Farewell, Joseph (1989): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1989, Farewell, Joseph is a drama film directed by Andreas Kleinert, running about 68 minutes.

What it’s about. Film director Andreas Kleinert belongs to the last generation of filmmakers that emerged in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Born in 1962, Kleinert's attitudes were shaped by the late 1970s, and particularly by the 1980s—a period of increasing disillusionment. He wrote his thesis on “Levels of Consciousness in the Film Poetry of Andrei Tarkovsky,” the late Soviet film director who made a name for himself in the pre-perestroika years with bleak films. As Kleinert completed his film academy studies with his graduation film, Leb' wohl, Joseph ( Farewell, Joseph, 1989), the Berlin Wall fell, heralding the collapse of the GDR. Kleinert won the main prize for his diploma feature film, Leb' wohl, Joseph, at the Munich International Festival for Film Schools. The next year, this remarkable black-and-white Kafkaesque film of cryptic symbols and enigmatic metaphors was invited to compete at Locarno.

Who’s in it. Farewell, Joseph stars Peter Prager as Joseph, Cornelia Schmaus as Frau, Peter Zimmermann as Freund and Christoph Engel as Alter Kollege, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.7/10, Farewell, Joseph has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Farewell, Joseph page.

If you liked it. Fans of Farewell, Joseph tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.