Wikipedia

The Universal Theory

For a hypothetical theory that would explain all the physical laws and properties of the universe, see Theory of everything.

The Universal Theory (German: Die Theorie von Allem, lit. 'The Theory of Everything') is a 2023 mystery thriller film directed by Timm Kröger,[3][4] from a screenplay written by Kröger with Roderick Warich.[5]

The Universal Theory
Theatrical release poster
GermanDie Theorie von Allem
Directed byTimm Kröger
Written by
  • Timm Kröger
  • Roderick Warich
Produced by
  • Heino Deckert
  • Viktoria Stolpe
  • Timm Kröger
  • Tina Börner
  • Lixi Frank
  • David Bohun
  • Sarah Born
  • Rajko Jazbec
  • Dario Schoch
Starring
CinematographyRoland Stuprich[1]
Edited byJann Anderegg[1]
Music byDiego Ramos Rodríguez[1]
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Neue Visionen (Germany)
  • Stadtkino (Austria)
  • Filmcoopi (Switzerland)
Release dates
  • 3 September 2023 (2023-09-03) (Venice)
  • 26 October 2023 (2023-10-26) (Germany)
  • 10 November 2023 (2023-11-10) (Austria)
  • 1 February 2024 (2024-02-01) (Switzerland)
Running time
118 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Germany
  • Austria
  • Switzerland
Languages
Box office$531,032[2]

The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered on 3 September 2023. It was theatrically released in Germany on 26 October 2023.

Plot

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In 1962, physicist Johannes travels with his doctoral supervisor to a scientific congress in the Swiss Alps. It is there that he meets Karin, a jazz pianist, who is suspiciously knowledgeable about Johannes. A series of mysterious deaths occur at the mountainous site, and the two venture to uncover the secrets hidden below. The story includes an Iranian guest, a strange cloud formation in the sky and quantum mechanics.

Cast

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  • Jan Bülow [de] as Johannes Leinert
  • Olivia Ross [fr] as Karin Hönig
  • Hanns Zischler as Dr. Julius Strathen
  • Gottfried Breitfuss as Professor Blumberg
  • David Bennent as Kommissar Arnold
  • Philippe Graber as Kommissar Amrein
  • Ladina Carla von Frisching as Susi (adult)
  • Imogen Kogge as Anna Leinert
  • Emanuel Waldburg-Zeil as Johnny
  • Vivienne Bayley as Susi (child)
  • Dirk Böhling as Moderator
  • Paul Wolff-Plottegg as Dr. Martin Koch
  • Peter Hottinger as Empfangschef
  • Dana Herfurth as Minna
  • Joey Zimmermann as Polizeibeamter
  • Eva Maria Jost as Anna Leinert Jung
  • Jonathan Wirtz as Johannes (child)

Production

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The Universal Theory was produced by Germany's Ma.ja.de. Fiction and The Barricades, in co-production with Austria's Panama Film and Switzerland's Catpics AG.[6] Principal photography began in January 2022 at the ski resort of St. Jakob in Defereggen, Austria. The film was shot in black-and-white using CinemaScope.[5] Filming was projected to wrap at the end of February.[6]

Music

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Diego Ramos Rodriguez composed the film's score, with additional music from David Schweighart and Viola Hammer. Oscilloscope Laboratories released the soundtrack in December 2023.[7] A limited edition vinyl was released in August 2024.[8]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Prologue"3:17
2."Departure"2:24
3."The Train to the Alps"2:12
4."In the Chapel"3:00
5."Johanina"3:26
6."Professor Blumberg"5:20
7."On the Ski Slope"3:59
8."Blumberg's Corpse"4:16
9."Interlude - Karin's Theme"4:28
10."Homecoming"2:07
11."Mistrust and Separation"3:36
12."Johnny Shows the Way"8:33
13."Where is Karin?"7:33
14."Under Suspicion"4:14
15."The Chase"1:27
16."Epilogue"9:28
Total length:69:20

