The Sparrow in the Chimney (German: Der Spatz im Kamin) is a Swiss drama film, directed by Ramon Zürcher. The film, starring Maren Eggert, Britta Hammelstein, Andreas Döhler, Luise Heyer and Milian Zerzawy, is the third part of a trilogy about family life, after The Strange Kitten and The Girl and the Spider, which the director created together with his twin brother Silvan Zürcher. The film follows two adult siblings who come together with their respective families in their parents' house in Switzerland to celebrate a birthday.[1]
| The Sparrow in the Chimney | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| German | Der Spatz im Kamin |
| Directed by | Ramon Zürcher |
| Written by | Ramon Zürcher |
| Produced by | Silvan Zürcher |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Alex Hasskerl |
| Edited by | Ramon Zürcher |
| Music by | Balz Bachmann |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Filmcoopi |
Release date |
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Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Language | German |
The film premiered at the 77th Locarno Film Festival on 10 August 2024 in Main Competition section.[2] The theatrical release in Germany is scheduled for 10 October 2024.[3]
Synopsis
editKaren and Markus reside with their children in the picturesque home in Rapperswil, Bern, where Karen grew up. Jule, Karen's sister, and her family come to celebrate Markus's birthday. Memories of their late mother stir Jule's desire to resist Karen's control. As the house becomes livelier, Karen grows increasingly tense, leading to a climactic moment where parts of the past are shattered to make way for something new.
Cast
edit- Maren Eggert as Karen
- Andreas Döhler as Markus
- Britta Hammelstein as Julie
- Luise Heyer as Liv
- Milian Zerzawy as Jurek
- Paula Schindler as Christina
- Lea Zoë Voss as Johanna
- Ilya Bultmann as Leon
- Stephanie Greco as Edda
Production
editThe film written and directed by Ramon is the third and final part of Ramon Zürcher and Silvan Zürcher's trilogy about family life, following The Strange Kitten 2013 and The Girl and the Spider 2021. The music was composed by Balz Bachmann.[4]
Maren Eggert and Andreas Döhler play the parents Karen and Markus in the main roles, and Britta Hammelstein plays Karen's sister Jule. Other roles are played by Milian Zerzawy as Karen's brother-in-law Jurek and Luise Heyer as the arsonist Liv, who lives nearby and spent a long time in a psychiatric hospital. Lea Zoë Voss plays Johanna, Karen's eldest daughter, and Ilja Bultmann plays her youngest son Leon.[3]
The film was supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and received production funding of 695,000 Swiss franc from the Bern Film Fund.[3]
Filming began on 11 July 2022 and took place over 35 shooting days until the end of August 2022, mostly in a large house in Rapperswil, Bern, where the film is set.[4][3]
Release
editThe Sparrow in the Chimney had its world premiere on 10 August 2024, as part of the 77th Locarno Film Festival, in Main Competition.[2] It competed at the Pingyao International Film Festival in the Crouching Tigers competition held from 21 to 30 September 2024,[5] where it won Roberto Rossellini Award for Best Film.[6] It was also showcased at the Vancouver International Film Festival in Panorama on 27 September 2024.[7]
It was theatrically released in Switzerland on 19 September 2024 and in Germany it is scheduled for release on 10 October 2024.[3]
The film was screened at the Filmfest Hamburg in Kaleidoscope section on 3 October 2024,[8] at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 in the World Cinema section,[9] and on 23 October at the 60th Chicago International Film Festival, where it competed in International Competition.[10] On 28 October 2024, the film was showcased at the 37th Tokyo International Film Festival in 'Youth' section.[11]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.l.[12]
Reviewing for Cineuropa, Giorgia Del Don wrote, "A kind of dystopic fairy tale with horror film overtones, the movie transports the audience to a cruel but sincere world where people have freed themselves from the dictates of a society intent on assigning roles to each of us at birth, and are finally discovering their true, wild, defiant, animal nature."[13]
Guy Lodge reviewing in Variety said, "The Sparrow in the Chimney may be a crowded work, sparking and seizing with nervous energy, but there’s a mutually enhancing tension between the rough-and-tumble of the drama and the refinement of the filmmaking."[14]
Accolades
editIn August 2024, it was selected for nomination to 37th European Film Awards to be held at Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Luzern in Lucerne on 7 December 2024.[15][16]
| Award | Ceremony date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locarno Film Festival | 17 August 2024 | Golden Leopard | Ramon Zürcher | Nominated | [17] |
| Pingyao International Film Festival | 30 September 2024 | Roberto Rossellini Award for Best Film | The Sparrow in the Chimney | Won | [5][6] |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 27 October 2024 | Gold Hugo | Nominated | [18] |
References
edit- ^ Zürcher, Ramon (23 September 2024). "The Sparrow in the Chimney". Cineuropa. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b Don, Giorgia Del (10 July 2024). "Locarno announces its competition selection". Cineuropa. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "The Sparrow in the Chimney | Feature Film: 2022-2024, Drama, family". Crew United. 10 August 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b Scarpa, Vittoria (26 July 2022). "Drehstart des Familiendramas «Der Spatz im Kamin»" [Start of filming of the family drama “The Sparrow in the Chimney”]. SRGD (in German). Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b Shackleton, Liz (7 September 2024). "China's Pingyao Film Festival Announces Full Line-Up; Opening Film 'A River Without Tears' & 'Yellow Earth' Restoration". Deadline. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b Rosser, Michael (29 September 2024). "'Karst', 'The Sparrow In The Chimney' win top prizes at Pingyao film festival". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
- ^ "The Sparrow in the Chimney". Vancouver International Film Festival. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "The Sparrow in the Chimney". Filmfest Hamburg. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Deb, Deepshikha (30 September 2024). "MAMI Mumbai Film Festival Unveils 2024 Official Lineup". High On Films. Retrieved 13 October 2024.
- ^ "The Sparrow in the Chimney". Chicago International Film Festival. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "TIFF: Full lineup". Tokyo International Film Festival. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "The Sparrow in the Chimney (2024, Drama)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Del Don, Giorgia (10 August 2024). "Review: The Sparrow in the Chimney". Cineuropa. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Guy Lodge (11 August 2024). "'The Sparrow in the Chimney' Review: A Heady Summer Bonfire of Combustible Family Relations". Variety. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Feature Film Selection – Part 1". European Film Academy. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "The European Film Awards add 16 more films to their Fiction Feature Film selection". Cineuropa. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Concorso Internazionale". Locarno Film Festival. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ "Chicago International Film Festival Announces 60th Edition International Competition Selections". Screen Magazine. 20 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
