An American-German returns to the FDR in 1945 to work as a waiter on a new train, the previous one having been derailed but finds the changes superficial and the new consumerism cloaks sinister unbroken threads from the past. Haunting and hypnotic, literally. An art-house must-see.

An excellent black comedy, handsome thriller and a tall story that keeps you guessing as it unwinds. The genuinely ridiculous plot (a man pays a couple of goons to 'pretend' to kidnap his wife in order to get his paws on his in-laws' 'ransom' money) is completely credible as mighty plans fall apart, spiralling ever more beyond the protagonist's control and leaving us marvelling at the complex stupidity of human nature. A modern classic.

Alex is devoted to his mother, a firm believer in the Marxist reality that is East Germany. Awakening from an eight month coma brought on by a heart attack, a lot has changed since Alex's mum last viewed the world; the Berlin wall has fallen and Germany is once again one. Warned by the doctors that any great shocks could be fatal, Alex becomes determined that his mother, even if it's within the confines of her own four walls, will continue to observe a communist society unchanged. All these s find out more...