Treasure is a 2024 tragicomedy film directed by Julia von Heinz. Based on the 1999 novel Too Many Men by Lily Brett, the film stars Lena Dunham, Stephen Fry and Zbigniew Zamachowski. Set in 1990, it tells the story of an American journalist Ruth who travels to Poland with her father Edek to visit his childhood places. But Edek, a Holocaust survivor, resists reliving his trauma and sabotages the trip creating unintentionally funny situations.[2]
| Treasure | |
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| Directed by | Julia von Heinz |
| Written by |
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| Based on | Too Many Men by Lily Brett |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Daniela Knapp |
| Edited by | Sandie Bompar |
| Music by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 112 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Box office | $1 million[1] |
It was selected in the Berlinale Special Gala section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival and was screened on 17 February 2024.[3] The film was released in the United States on June 14, 2024 by Bleecker Street in co-partnership with FilmNation Entertainment.[4]
Cast
edit- Lena Dunham as Ruth
- Stephen Fry as Edek
- Zbigniew Zamachowski as Stefan
- Petra Zieser as German Woman
- Robert Besta as Hotel Manager
- Oliver Ewy as Witek
- David Krzysteczko as Michal
- Monika Obmalko as Managerin
- Dennis Papst as Hotelgast
- Anya Leonhard as Hotelgast
- Yuval Gal Cohen as Hotelgast
Production
editInitially titled Iron Box, the film is directed by Julia von Heinz who also wrote the screenplay with John Quester, and is produced by Seven Elephants and Good Thing Going.[5]
The film was shot from 21 February 2023 to 7 May 2023 in Germany at Berlin, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and in Poland. 18 of the 39 days of filming took place in central Germany in spring 2023. The main filming location in the region was Halle (Saale).[6]
Release
editTreasure had its world premiere on 17 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, in Berlin Special Gala.[7][8] Prior to its world premiere, FilmNation Entertainment and Bleecker Street acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film in January 2024.[9]
The film was released on 14 June 2024 theatrically by Bleecker Street.[10]
The film was selected in the Special Presentations at the 2024 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival to be held from September 14 to 22, 2024 in Sudbury, Ontario.[11]
Reception
editOn the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating by critics of 41% based on 56 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10.[12] Among verified audience members, though, the film has an approval rating of 91%, with an average rating of 4.3/5.[12]
Ben Roll of The Wrap wrote that "...“Treasure” pulls at the impossible understanding between a generation of survivors and the children they reared – kin separated by incompatible visions and experiences of the world, casting orphans against progeny raised in quiet grief while spared from similar heartbreak."[13]
David Erhlich of IndieWire gave the film a B-, and wrote: "Adapted from Lily Brett’s autobiographical 1999 novel “Too Many Men,” “Treasure” is essentially an intergenerational story about the walls that people build in order to protect themselves and each other. More specifically, it’s a story about what happens when those walls grow so tall they threaten to block out our loved ones on the other side, and the difficult process that’s required to dismantle them before it’s too late."[14]
Alex Godfrey of Empire rated the film 3/5, and wrote: "Director Julia von Heinz takes on a lot here, wrangling a lightly comedic father-daughter road-trip buddy-movie out of her adaptation of a 542-page book, unpacking generational trauma, the legacy of Auschwitz and institutionalised antisemitism." [15]
Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph rated the film 2/5, and wrote: "Sombre, sluggish and usually on the right side of respectable, Julia von Heinz’s film eventually bottles its task, coming to mollifying conclusions about the 20th century’s starkest horrors."[16]
Leslie Felperin, reviewing the film for The Hollywood Reporter, dubbed it as "Oy gevalt!", and opined: "So muddled and misbegotten it’s hard to perform an evidential postmortem, based strictly on one viewing, of where it all goes wrong."[17]
Wendy Ide reviewing the film at the Berlinale, wrote in ScreenDaily: "Treasure is a curiously inert work, a film that feels as emotionally grey and underlit as its cinematography."[18]
Ben Rolph in AwardsWatch graded the film C, and wrote: "Dunham’s connection to the story cannot save her stilted line delivery, every word feels forced as if just read off the page giving a frustrating lack of authenticity in her performance."[19]
References
edit- ^ "Treasure (2024)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
- ^ Scott Roxborough (20 December 2023). "Berlin Specials Lineup Includes Films From Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan, Amanda Seyfried and Jesse Eisenberg". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Economou, Vassilis (20 December 2023). "Berlin unveils an exciting array of fresh titles for Berlinale Special and Generation". Cineuropa. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (12 February 2024). "'Treasure': FilmNation & Bleecker Street Set U.S. Release Date For Berlin World Premiere Starring Lena Dunham & Stephen Fry – First-Look Clip". Deadline. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "Treasure und "Sieger Sein" feiern Weltpremiere im offiziellen Programm der Berlinale 2024" [“Treasure” and “Sieger Sein” celebrate their world premiere in the official program of the Berlinale 2024]. MDM (in German). 20 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Treasure | Feature Film 2023, Tragicomedy". Crew United. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Rosser, Michael (20 December 2023). "Adam Sandler, Hunter Schafer, Lena Dunham films to world premiere at Berlin 2024". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "Treasure". Berlinale. 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (16 January 2024). "FilmNation & Bleecker Street Team For Worldwide Release Of Father-Daughter Drama 'Treasure' Starring Lena Dunham, Stephen Fry". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ "Treasure: In Theaters June 14". Bleecker Street. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Plenty to savour at this year's edition of Sudbury's International Film Festival". CBC Northern Ontario. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Treasure (2024, Drama)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ^ Croll, Ben (17 February 2024). "'Treasure' Review: Lena Dunham Faces Holocaust Trauma Through a Feel-Good Father-Daughter Road Movie". The Wrap. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ Ehrlich, David (13 June 2024). "'Treasure' Review: Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry Take a Daddy-Daughter Trip to Poland in Mordant Tragicomedy About Holocaust Trauma". IndieWire. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ Godfrey, Alex (14 June 2024). "Treasure review". Empire Online. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ Robey, Tim (18 February 2023). "Treasure: a mollifying portrait of the Holocaust's horrors". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
- ^ Leslie Felperin (17 February 2024). "'Treasure' Review: Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry Play Daughter and Father in a Misfire of a Holocaust Dramedy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Ide, Wendy (18 February 2024). "'Treasure': Berlin Review". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Rolph, Ben (18 February 2024). "'Treasure' Review: Stephen Fry Can't Save This Poorly Scripted Journey into the Past – Berlinale 2024". AwardsWatch. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
