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Universal Theory

Original title: Die Theorie von Allem
  • 2023
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Jan Bülow in Universal Theory (2023)
Set in 1962 at a quantum mechanics conference in an isolated lodge nestled amid the towering landscapes of the Swiss Alps, THE UNIVERSAL THEORY is the story of a gifted young physicist, his curmudgeonly mentor, and an enigmatic jazz pianist who knows things about our wunderkind scientist that he's never told another living soul. German director Timm Kröger - himself also a cinematographer - films his tale with an eye for the majestic natural beauty that surrounds our characters, effectively evoking the paranoid postwar era. Driven by astonishing twists and improbable coincidences, THE UNIVERSAL THEORY unravels a captivatingly complex chronicle with brain-tickling suspense.
Play trailer2:23
1 Video
18 Photos
Suspense MysteryDramaMysteryThriller

Physicist congress in Alps encounters Iranian guest, mysterious pianist. Bizarre cloud, underground booming. Quantum mechanical thriller unravels amidst enigmatic events. Black and white set... Read allPhysicist congress in Alps encounters Iranian guest, mysterious pianist. Bizarre cloud, underground booming. Quantum mechanical thriller unravels amidst enigmatic events. Black and white setting.Physicist congress in Alps encounters Iranian guest, mysterious pianist. Bizarre cloud, underground booming. Quantum mechanical thriller unravels amidst enigmatic events. Black and white setting.

  • Director
    • Timm Kröger
  • Writers
    • Roderick Warich
    • Timm Kröger
  • Stars
    • Jan Bülow
    • Olivia Ross
    • Hanns Zischler
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Timm Kröger
    • Writers
      • Roderick Warich
      • Timm Kröger
    • Stars
      • Jan Bülow
      • Olivia Ross
      • Hanns Zischler
    • 13User reviews
    • 54Critic reviews
    • 61Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 15 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Universal Theory - Official U.S. Trailer HD
    Trailer 2:23
    The Universal Theory - Official U.S. Trailer HD

    Photos17

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    Top cast47

    Edit
    Jan Bülow
    • Johannes Leinert
    Olivia Ross
    Olivia Ross
    • Karin Hönig
    Hanns Zischler
    Hanns Zischler
    • Dr. Strathen
    Gottfried Breitfuss
    • Prof. Blumberg
    Philippe Graber
    Philippe Graber
    • Kommissar Amrein
    David Bennent
    David Bennent
    • Kommissar Arnold
    Imogen Kogge
    • Anna Leinert
    Emanuel Waldburg-Zeil
    • Johnny
    Vivienne Bayley
    • Susi
    Ladina von Frisching
    Ladina von Frisching
    • Susi Erwachsen
    Dirk Böhling
    • Moderator
    Marie Goyette
    • Baroness Edita Fedorovna Yusupova
    Paul Wolff-Plottegg
    • Dr. Martin Koch
    Peter Hottinger
    Peter Hottinger
    • Empfangschef
    Dana Herfurth
    • Minna
    Joey Zimmermann
    • Polizeibeamter
    Eva Maria Jost
    Eva Maria Jost
    • Anna Leinert Jung
    Jonathan Wirtz
    • Johannes (12 Jahre)
    • Director
      • Timm Kröger
    • Writers
      • Roderick Warich
      • Timm Kröger
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews13

    6.11.3K
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    Featured reviews

    9richard-paine

    Beautiful and thought-provoking film

    I loved this film. Beautifully shot in the Austrian Alps, with an ingenious script, excellent cast and absolutely superb score, the plot (taking place during a physicists' conference in Switzerland in 1962) plays with ideas about metaverses or alternative realities. The dominant, expressionist score (occasionally quoting Bernard Hermann's from Vertigo) reminds us that we are in a world of film, not reality. On the other hand, the opening scene tells us that the narrative is of real and not fictional events. This play on realities becomes overt towards the end, when we witness a 'film within a film'. A film has been made of the book on which our film is based - and it has changed key events in the story! This is a multi-layered film that intrigues without being confusing, delights and entertains while presenting profound ideas, and will live with you long after the closing credits have ended.
    5hregaladoestevez-90396

    A beautiful cinematography that gets lost a poor storytelling

    Positive: Beautiful black and withe cinematography, mixing 50's -60's edition. Comparable to some Hollywood classics. The music also feeds the atmosphere with this noirish style.

