Left to fend for themselves after their SS officer father and mother, staunch Nazi believers, are interred by the victorious Allies at the end of World War II, five German children undertake a harrowing journey that exposes them to the reality and consequences of their parents’ actions. Led by the eldest sibling, 14-year old Lore (striking newcomer Saskia Rosendahl), they set out on a journey across a devastated country to reach their grandmother in the north. After meeting the charismatic Thomas, a mysterious young refugee, Lore soon finds her world shattered by feelings of both hatred and desire as she must learn to trust the one person she has always been taught to hate in order to survive. Lush cinematography and an evocative, haunting mood infuse this unconventional take on the Holocaust legacy with unforgettable impact. Based on the book “Lore” by Rachel Seiffert.
"Intense and emotional. Saskia Rosendahl is mesmerizing."
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
"Critic's Pick!"
Joe Morgenstern
New York Times
“Cate Shortland’s promise is amply, even startlingly, fulfilled.”
Megan Lehmann
The Wall Street Journal
"A lyrical, deeply affecting study into a rarely seen legacy of the Holocaust."
Frank Hatherley
The Hollywood Reporter
"Tense and unrelentingly gripping."
Eric Kohn
Screen Daily
"EXTRAORDINARY."
Indiewire
Critics’ Pick! “Uniquely impressionistic, sensuous, and tense—a compelling, nightmarish fable about survival and identity.”
Rex Reed
New York Magazine
“4 STARS! Brave, gripping, relentlessly absorbing…a Holocaust film unlike any other…emotionally overwhelming…Prepare to be moved to tears…It’s a remarkable accomplishment.”
Scott Foundas
New York Observer
"Shortland draws fine work from her actors, particularly the haunting Rosendahl, who manages to seem by turns a perfectly unbending Nazi youth, a frightened little girl forced to grow up too quickly, and a sensuous young woman bursting into bloom."
George Robinson
Village Voice
"Shortland’s brilliant new film is an unsettling coming-of-age story that renders its judgement on Germany’s crimes and strange aftermath of the war."
Joe Neumaier
The Jewish Week
"Australian director Cate Shortland’s straightforward approach to the blinders worn by Hitler Youth creates a disconcerting and eerie film, made even more memorable since it’s seen through the prism of childhood’s end."
Steven Boone
New York Daily News
"4 STARS Riveting stuff, start to finish. Lore offers up lessons for all time."
Michael Philips
Chicago Sun-Times
Winner! Locarno Film Festival 2012 - Audience Award
Chicago Tribune
Winner! Hamptons International Film Festival 2012 - Best Cinematography
Winner! Hamptons International Film Festival 2012 - Best Narrative Feature
Winner! Hamptons International Film Festival 2012 - Jeremy Nussbaum Prize for Provocative Fiction
Nominated for 8 Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards
Toronto International Film Festival 2012 - Official Selection
Berlin International Film Festival 2013
The Making of Lore| Panel Discussion
Memories of a German Girl
Theatrical Trailer
Liesel (Nele Trebs), Lore (Saskia Rosendahl), Jürgen (Mika Seidel), and Günther (André Frid) in LORE. Courtesy of Music Box Films
Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) and Thomas (Kai Malina) in LORE. Courtesy of Music Box Films
Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) in LORE. Courtesy of Music Box Films
Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) in LORE. Courtesy of Music Box Films
Cate Shortland, director of LORE