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 byNeue Visionen
Release dates
  • 3 September 2023 (2023-09-03) (Venice)
  • 26 October 2023 (2023-10-26) (Germany)
Running time
118 minutes[1]
Countries
  • Germany
  • Austria
  • Switzerland
Languages
Box office$497,596[2]

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 film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival, where it premiered on 3 September 2023.

Plot

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

  • 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

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]

Release

The Universal Theory was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 80th Venice International Film Festival,[7] where it had its world premiere on 3 September 2023.[1] International sales are handled by Paris-based company Charades.[8] The film was theatrically released in Germany on 26 October 2023 by Neue Visionen.[9]

Reception

Critical response

On 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.[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 63 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[11]

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for The Universal Theory
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Venice Film Festival 9 September 2023 Golden Lion Timm Kröger Nominated [12]
Chicago International Film Festival 22 October 2023 Gold Hugo The Universal Theory Nominated [13]
Utopiales 4 November 2023 Grand prix du jury des Utopiales Won [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Die Theorie von allem". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  2. ↑ "The Universal Theory (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  3. ↑ 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. 1 2 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. 1 2 Vena, Teresa (25 January 2022). "Shooting for the historical thriller The Theory of Everything starts in Austria". Cineuropa. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. ↑ "Die Theorie von Allem" (in German). Neue Visionen. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Theory of Everything". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "The Universal Theory". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Venezia 80 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  13. ↑ Kay, Jeremy (14 September 2023). "'Fallen Leaves', 'About Dry Grasses', 'La Chimera' among Chicago fest international line-up (exclusive)". Screendaily. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  14. ↑ "Palmarès 2023". Les Utopiales. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
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