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Spielzeugland

  • 2007
  • TV-PG
  • 14m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
Julia Jäger and Cedric Eich in Spielzeugland (2007)
Period DramaPsychological DramaTragedyDramaShortWar

A German mother lies to her son about where the Nazis are sending their Jewish neighbors.A German mother lies to her son about where the Nazis are sending their Jewish neighbors.A German mother lies to her son about where the Nazis are sending their Jewish neighbors.

  • Director
    • Jochen Alexander Freydank
  • Writers
    • Johann A. Bunners
    • Jochen Alexander Freydank
  • Stars
    • Julia Jäger
    • Cedric Eich
    • Tamay Bulut Özvatan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    3.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jochen Alexander Freydank
    • Writers
      • Johann A. Bunners
      • Jochen Alexander Freydank
    • Stars
      • Julia Jäger
      • Cedric Eich
      • Tamay Bulut Özvatan
    • 62User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar
      • 23 wins & 4 nominations total

    Photos2

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    Top cast12

    Edit
    Julia Jäger
    • Marianne Meißner
    Cedric Eich
    • Heinrich Meißner
    Tamay Bulut Özvatan
    • David Silberstein
    Torsten Michaelis
    • Herr Silbertein
    Claudia Hübschmann
    • Frau Silberstein
    David C. Bunners
    David C. Bunners
    • SS-Obersturmführer Falke
    Gregor Weber
    • SS-Mann Werner
    Jürgen Trott
    • Schutzpolizist
    Klaus-Jürgen Steinmann
    • Blockwart
    Heike Reichenwallner
    • Nachbarin
    Matthias Paul
    • Gestapo Mann
    Johanna Penski
    • Hausmeisterin
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jochen Alexander Freydank
    • Writers
      • Johann A. Bunners
      • Jochen Alexander Freydank
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews62

    7.73.3K
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    Featured reviews

    Kirpianuscus

    different

    the films about Shoah are many. but "Toyland" is different. for its intensity. for its switch. for the exploration of an explanation and a fundamental decision. and, sure, for something who remains out of words. because it is a film about hope. and about miracle in a form who seems so easy to define than remains deep way impressive. a mother, her son, theirs neighbors.and a piano. nothing more but enough for a so intense film, profound provocative, than it becomes a serious challenge for the viewer. to become himself. in better version.
    8ysk-57311

    So moving

    The type of this short film is drama and war. The film was made in 2007.

    Heinrich, who is a young boy, plays the piano with his neighbor David.

    However, David is a Jewish boy, and one day his family is taken to a camp. Because Heinrich's mother tells him that David's family will go to a toy land, Heinrich wants to go there with them. On the day when David' s family is taken to the camp, Heinrich tries to follow them, getting out his home without his mother realizing it. This is why she is so surprised to see no one in Heinrich's bed, and she starts to look for her son. While looking for him, there are moving dramas.

    I really like this film. At first, actually I had difficulty understanding the storyline, but after watching the movie twice I could figure it out. The most impressive point of this film is that Heinrich's mother is incredibly brave and smart. In order to find her son, she looks around a variety of places. Even after she realizes that her son is safe, she never gives up to do something meaningful. As I mentioned above, this film is a little bit hard to understand, but it is definitely worth watching.
    7dunkirkafternoon

    Dark

    Toyland is a German short film, directed by Jochen Alexander Freydank. The film relates with the Holocaust. It depicts the fates of non-Jewish family and Jewish family.

    There are some good points in the film. First of all, I was very attracted by the first scene. The film begins with the images of chain like a four-handed performance on the piano and a spiral staircase. These images not only give the audience a feeling of immersion, but also cause them uneasiness.

    Second, the audience is not the only one to use their imagination. The characters in the film are less able to predict their own destiny, compared to other movies. Children constantly imagine the truth of Toyland. On the other hand, adults work hard to help their children. Therefore, some people find it hard to watch the film.

    To conclude, it is worth seeing. Also, it is a good movie to know the gruesomeness of the Holocaust.
    8sashank_kini-1

    Blood brothers

    Usually, I don't watch short films but after seeing and reviewing about five feature films in three days, I needed to see a movie that could capture a gamut of emotions in few minutes and that is precisely what 'Toyland' does. It takes one of the most crucial periods in history - the holocaust and brings it down to the lives of two families and an incident that changes the course of their lives in the dark period.

    A mother finds her son Heinrich missing one day, after she tells him the previous day that their neighbors are moving to Toyland. The prospect of going to a place filled with toys titillates Heinrich and he gets too eager to go with the neighbors, which includes his best friend Paul. The first seven minutes oscillate between flashbacks of Heinrich's excitement and the mother's frantic search. This leads to an end that is so poignant, gripping, chilling and fascinating that it brought tears to my eyes. The fourteen minute film so effortlessly manages to touch the audiences that it truly deserves all the accolades that it has got. 8 out of 10.
    9anhedonia

    Good filmmakers don't need a feature to make powerful movies

    "Toyland" is a film that works so brilliantly that it managed to be powerful, thought-provoking and even gut-wrenching than most Hollywood films that are 8 to 10 times longer. With sparse dialogue, director Jochen Alexander Freydank keeps us hooked throughout this superb short film.

    Set during the Holocaust, a German woman frantically searches for her son, who might have decided to accompany his Jewish neighbors to a Nazi concentration camp because the Jewish family's young son and her son are best friends.

    The film is elegantly shot and wonderfully acted. There is more poignancy and true emotion in this film than I have seen in most Hollywood films in recent times.

    Director Freydank moves his story along, with us always wondering not only what comes next but how this is going to end. And then comes the denouement: A truly remarkable twist that says much about the human spirit. It is a moment that will break your heart while simultaneously make you smile.

    If you have the chance to see this, and the other Oscar-nominated live action shorts, do yourself a favor and watch them. Believe me, it will be time much better spent than, say, on "New In Town" or most any other mainstream Hollywood film.

    Storyline

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    • Trivia
      This short film is available as a bonus on the Film Movement DVD of Storm (2009).
    • Goofs
      All entries contain spoilers

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 29, 2007 (Canada)
    • Country of origin
      • Germany
    • Language
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Toyland
    • Filming locations
      • Berlin, Germany
    • Production company
      • Mephisto Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 14m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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