Archive of films Houston / Houston

Germany
2012, 107 min

Section: Official Selection - Out of Competition
Year: 2013

Ulrich Tukur (The White Ribbon) plays Clemens Trunschka. Clemens is hired by a German company to headhunt an American CEO. But Clemens is also an alcoholic, and his trip to Texas becomes an experience in which an annoying American from the hotel bar is, in fact, the least of his worries...

Synopsis

True, Clemens Trunschka does wear an elegant, well-fitting suit to work, but otherwise he’s pretty much a drunken loser who finds a bottle better company than his wife. Yet he jumps at the chance to fly to the United States to headhunt an American CEO for a German company – and the chase is on. But the adventure ends up heading in a completely different direction than Clemens had hoped, and a feeling grows that the protagonist would be far happier someplace else. Sterility becomes a stylistic principle and the dominant mood. Masterfully filmed with precise attention to detail, the movie makes skillful use of ironic mockery to observe the hero’s efforts, but it also employs cool analytical observation of the type represented in German cinema by Christian Petzold. Günther, too, keeps his foot on the emotional brakes, resulting in a film that engulfs the viewer in an atmosphere of sustained tension. In the end, in a world of futile toil, lurking beneath all the great assignments and business ambitions, it is possible to find hope. But what does it consist of?

About the director

Bastian Günther (b. 1974, Hachenburg, Germany) studied direction in Berlin at DFFB, the German Film and Television School, and his short End of a Trip (Ende einer Strecke, 2005) won the First Steps Prize, Germany’s top award for young creators. His writer-director feature debut Autopilots (Autopiloten, 2007) premiered at the Berlinale and then toured festivals around the world. Houston was selected for the program of this year’s Sundance festival. At present the director is finishing up work on Das Leben nach der Neutronenbombe. Günther lives in both Berlin and Austin, Texas.

Contacts

The Festival Agency
Kwerk, 22 Bd Malesherbes, 750 08, Paris
France
Tel: +33 954 904 863
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.thefestivalagency.com

HanWay Films
8 Basing Street, W11 1ET, London
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 290 0750
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.hanwayfilms.com

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About the film

Color, DCP
European premiere

Section:	Official Selection - Out of Competition

Director:	Bastian Günther
Screenplay:	Bastian Günther
Dir. of Photography:	Michael Kotschi
Music:	Michael Rother I Neu!
Editor:	Anne Fabini
Producer:	Martin Heisler, Joachim Ortmanns, Anne Walker-McBay
Production:	Lichtblick Media Corporation
Cast:	Ulrich Tukur, Garret Dillahunt, Wolfram Koch, Jenny Schily
Contact:	The Festival Agency, HanWay Films

www:	www.houston-film.de

Guests

Leslie Vuchot

Distributor, Service Company Rep.

Bastian Günther

Film Director, Film Director

Martin Heisler

Producer

Chiara Gelardin

Sales Agent

Michael Kotschi

Director of Photography