''Head Full of Honey'' (german: Honig im Kopf; lit.: ''Honey in the Head'') is a 2014 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
Til Schweiger
Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor, voice actor and filmmaker. He runs his own production company, Barefoot Films, in Berlin.
Early life
Schweiger was born in Freiburg, West Germany, to two teachers. He grew ...
. It was one of eight films shortlisted by Germany to be their submission for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
Labyrinth of Lies
''Labyrinth of Lies'' (german: Im Labyrinth des Schweigens) is a 2014 German drama film directed by Giulio Ricciarelli. Based on true events, it was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festiv ...
Dieter Hallervorden
Dieter "Didi" Hallervorden (born 5 September 1935) is a German comedian, actor, singer, and cabaret artist.
He achieved great popularity in German-speaking countries in the mid-1970s with the slapstick series Nonstop Nonsens and his character Did ...
) suffers from
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
. A speech he holds at his wife Margarete's funeral reveals his deteriorating mental state. When his son Niko (
Til Schweiger
Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor, voice actor and filmmaker. He runs his own production company, Barefoot Films, in Berlin.
Early life
Schweiger was born in Freiburg, West Germany, to two teachers. He grew ...
) and his granddaughter Tilda (
Emma Schweiger
Emma Tiger Schweiger (born 26 October 2002) is a German-American actress. She is known for playing the role of Cheyenne Blue in the 2007 film ''Keinohrhasen'' and its 2009 sequel '' Zweiohrküken'' and the role of Magdalena in '' Kokowääh'' an ...
) visit him, they see that he can no longer live on his own because of his mental condition. Niko convinces Amandus to move into his house near
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
.
Niko is married to Sarah (
Jeanette Hain
Jeanette Hain (born 18 February 1969, Munich) is a German film actress. She appeared in more than 90 film and television productions since 1990. Hein is perhaps best-known to international audiences as Ralph Fiennes' girlfriend in the Academy Aw ...
), but their marriage is in danger because his wife has a romance with her boss Serge ( Jan Josef Liefers). Amandus's presence in the household causes disputes between Niko and Sarah. For example, Amandus nearly causes a fire in the kitchen while trying to bake a cake, which Sarah only prevents in the nick of time.
While Amandus's mental state continues to degrade, a summer fête is thrown in the garden. Because of his disease, Amandus causes a disaster which leads to Sarah moving out. Niko now believes that moving his father to a retirement home has become inevitable, however his daughter Tilda does not think that this is the way Amandus should be treated. Instead, she wants to travel to
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
with her grandfather, where he and his wife Margarete had spent their honeymoon. Tilda is told by her paediatrician Dr. Ehlers (
Tilo Prückner
Tilo Prückner (26 October 1940 – 2 July 2020emergency brake to stop the train and runs after him. The police are now searching for them, so they hide in a toilet cabin. In the evening, the janitor Erdal (
Fahri Yardim Fahri is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic name Fakhri, (Arabic: فَخْري ''fakh·riy'', ''fakh·rī'', ''fakh·ry'') in the possessive form meaning "honorary, titulary", both used as a name or surname.
It may refer to:
Given name
* Fahri A ...
) finds them and helps the two continue their journey to Venice. Going by a sheep lorry, they get stopped by the police but manage to flee before they get caught, and find shelter in a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
. The Mother Superior ( Claudia Michelsen) is so touched by their story that she drives Tilda and Amandus to Venice.
Niko and Sarah also arrive in Venice, looking for Tilda and Amandus. They check into the same hotel as Niko and Sarah, but they don't notice each other. Amandus leaves the hotel at night. Tilda notices in the morning, goes looking for him, and finds him sitting on a bench. It is revealed that while on honeymoon in Venice, Amandus had sat on that bench with his wife Margarete. His condition has advanced so far that he forgets he has a granddaughter, so he doesn't recognise Tilda. At that moment, Niko and Sarah find Tilda and Amandus, and the four travel back to Hamburg.
Sarah decides to stop working so that she can take care of Amandus. The marriage of Niko and Sarah is saved when Sarah gives birth to a baby boy nine months later, whom they name after his grandfather. Amandus spends his remaining days contently with his family, and dies of cardiac failure in Tilda's presence. At the funeral, Tilda lies in the grass and looks to the sky, because Amandus had promised he would protect her from heaven.
Cast
*
Dieter Hallervorden
Dieter "Didi" Hallervorden (born 5 September 1935) is a German comedian, actor, singer, and cabaret artist.
He achieved great popularity in German-speaking countries in the mid-1970s with the slapstick series Nonstop Nonsens and his character Did ...
– Amandus Rosenbach
*
Emma Schweiger
Emma Tiger Schweiger (born 26 October 2002) is a German-American actress. She is known for playing the role of Cheyenne Blue in the 2007 film ''Keinohrhasen'' and its 2009 sequel '' Zweiohrküken'' and the role of Magdalena in '' Kokowääh'' an ...
– Tilda Rosenbach
*
Til Schweiger
Tilman Valentin Schweiger (; born 19 December 1963) is a German actor, voice actor and filmmaker. He runs his own production company, Barefoot Films, in Berlin.
Early life
Schweiger was born in Freiburg, West Germany, to two teachers. He grew ...
– Niko Rosenbach
*
Jeanette Hain
Jeanette Hain (born 18 February 1969, Munich) is a German film actress. She appeared in more than 90 film and television productions since 1990. Hein is perhaps best-known to international audiences as Ralph Fiennes' girlfriend in the Academy Aw ...
– Sarah Rosenbach
*
Katharina Thalbach
Katharina Thalbach (; actually ''Katharina Joachim genannt Thalbach''; born 19 January 1954) is a German actress and stage director. She played theatre at the Berliner Ensemble and at the Volksbühne Berlin, and was actress in the film ''The T ...
– Vivian Saalfeld
*
Tilo Prückner
Tilo Prückner (26 October 1940 – 2 July 2020Mehmet Kurtuluş
Mehmet Kurtuluş (born 27 April 1972) is a Turkish-German actor. He is best known for his work with German director Fatih Akin.
Life and career
Kurtuluş was born in Uşak, Turkey, and moved at the age of 18 months to Germany, where he grew up ...
– Dr. Holst
*
Violetta Schurawlow
Violetta Schurawlow (born 1 March 1986) is a German actress. She appeared in more than ten films since 2012.
Selected filmography
References
External links
*
1986 births
Living people
German film actresses
{{Germany-actor-stu ...
– Nun
*
Pasquale Aleardi
Pasquale Aleardi (born 1 June 1971) is a Swiss actor. He is known for playing the role of 'J.D. Salinas' in ''Resident Evil''. He also starred as Billy Flynn in the Broadway production of ''Chicago''.
In 2016, Aleardi starred in the lead role ...
Samuel Koch
Samuel Koch (born 28 September 1987) is a German actor and former stunt performer. In 2010, during the filming of ''Wetten, dass..?'', he was involved in Wetten, dass..?#Samuel Koch incident, an incident that resulted in his quadriplegia.
Sinc ...
Reception
The film was the highest-grossing German film released in 2014 with a gross of US$63 million and is currently the third highest-grossing German film of all time.
US remake
On 21 March 2018, German media announced that Til Schweiger would create a remake of ''Honig im Kopf'' – with its literally-translated name, ''Honey in the Head'' – for the US market, with him as director and with Nick Nolte and
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination.
Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...
as main cast members. It was eventually also titled '' Head Full of Honey''.