Release

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The Universal Theory was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival,[9] where it had its world premiere on 3 September 2023.[1] International sales were handled by Paris-based company Charades.[10] In early October 2023, it was announced that Oscilloscope Laboratories had acquired U.S. distribution rights.[3] The film was theatrically released in Germany by Neue Visionen on 26 October 2023.[11] Stadtkino Filmverleih released the film in Austria on 10 November 2023.[12] Filmcoopi Zürich released the film in Switzerland on 1 February 2024.[13]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 69% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10.[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Chicago International Film Festival 22 October 2023 Gold Hugo The Universal Theory Nominated [16]
German Film Awards 3 May 2024 Best Film Nominated [17]
[18]
Best Director Timm Kröger Nominated
Best Cinematography Roland Stuprich Won
Best Score Diego Ramos Rodríguez Nominated
Best Production Design Cosima Vellenzer, Anika Klatt Won
Best Visual Effects Kariem Saleh, Adrian Meyer Won
German Film Critics Association Awards 18 February 2024 Best Film The Universal Theory Nominated [19]
Best Actor Gottfried Breitfuss Nominated
Best Screenplay Timm Kröger, Roderick Warich Nominated
Best Cinematography Roland Stuprich Nominated
Best Music Diego Ramos Rodríguez Won [20]
Utopiales 4 November 2023 Grand prix du jury des Utopiales The Universal Theory Won [21]
Venice Film Festival 9 September 2023 Golden Lion Timm Kröger Nominated [22]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Die Theorie von allem". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  2. ^ "The Universal Theory (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b Ritman, Alex (5 October 2023). "Oscilloscope Acquires Venice Competition Entry 'The Universal Theory' for U.S. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  4. ^ Kiang, Jessica (3 September 2023). "'The Universal Theory' Review: A Sumptuous Homage to Hitchcock Packaged as a Metaphysical Noir". Variety. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  5. ^ a b Barraclough, Leo (21 January 2022). "First Look: Jan Bülow, Olivia Ross Star in Mystery Thriller 'The Theory of Everything' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b Vena, Teresa (25 January 2022). "Shooting for the historical thriller The Theory of Everything starts in Austria". Cineuropa. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  7. ^ "'The Universal Theory' Soundtrack Released". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  8. ^ "The Universal Theory Soundtrack - Limited Edition Vinyl". Oscilloscope Laboratories. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  9. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (25 July 2023). "Venice Film Festival Lineup: Mann, Lanthimos, Fincher, DuVernay, Cooper, Besson, Coppola, Hamaguchi In Competition; Polanski, Allen, Anderson, Linklater Out Of Competition – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  10. ^ Leffler, Rebecca (25 July 2023). "Charades, Anonymous Content team on genre-bending Venice Competition title 'The Theory of Everything' (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  11. ^ "Die Theorie von Allem" (in German). Neue Visionen. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  12. ^ "Die Theorie von Allem" (in German). Stadtkino Wien. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  13. ^ Blum, Pascal (22 January 2024). "Vier neue Schweizer Filme, die überraschen". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  14. ^ "The Theory of Everything". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  15. ^ "The Universal Theory". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  16. ^ Kay, Jeremy (14 September 2023). "'Fallen Leaves', 'About Dry Grasses', 'La Chimera' among Chicago fest international line-up (exclusive)". Screendaily. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  17. ^ "Filmdrama "Sterben" für neun Lolas nominiert". ZDFheute (in German). 19 March 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  18. ^ Kilb, Andreas (4 May 2024). "Es war uns eine Ehre". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  19. ^ Küper, Anne (24 January 2024). "Nominierungen für den Preis der deutschen Filmkritik 2023 stehen fest". Verband der deutschen Filmkritik e.V. (in German). Retrieved 10 September 2024.
  20. ^ Mensch, Marc (18 February 2024). "Roter Himmel zweifach von deutschen Kritikern geehrt". Blickpunkt:Film (in German). Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  21. ^ "Palmarès 2023". Les Utopiales. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  22. ^ "Venezia 80 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
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