Der Vorname

It should have been a wonderful evening. Stephan and Elisabeth have invited family and friends for dinner, but as soon as Thomas announces that he and his pregnant girlfriend Anna are planning to name their unborn son Adolf, things get out of hand. Even family friend René is drawn into the fight, as secrets are revealed and truths are dragged to light, kicking and screaming. It’s a clash of egos, of wounded prides, and as the evening escalates and unforgiveable things are said on all sides, the argument about baby names turns into a feast of childhood transgressions and hidden passions, served up for all to enjoy. Director Sönke Wortmann deftly helms this incredible, did-he-just-say-that story of a family dinner gone awry, in which German guilt and angst over the Nazi past burst out into the open willy-nilly. (Sedona International Film Festival)