veithausen calls for Ernst's death, which is carried out by either Paul Hechtle or Sister Kiefer (both deny being the killer). Nandl breaks the news to the other patients by claiming that Ernst has finally made it to America.

Cast

* Ivo Pietzcker as Ernst Lossa *

Sebastian Koch Sebastian Koch (born 31 May 1962) is a German television and film actor. He is known for roles in the 2007 Academy Award-winning film ''The Lives of Others'', in Steven Spielberg's '' Bridge of Spies'', and as Otto Düring in the fifth season of ...

as Dr. Werner Veithausen * Thomas Schubert as Paul Hechtle *

Fritzi Haberlandt Fritzi Haberlandt (born 6 June 1975, in East Berlin) is a German actress. She studied theatre at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts. Early in her career, she played the role of Lucile Duplessis in '' Danton's Death'', with the Berliner En ...

as Sister Oberschwester Sophia *

Henriette Confurius Henriette Confurius (born 5 February 1991) is a German actress known to international audiences for her role in the Netflix sci-fi television series ''Tribes of Europa''. Life and career Henriette Confurius' father is German-Dutch writer Gerr ...

Sister Edith Kiefer *

Karl Markovics Karl Markovics is an Austrian actor and film director. He was born in Vienna, Austria. Biography Markovics' mother worked as a clerk and his father was a bus driver. Markovics did not want to go into a professional career but wanted to become a ...

as Christian Lossa * Branko Samarovski as Max Witt *

David Bennent David Bennent (born 9 September 1966) is a Swiss actor. Biography He was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. His parents are German actor Heinz Bennent and French former dancer Diane Mansart. His sister Anne Bennent is also an actress. He has lived ...

as Oja * Franziska Singer as Frau Klein * Juls Serger as Hermann Klein * Jule Hermann as Nandl

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fog In August 2016 films 2016 drama films 2016 war drama films 2010s German-language films German war drama films Films about euthanasia Films scored by Martin Todsharow Films about Nazi Germany Films set in hospitals 2010s German films