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Ramon Zürcher

The Sparrow in the Chimney (Der Spatz im Kamin)

Director Ramon Zürcher Composer Balz Bachmann Cast Maren Eggert, Britta Hammelstein, Luise Heyer
Edition 2024
117' - 2024 - Drama - Format: DCP - Dialogue: German
A family party in the countryside turns into a small zoo in Der Spatz im Kamin, literally: the sparrow in the chimney. Swiss filmmaking duo Ramon and Silvan Zürcher - the latter serving as a producer - let the cat out of the bag (and into the washing machine) to study the nature of the beast, between captive bird or phoenix, in a thorny nest with no locks and full of broken dreams.

To celebrate a birthday, the families of sisters Karen and Jule come together in their childhood home, somewhere nestled in the countryside. But in The Sparrow in the Chimney, the little bird from the title that's caught, is an early sign that the festivities will make room for a clash between personalities. Secrets, mutual tensions, and personal struggles transform domestic summer scenes into a dark fairy tale. Is escape possible or is everyone trapped in power relations and contradictions? Together with twin brother Silvan (now serving as a producer), Swiss filmmaker Ramon Zürcher wrote and directed this final part of a triptych about family life of which the first two parts - Das merkwürdige Kätzchen (2013) and Das Mädchen und die Spinne (FFG2021) - garnered acclaim across international festivals. The green-red colour palette of their poetic cacophony looks insidiously complementary and soft. Maren Eggert (Ich bin dein Mensch) shows why she is among the best actors of her generation.

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Credits

Directors

Ramon Zürcher

Composers

Balz Bachmann

Cast

Maren Eggert, Britta Hammelstein, Luise Heyer

Scenario

Ramon Zürcher

Director of Photography

Alex Hasskerl

Editors

Ramon Zürcher

Producers

Silvan Zürcher

Production studios

Zürcher Film, Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF)

More info

Dialogue

German

Countries of production

Germany

Year

2024

Filmography

Ramon Zürcher
Heute mag ich dieses Lied (short, 2007), Reinhardtstrasse (short, 2009), Passanten (short, 2010), Gestern hat sich meine Freundin ein Fahrrad gekauft (short, 2011), Das merkwürdige Kätzchen (2013), Das Mädchen und die Spinne (2021), The Sparrow in the Chimney (2024)

Technical Specs

Format
DCP