Das schreckliche Mädchen
Encyclopedia
The Nasty Girl is a 1990 West German
drama film
based on the true story of Anna Rosmus
from Passau
, Bavaria
. The original German title loosely translates as "The Terrible Girl."
high school student, Sonja (Lena Stolze
as a fictionalized version of Anna Rosmus
) wins an essay contest and goes on a trip to Paris.
Martin Wegmus begins teaching physics at Sonja's school and one of Sonja's classmates falls in love with him. Almost by luck, Mr. Wegmus and Sonja kiss. The teacher promises to return for her.
The next year, she enters the contest again. She chooses "My Town During the Third Reich" from the possible topics. Her research leads her to discover that her picture-perfect town had been intimately involved in the Third Reich and that nearly all of the city's prominent families were members of the Nazi party
long before it came to power. As she digs further, local authorities stonewall her efforts. Sonja persists and learns that there had been eight concentration camps in the area and that all the Jews were forced out of the town and had their property confiscated.
Sonja marries Martin, and the townsfolk think Sonja has dropped the issue of Nazi involvement. Sonja bears Martin two daughters and studies history at the University. She resumes her research into the town's Nazi past, and wins court cases granting her access to archives. She still has to employ trickery to get the information she wants, however. In response, her town's hostility grows from verbal abuse, to death threats to physical assaults as they attempt to silence her with increasing desperation, but nothing deters her.
Meanwhile, her husband feels emasculated as he's forced to take care of the children. The family survives a bomb from the angry townsfolk, but Sonja keeps up her research.
At the end, the townspeople change their tune, even putting a bust of Sonja at the town hall. Sonja sees through this as a means to silence her and rejects the honor.
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
based on the true story of Anna Rosmus
Anna Rosmus
Anna Rosmus, also known as Anja Rosmus-Wenninger, is a German author and researcher born in 1960 in Passau, Bavaria.- Early life in Germany :...
from Passau
Passau
Passau is a town in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the Dreiflüssestadt or "City of Three Rivers," because the Danube is joined at Passau by the Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north....
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. The original German title loosely translates as "The Terrible Girl."
Plot
A GermanWest Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
high school student, Sonja (Lena Stolze
Lena Stolze
Lena Stolze is a German television and film actress.-Life and work:Lena Stolze's father is Gerhard Stolze, a tenor, and her mother is the actress Gabi Stolze...
as a fictionalized version of Anna Rosmus
Anna Rosmus
Anna Rosmus, also known as Anja Rosmus-Wenninger, is a German author and researcher born in 1960 in Passau, Bavaria.- Early life in Germany :...
) wins an essay contest and goes on a trip to Paris.
Martin Wegmus begins teaching physics at Sonja's school and one of Sonja's classmates falls in love with him. Almost by luck, Mr. Wegmus and Sonja kiss. The teacher promises to return for her.
The next year, she enters the contest again. She chooses "My Town During the Third Reich" from the possible topics. Her research leads her to discover that her picture-perfect town had been intimately involved in the Third Reich and that nearly all of the city's prominent families were members of the Nazi party
National Socialist German Workers Party
The National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
long before it came to power. As she digs further, local authorities stonewall her efforts. Sonja persists and learns that there had been eight concentration camps in the area and that all the Jews were forced out of the town and had their property confiscated.
Sonja marries Martin, and the townsfolk think Sonja has dropped the issue of Nazi involvement. Sonja bears Martin two daughters and studies history at the University. She resumes her research into the town's Nazi past, and wins court cases granting her access to archives. She still has to employ trickery to get the information she wants, however. In response, her town's hostility grows from verbal abuse, to death threats to physical assaults as they attempt to silence her with increasing desperation, but nothing deters her.
Meanwhile, her husband feels emasculated as he's forced to take care of the children. The family survives a bomb from the angry townsfolk, but Sonja keeps up her research.
At the end, the townspeople change their tune, even putting a bust of Sonja at the town hall. Sonja sees through this as a means to silence her and rejects the honor.
Cast
- Lena StolzeLena StolzeLena Stolze is a German television and film actress.-Life and work:Lena Stolze's father is Gerhard Stolze, a tenor, and her mother is the actress Gabi Stolze...
as Sonja - Hans-Reinhard Müller as Juckenack
- Monika BaumgartnerMonika BaumgartnerMonika Baumgartner is a German television actress and theatre director. In her roles, she usually plays persons typical for the Bavaria region in Germany...
as Sonja's mother - Elisabeth Bertram as Sonja's grandma
- Michael Gahr as Paul Rosenberger
- Robert Giggenbach as Martin
- Fred Stillkrauth as Sonja's uncle
- Barbara Gallauner as Miss Juckenack
- Udo Thomer as Archivist Schulz
Awards
- BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language
- Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language FilmGolden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language FilmThe Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the awards presented at the Golden Globes, an American film awards ceremony.Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film could be honoured...
- Berlin International Film Festival40th Berlin International Film FestivalThe 40th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 9 to 20, 1990.-Jury:* Michael Ballhaus * Margaret Ménégoz * Vadim Abdrashitov* Suzana Amaral* Steven Bach* Roberto Benigni* Lívia Gyarmathy...
: Silver Bear for Best DirectorSilver Bear for Best DirectorThe Silver Bear for Best Director is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for best achievement in direction.-Awards:-Repeated winners:*Mario Monicelli *Satyajit Ray *Carlos Saura -External links:*...
(Michael Verhoeven) - New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
Award nominations
- Academy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmThe Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
- Golden BearGolden BearAccording to legend, the Golden Bear was a large golden Ursus arctos. Members of the Ursus arctos species can reach masses of . The Grizzly Bear and the Kodiak Bear are North American subspecies of the Brown Bear....
, Berlin Film Festival