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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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    View Poster

    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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    10

    Featured reviews

    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.
    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.
    8pinefgsgsu

    the movie that anyone want to watch twice

    Toyland is a short drama film. It was made in Germany in 2007. This won an Oscar in 2009. The setting is the German Nazi regime. A mother finds her son is not in their house when his Jewish friend is taken away in the morning. The mother is looking for him because she remembers she says the concentration camp is the Toyland to her son when she is asked about the concentration camp and the son wants to go there. She goes to search the train which conveys Jewish people to the concentration camp and she only finds the friend's family. When she encounters the family, she takes action. I think the story makes the audience confused. However, I feel the complex order of the story is a charm of the film because I was surprised by the revealed facts as the story goes on. Moreover, the last scene is moving. I think the audience may want to watch this film again and again.
    7CinemaSerf

    Toyland

    Potently seen through the eyes of two young boys, the rise of Nazi-ism is depicted as "David" (Tamay Bulut Ozvatan), a Jew, and his family must make preparations for a trip whilst the mother of the other (Julia Jäger) must make preparations to lie to her son about just what is going on in their country now. They boys have no appreciation of the dangers and so armed with his bear "Little Paul" the two insist on travelling together. Can his mother track down "Heinrich" (Cedric Eich) before it's too late? It's chilling, this film - not just the effects of the snow on the ground but these ghastly yellow stars stitched like targets upon the clothing of the unwilling travellers. The boys think they are going to "Toyland".... Scary stuff well presented with an effective minimum of dialogue.
    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.

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    Related interests

    Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen in Little Women (2019)
    Period Drama
    Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
    Psychological Drama
    Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea (2016)
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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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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
      • 2008 (United States)
    • 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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