When Uwe discovers that the Asian classmate he has been bullying has built a raft from scrap wood, the two begin to form an unlikely friendship and devise a plan to run away together and sail toward the North Sea.
THE NORTH AMERICAN DISC PREMIERE
From writer/director Hark Bohm, co-founder of the 1970s German New Wave collective Filmverlag der Autoren alongside Wim Wenders and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, comes this landmark drama about youth and outsider friendship. Thirteen-year-old Uwe makes his screen debut in a standout performance by Bohm’s adopted son Uwe Bohm. Living with his mother and a troubled father in a Hamburg housing project, Uwe struggles with life at home and at school.
When he discovers that the quiet classmate he has been bullying—played by the director’s other adopted son, Dschingis Bowakow—has constructed a raft from scrap wood, the two boys form an unexpected bond. Together they hatch a daring plan to escape their circumstances and set out on a journey toward the North Sea.
Marquard Bohm (Beware of a Holy Whore) co-stars in this “modern day Huckleberry Finn” (Prisma), a film that once stirred controversy with Germany’s ratings board. Now scanned in 4K from the original camera negative, this release includes over an hour of special features and a 40-page booklet featuring stills, archival materials, and an essay by Der Samurai writer/director Till Kleinert.
Special Features
• Introduction by The Golden Glove director Fatih Akin
• Working Class in Wilhelmsburg – writer/director Hark Bohm reflects on North Sea Is Death Sea
• Growing Up on Film – interview with actor Dschingis Bowakow
• That’s Why I’m Here – interview with actress Herma Koehn
• The Death King Sails the Death Sea – appreciation by Nekromantik director Jörg Buttgereit
• Booklet designed by HauntLove featuring an essay by Till Kleinert (Der Samurai) and rare stills and promotional items
• Trailer
