PHANTOMS OF JULY

In the heartland of far right AfD voters between Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, an East German waitress with a broken heart and an Iranian-born travel influencer encounter the ghosts of Germany’s past. In his new “romantic adventure film,” Julian Radlmaier (BLUTSAUGER) combines a pointed description of the present, German national myths, and a wonderfully idiosyncratic ensemble of characters into a comedy that envisions the utopia of a society based on solidarity. This is what intelligent, humorous political cinema at its best looks like in 2025.