The devil tricks a little boy off his laughter in exchange for assured wins in all his bets. It depicts his journey after the deal with the devil, how he loses his soul bit by bit with each win.
Acting
Arved Friese's hollow joy will wreck you.
Direction
Dresen walks the tightrope between wonder and horror.
Costume
The devil's garish glamour vs. Timm's fading colors.
Director
Andreas Dresen
Arved Friese
Timm Thaler
Jule Hermann
Ida Bebber
Justus von Dohnányi
Baron Lefuet
Axel Prahl
Behemoth
Charly Hübner
Kreschimir
Steffi Kühnert
Lydia
Nadja Uhl
Yvonne
Bjarne Mädel
Timms Father
Milan Peschel
Grabredner
Fritzi Haberlandt
Frau Bebber
Harald Schmidt
Racecourse speaker
Thomas Ohrner
Concierge
Joachim Król
Narrator
Andreas Schmidt
Belial
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on James Krüss's 1962 novel, a Cold War-era German classic about freedom through joy.
Andreas Dresen typically directs gritty social realism; this fairy tale is his complete pivot—yet the poverty still bites.
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