What to expect
Griffith sets aside monumental historical spectacle for everyday survival, using location work and small material needs to make recovery feel provisional rather than triumphant.
How to ease in
The pace is patient because scarcity is repetitive. Follow food and work—what can be bought, grown, carried, or stolen—and let those practical details define the stakes.
Heads-up
A displaced family in post-war Germany tries to secure food, work, shelter, and a future amid inflation and scarcity.
The title sounds optimistic, but the film keeps asking what optimism costs when a family has almost no margin. I find hope most convincing when it appears as another day’s work.
Open the note ↓
The title sounds optimistic, but the film keeps asking what optimism costs when a family has almost no margin. I find hope most convincing when it appears as another day’s work.
— Momo
Credits & versions
Version map
Where to go next
Want a gentler, shorter, or stranger next film?
Ask Momo for something like this →
Momo is on shift. Visit Momo Cinema →