NEW YORK, October 22, 2026 — Paweł Pawlikowski’s latest film, *Fatherland*, opens in select U.S. theaters this Friday, continuing the director’s signature approach of brevity and black-and-white storytelling. At 82 minutes, the film is the third in his trilogy of historical works, each under 90 minutes and shot in the same boxy academy ratio.
A Road Through Ruins
In *Fatherland*, Hanns Zischler plays Nobel Prize-winning novelist Thomas Mann, who returns to Germany in 1949, just after World War II. Alongside him is his daughter Erika, played by Sandra Hüller, on a road trip between U.S.-controlled Frankfurt and Soviet-controlled Weimar. The film condenses real events, limiting the journey to two cities and five days, even though in reality, Mann traveled with his wife and visited more places over a longer period.
“Stalin or Mickey Mouse” is how one character frames the political choice before the Manns, a line that echoes today’s political divisions. Pawlikowski, who won best director at Cannes for the film, says the story is about the tension between art and political power. “Art is good for you, but it’s not going to solve any problems,” he says.
The Power of Less
Pawlikowski has made a career out of distilling stories into their most essential forms. His trilogy includes *Ida* (2013), which won the Academy Award for best international film, and *Cold War* (2018), which earned him best director at Cannes. Each film is shot in black and white, using the 4:3 aspect ratio, and every scene carries weight without unnecessary explanation.
“You try to distill it, distill it, distill it,” Pawlikowski says of his approach. In the editing suite for *Fatherland*, he admits to trimming the final cut slightly, just for the thrill of defying the grain in an era of long runtimes. “I do feel a certain thrill that I’m going against the grain and getting away with it,” he says.
A Rebel in the Age of Epics
Despite the film’s brevity, *Fatherland* is packed with the same emotional and historical depth that defines Pawlikowski’s work. It’s a fictionalized take on Thomas Mann’s return to Germany after exile, a country trying to rebuild itself in the aftermath of war. The film explores the tension between the past and the present, and the role of artists in a fractured society.
“I feel like a total rebel in today’s era of epic runtimes,” Pawlikowski says. His refusal to conform to the trend of long films has earned him praise and curiosity in equal measure. For fans of his work, *Fatherland* is a welcome return to the director’s signature style, proving that sometimes, less is more.
Collaborators and Visual Craft
The screenplay for *Fatherland* was a joint effort, with Pawlikowski co‑writing alongside Hendrik Handloegten. Their collaboration helped shape the film’s tightly focused narrative, distilling the historical journey into an 82‑minute story that still feels expansive.
Visually, the film benefits from the seasoned eye of cinematographer Łukasz Żal, whose crisp black‑and‑white photography continues the aesthetic established in *Ida* and *Cold War*. Żal’s compositions reinforce the stark post‑war landscape, allowing each frame to serve as a “strong photograph,” a touchstone Pawlikowski has long prized.
Among the cast, August Diehl appears as Klaus, Erika’s troubled younger brother, whose conspicuous absence underscores the film’s theme of fragmented families in a divided Germany. This marks Pawlikowski’s first feature set in Germany, expanding his geographic canvas while retaining his signature visual restraint.
Sources
- Paweł Pawlikowski, master of the 90-minute movie, returns with ‘Fatherland’
- Paweł Pawlikowski, master of the 90-minute movie, returns with 'Fatherland'
- Paweł Pawlikowski on Fatherland and the Beauty of Brevity
Photo: Kevin Payravi (CC BY-SA 4.0)
