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 | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
German | Die Theorie von Allem |
Directed by | Timm Kröger |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Roland Stuprich[1] |
Edited by | Jann Anderegg[1] |
Music by | Diego Ramos Rodríguez[1] |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 118 minutes[1] |
Countries |
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Languages |
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Box office | $529,051[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
editIn 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
edit- Jan Bülow as Johannes Leinert
- Olivia Ross 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
editThe 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
editDiego 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
editNo. | Title | Length |
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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
editThe 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
editCritical response
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10.[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[15]
Accolades
editAward | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Chicago International Film Festival | 22 October 2023 | Gold Hugo | The Universal Theory | Nominated | [16] |
Utopiales | 4 November 2023 | Grand prix du jury des Utopiales | Won | [17] | |
Venice Film Festival | 9 September 2023 | Golden Lion | Timm Kröger | Nominated | [18] |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "Die Theorie von allem". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "The Universal Theory (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kiang, Jessica (3 September 2023). "'The Universal Theory' Review: A Sumptuous Homage to Hitchcock Packaged as a Metaphysical Noir". Variety. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b Vena, Teresa (25 January 2022). "Shooting for the historical thriller The Theory of Everything starts in Austria". Cineuropa. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "'The Universal Theory' Soundtrack Released". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ "The Universal Theory Soundtrack - Limited Edition Vinyl". Oscilloscope Laboratories. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Die Theorie von Allem" (in German). Neue Visionen. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "Die Theorie von Allem" (in German). Stadtkino Wien. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ Blum, Pascal (22 January 2024). "Vier neue Schweizer Filme, die überraschen". Tages-Anzeiger (in German). Retrieved 29 August 2024.
- ^ "The Theory of Everything". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "The Universal Theory". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (14 September 2023). "'Fallen Leaves', 'About Dry Grasses', 'La Chimera' among Chicago fest international line-up (exclusive)". Screendaily. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
- ^ "Palmarès 2023". Les Utopiales. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ "Venezia 80 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 12 August 2023.