Diese Nacht

Santa María, a city between life and death. Ossorio, the hero of a failed resistance movement, returns to the besieged city in search of his former friends and his lover. But it is not only the situation that has changed, but also his friends: while an unrestrained militia terrorizes the city, everyone is just trying to save their own skin. There is only this night left to escape. Legendary director Werner Schroeter adapts Juan Carlos Onetti's novel into opulent images, dark and intoxicated with beauty. A captivating film noir that impresses with its great cast. THIS NIGHT, an international co-production between Germany, France, and Portugal, was made in 2008 and is considered one of the late highlights of Schroeter's work. The director, who had already made a name for himself with his idiosyncratic visual language and uncompromising cinema, brings his themes of love, power, and transience to radical expression here. THIS NIGHT celebrated its world premiere in 2008 at the Venice International Film Festival, where the film was in competition and was awarded the Special Jury Prize. The work also received a special award at the 2009 Festival of German Film in Ludwigshafen.