Die Kirche bleibt im Dorf (5 Stars)

The film's name means "The church stays in the village". It was one of the most successful German films of 2012, and in 2013 it spawned a television series with the same name. It's a tale of two villages, Oberrieslingen and Unterrieslingen. They have been enemies for hundreds of years, so long that nobody knows why. If it were up to the villagers they wouldn't speak to one another, but the cruel hand of fate has bound them together. They only have one church and one cemetery between them. The church is in Oberrieslingen and the cemetery is in Unterrieslingen. On Sunday they worship together in the church -- sitting on opposite sides, of course -- and in return for being allowed to use the church the people of Unterrieslingen allow their neighbours to bury their dead in their cemetery.

Maria, Christina and Klara Häberle are three sisters who live on a farm in Oberrieslingen. Klara has a secret. She's in love with Peter Rossbauer, a farmer's son from Unterrieslingen. They meet secretly in the fields because it would be a scandal if anyone found out.

The uneasy truce is broken when a rich American arrives who wants to buy the church and transport it back to Texas. The mayor of Oberrieslingen immediately agrees, because he wants to build a cinema. The people of Unterrieslingen protest and threaten to dig up the Oberrieslingen coffins in retaliation.

This is an amazing film. The director has captured the small village Swabian mentality perfectly. It hasn't been released in English, but if you can understand German you really must watch it.

Klara and Peter meet wherever they can

The scenery in the film is stunningly beautiful. The two villages in the film are fictional, so I had to find out where the film was made. It was filmed in Emmendingen, a small town just north of Freiburg. Here is a picture of the ruins of Emmendingen Castle, which plays an important part in the film.