Oh, This Unspeakable Void
A German comedy film
The acclaimed film adaptation of Joachim Meyerhoff’s bestselling book is one of this year’s most successful German comedies. With humour, warmth and empathy, it tells a family story that is as funny as it is moving. The film features outstanding performances by Bruno Alexander, Senta Berger, Michael Wittenborn, Laura Tonke and Devid Striesow.
In Oh, This Unspeakable Void (original title: Ach, die Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke), young Joachim moves in with his eccentric grandparents in Munich and dreams of getting into drama school. While his grandparents would rather enjoy retirement with one glass too many than one too few, aspiring actor Joachim struggles to open up emotionally. Even the occasionally bizarre exercises at acting school do little to help. In a new environment and a new phase of life, he is confronted with adulthood, loss and his own expectations.
The film is based on Joachim Meyerhoff’s 2015 novel of the same name and is largely autobiographical. With more than one million tickets sold, Oh, This Unspeakable Void is one of Germany’s biggest cinema hits of the year and a clear audience favourite. Senta Berger and Michael Wittenborn (Toni Erdmann (2016), All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)) both entertain and move audiences as warm, eccentric and intellectual grandparents who take young Joachim (Bruno Alexander) in. Laura Tonke and Devid Striesow reprise their roles as Meyerhoff’s parents from the film When Will It Be Again Like It Never Was Before (TFD 2024). Director Simon Verhoeven (born 1972 in Munich) is behind some of Germany’s most successful film comedies. Award-winning director Maren Ade (Toni Erdmann (2016)) is a producer with her production company Komplizen Film.
