Ein Geschenk der Götter

Out of the blue, actress Anna loses her job at a small municipal theater. Having just been on stage, she now finds herself in the dreariness of the local job center. At the insistence of her theater-enthusiastic caseworker, she takes over the management of an acting course for eight long-term unemployed people who are difficult to place. Despite enormous resistance to the compulsory training program, the frustrated lone fighters increasingly form a close-knit group with whom Anna stages Antigone. Surprisingly, the participants' private dramas become more and more turbulent and Anna also experiences a new beginning that she hadn't expected.

Directed by Oliver Haffner, Ein Geschenk der Götter leans on a strong ensemble — Katharina M. Schubert, Adam Bousdoukos, Paul Faßnacht — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2014.