Product Description

Studio: Koch International Release Date: 06/08/2004 Run time: 96 minutes Rating: Nr

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18164 in DVD
• Brand: Koch International
• Released on: 2004-06-08
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: German
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 99 minutes

Customer Reviews

Warm, Daring, and Wonderful Love Trip...
The aspiring teacher Daniel Bannier (Moritz Bleibtreu) has just finished his last day before summer break as a substitute teacher. Daniel has planned to stay in Hamburg over the summer sitting in solitude on his balcony reading books about physics and listening to jazz while everyone else is leaving for an exotic vacation. A boring stiff could sum up Daniel's persona before he met the street vendor Juli (Christiane Paul) who has fallen in love with Daniel. Juli urges Daniel to buy a Mayan ring with the mark of a sun from her as she reveals for him that the love of his life will be wearing a sun. Juli is scheming a love trap for Daniel as she invites him to a street party, however, Daniel is unaware Juli's affections for him and instead meets meets Melek (Idil Üner), a beautiful Turkish girl, as Juli is late to the party.

Melek needs to find a place for the night and she is flying to Turkey the next morning. However, she unveils that she is to meet her beloved under the bridge at Bosphorus strait that divides two continents. After Daniel has dropped off Melek at the airport he realizes that he must go to Istanbul in order to meet her under the bridge. When Daniel begins his journey he sees a hitchhiker whom he picks up, and it is no other than Juli who has decided to escape her sad loss of Daniel by travel. This is the beginning of a long journey for Daniel as he is forced to leave his secure little world and do a lot of things that he would never otherwise have done.

In July is a wonderful love story that offers much laughter and entertainment as the audience probably can relate to the feelings of both Daniel and Juli. Most of the story is told in a flashback as Daniel tells his tale for a mysterious man with a corpse in the trunk, which adds a level of suspense to the film. In the end, Faith Akin has directed a terrific cinematic experience that can lighten the heaviest of hearts and share some hope for those in need of a cheering up.

"Is That The Sun?" ~ When Fate And the Stars Aren't Enough
Note: German with English subtitles.

Daniel (Moritz Bleibtreu), a naive student teacher from Hamburg is pursuaded to buy an antique ring adorned with the image of the sun by a street vendor. July (Christiane Paul) the pretty girl selling the item tells him he will soon meet a woman wearing the same symbol. She will be his one true love.

July plans to be that true love, but Daniel bumps into someone else first wearing the sunburst symbol on her tanktop. She spends one night with him before leaving for Istanbul. He decides to pursue her and as fate would have it, July inadvertantly joins in the journey. And so the romantic adventure begins.

This is an absolutely fantastic film. Beautiful cinematography, wonderfully infectious music, great storyline and three beautiful girls. Besides the two actors already mentioned I want to also credit Mehmet Kurtulus and Idil Uner for their first rate supporting roles.

I could watch this film over and over again. My favorite German language movie by far!

Watch it in July, August and all year round!
In July is one of the movies that I can watch over and over. I will not cover the plot, since reviewers before me did a good job at it.

I would not consider this film a sappy melodrama, and I did not find it annoying like some love movies are. It is very lighthearted and kind. It tells a story of following your fate, finding your love, and of traveling across Europe without a penny in the pocket. In fact, it does not concentrate on love, although it is the premise of the film. You can just watch it as an adventure movie with many funny stories and situations. The actors do a good job playing their parts, scenery is cool, there are a few fancy and scenes with a trendy camera work, and the soundtrack is wonderful.

It is a typical quality European film. I hope you enjoy watching it.