''Jungle Child'' (german: Dschungelkind) is a 2011 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

Roland Suso Richter Roland Suso Richter (born January 7, 1961 in Marburg) is a German film director and producer. Biography Richter was born in Marburg and lived there until making his Abitur in 1980 at the local Elisabethschule. Wanting to pursue a film career, ...

. The film is the screen adaptation of the autobiographical bestseller books by

Sabine Kuegler Sabine Kuegler (born 25 December 1972 in Patan, Nepal) is a German author. She has written several books, two of which have been translated into English. These two books are related to her uncommon childhood: from age 7 to age 17 she lived with he ...

tells her experience living with a native tribe of Western Papua,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

from 1979 to 1989.

Plot

Klaus Kuegler is a

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

and travels with his wife Doris and his three children into the

tropical rainforest Tropical rainforests are rainforests that occur in areas of tropical rainforest climate in which there is no dry season – all months have an average precipitation of at least 60 mm – and may also be referred to as ''lowland equatori ...

Western New Guinea Western New Guinea, also known as Papua, Indonesian New Guinea, or Indonesian Papua, is the western half of the Melanesian island of New Guinea which is administered by Indonesia. Since the island is alternatively named as Papua, the region ...

in 1979 to explore the language of a newly discovered native tribe, the Fayu. The eight-year-old daughter Sabine quickly settles down. What the family does not know: It has come in the midst of a tribal feud whose battles they do not directly affect, but in which they are increasingly drawn into it. The family does not find it easy at first to understand the reason for the hostilities, and it must realize that love, hate, life and death have different values in the foreign culture than in their own. So begins a process of rapprochement in which both sides have to learn from each other. One day, when Sabine and her brother find the severely injured Auri and the family feeds him at home, they endanger everyone, as this action can decide on war and peace between the two tribes. Sabine and Auri immediately develop a special bond and deep friendship. When the family travels to Germany for a holiday after spending years, the sixteen-year-old Sabine is confronted with a completely "foreign" world that is no longer hers. Their search for belonging and security ultimately becomes a search for themselves. Only after returning to the jungle does she know where her true home is.

Cast

* Stella Kunkat as

- child * Sina Tkotsch as

- youth *

Thomas Kretschmann Thomas Kretschmann (; born 8 September 1962) is a German actor who has appeared in many European and American films. His notable roles include Lieutenant Hans von Witzland in '' Stalingrad'' (1993), Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in '' The Pianist'' ( ...

as Klaus Kuegler, Sabine's father *

Nadja Uhl Nadja Uhl (; born 23 May 1972, in Stralsund) is a German actress. Uhl grew up near Stralsund, in the town of Franzburg. She lived with her mother in a three-generation house, shared with aunts and her grandparents, who had moved in shortly ...

as Doris Kuegler, Sabine's mother * Tom Hoßbach as Christian Kuegler - child * Sven Gielnik as Christian Kuegler - youth * Milena Tscharntke as Judith Kuegler - child * Emmanuel Simeon as Auri - child * Felix Tokwepota as Auri - youth * Range'e Pati as Faisa * Francesca Passingan as Ältere Faisa *

Christian Jahl Christian Jahl (born 8 December 1972 in Düsseldorf) is a German musician, writer, and songwriter. Life and career During his studies at University of Cologne, where he graduated as a Master of Arts in musicology, Christian Jahl published his ...

as Lehrer Danau Bira * David Kaumara as Gohu

References

Literature

* Sabine Kuegler: Jungle Child . Droemer Knaur, Munich 2005, (7 weeks in 2005 in the No. 1 Spiegel bestseller list ); as Knaur paperback 78149, Munich 2008, . * Doris Kuegler: Jungle Years - My Life with the Native Americans of West Papua . Gerth Media, Asslar 2011,

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jungle Child 2011 films 2011 drama films 2010s adventure drama films German adventure drama films 2010s German-language films Films set in Western New Guinea Films set in jungles Films shot in Malaysia 2010s German films