In 2018, the autobiographical adaptation of The Boy Must Get Fresh Air made Julius Weckauf a child star. Now he’s breaking new ground – literally. His new film “The Path” is set in the Nazi era.
Cologne – The two children who trudge through the lonely Pyrenees could hardly be more different. On the one hand Núria – a patent girl who had to grow up much too early.
She expertly and wordlessly slits open a fish just to keep from starving. On the other hand, Rolf – a chubby boy who tells stories from Erich Kästner’s book “May 35” and is everywhere, only rarely in the here and now. In any case, you hardly notice that Nazi henchmen are after him.
This Rolf is played by 14-year-old Julius Weckauf in the film “Derpfad”, which shows the unlikely couple on their journey – and that makes things interesting and complicated at the same time. Because wake-up call made the breakthrough in the film “The boy must go to the fresh air”, which is based on the autobiography of Hans-Peter “Hape” Kerkeling. Millions of people saw him in the cinema. Also because the cast with the then unknown child actor from Jüchen near Grevenbroich was a great stroke of luck. Julius Weckauf played Kerkeling in an uninhibited and natural way. Organic.
Now the interesting thing about The Path is that Weckauf, who has great talent, can now be seen on screen in a whole new role. The complicated thing is that this role – Rolf – in appearance and habitus then awakens one or the other memory of “The boy has to get some fresh air”. In other words, you unintentionally catch yourself thinking that in “The Path” you are witnessing a somewhat ambitious hiking trip by Hape Kerkeling across the Pyrenees.
The plot, however, is completely different. The film tells an escape story from 1940. The journalist Ludwig Kirsch (Volker Bruch) wants to flee Nazi-controlled Europe with his twelve-year-old son (Weckauf). The plan: A path from southern France over the Pyrenees to Spain should lead them to a ship with which they can travel to New York, where their mother (Anna Maria Mühe) has already found shelter. They are guided by the local girl Núria (Nonna Cardoner), who lives without parents.
However, an incident means that father Kirsch falls into the hands of the Nazis – and the children have to move on alone. Although son Rolf never gives up believing that his father will return. “He’s going free! He swore it!” he replies to the far more realistic Núria, trying to attune him to the grim reality. The tour group is completed by Rolf’s trusty terrier, whose name – Hitler is still in power – is Adi.
The film is based on a novel, which in turn is based on true events. The Pyrenees escape route actually existed. Director Tobias Wiemann (“Amelie runs”) is now staging the work as a mixture of adventure film and historical drama. The earthy colors are reminiscent of “The Miracle of Bern”.
At the same time, Wiemann tells the story very consistently, without major breaks or ambiguities. The whole film – FSK release from the age of six – is clearly designed so that children can watch it. Despite the war scenario, there is hardly any violence to be seen. However, parents should be prepared to provide answers. For example, when asked why Germans wore skulls on their uniforms back then.
However, “The Path” is also a bit of a coming-of-age film. Rolf is a clumsy dreamer who seems to have accidentally entered a dark chapter in world history. But in the end, without giving too much away, it still comes very close to reality. Then you don’t waste any more thoughts on Hape Kerkeling. But only about where Julius Weckauf’s journey can lead to.
The path, Germany 2021, 99 min., FSK from 6, by Tobias Wiemann, with Julius Weckauf, Volker Bruch, Anna Maria trouble, Nonna Cardoner dpa