    Negative: The storytelling. From the first scene, the director gives away the ending. The viewer knows the conclusion, and not only because it's a well explored subject in recent times, but because the main character say it. There are also characters that are totally irrelevant to the story. The director decides to smash the relationship between the 2 "main characters", to then explore the final days of the protagonist, which is also irrelevant, because we know it from the beginning.

    A good idea, poorly written/directed.
    6slabihoud

    Screwed up

    It's actually a pity, the initial idea is quite appealing and the title and the advertising strategy have aroused great expectations. However, the film gets lost in a long series of quotes, stylistic devices and plot patterns, which were borrowed or copied from the works of famous directors. Thus, despite many mysteries and twists, the story becomes more and more predictable, and thus more disappointing. Unfortunately, the film completely lacks its own cinematic language, which would be necessary to remember the film as an independent work. As it is, however, it remains only as a thoroughly successful homage to Aldrich, Polanski, Lynch, Hitchcock, Truffaut, and, and, ... in memory.

    The film is most convincing in its image composition, the black and white photography is beautiful, followed by the excellent actors. What the film would certainly have scored with is almost not used at all: quantum mechanics is only briefly mentioned, and the main character's groundbreaking theory is never explained, although it seems to be the key to the story. Instead, the emphasis is entirely on confusing the emotions, leaving many interesting possibilities for interpretation. The story never builds up to the great mystery that the title implies and becomes more and more annoying and shallow towards the end. What remains is a visually splendidly made film that is strangely conservative in the end.
    6Irena_Spa

    A mix of styles

    I was carried away with the impression that the film would be special, but although it is special, it is not unique. Why? Well, it has a mix of many styles. As I see now, some in here wrote in their reviews the same thing I think about this movie, that it is a mixture of some Hitchcock and Lynch style of story making and filming. The main factor of the story is the mystery. It starts you hoping to meet the unexpected, but then you come to a corner of boring and slow rhythm, when you lose that hope you had at the beginning. Nevertheless, the movie is not bad, but it could be better in some parts, like in those scenes in the snow where some facts are missing. I guess the author is a fan of quantum physics, astronomy and relativity and I appreciate that. :)
    8Pairic

    Lost Highways In the Snow

    The Universal Theory: Quantum Mechanics, The Many Worlds theory; Travelers from Parallel Earths, a convention in the Swiss Alps in 1962, all combine to create a fascinating Science Fiction Mystery Thriller. Some have complained that the plot is impenetrable and doesn't entirely hold together but I reckon if they pay closer attention they will realise that some apparent inconsistencies are due to characters flitting between different universes. Some changes are small, in others deaths are reversed. The presence of doppelgangers is important to the unfolding of the narrative as is a love story which transcends parallel universes. Filmed in sparkling monochrome this film could be a homage to many thrillers of the '50s and 60s with scenes lovingly lifted from them. Hitchcock meets Welles with a soupcon of Lynch and a dash of Kubrick. The mountain scenery and snow adds to the film's allure. Directed by Timm Kröger,from a screenplay by Kröger & Roderick Warich. 8/10.

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      The opening titles use the same unusual combination of two specific typefaces ("Open Kapitalen" and "Eurostile") as Les Aventuriers de l'arche perdue (1981).

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    FAQ16

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 21, 2024 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • Germany
      • Austria
      • Switzerland
    • Languages
      • German
      • French
      • Italian
      • Swiss German
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Universal Theory
    • Production companies
      • Ma.ja.de. Fiction
      • The Barricades
      • Panama Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • €419,283 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,981
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,981
      • Sep 29, 2024
    • Gross worldwide
      • $561,883
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.66:1

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    Jan Bülow in Universal Theory (2023)
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