Where to Watch
Checking availability in your country…
Cast
Movie Info & Details
Release Year1990
Runtime1h 29m
LanguageGerman
CertificationNR
GenresDrama
Votes1
DirectorBernhard Stephan
WritersBernd Schirmer
TypeFeature Film
Rating7.0 out of 10
Cast9 credited
Also Known AsRückkehr aus der Wüste
About Rückkehr aus der Wüste
25-year-old electrician Thomas Tänzer is happily escaping the provincial confines of everyday life in the GDR – to the desert, to work in Algeria. Behind him lie a failed marriage and abandoned studies. But he can't cope in Algeria either. The rules have traveled with him – in the form of his superiors. Unordered solidarity, his relationship with the married Doris, and similar issues cause him difficulties. His father falls seriously ill, and he cuts short his stay abroad. At home, he realizes that his wife and child have become complete strangers to him. Doris, his "Algerian affair," now has a child by him, but treats him coldly. He makes a half-hearted suicide attempt by car, which he survives. When he hears about a disaster in Algeria, he volunteers for service, but is not accepted because of his poor personnel file.
Directed by Bernhard Stephan, Rückkehr aus der Wüste leans on a strong ensemble — Gerd Gallrein, André Hennicke, Barbara Schnitzler — 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 1990.
Read More on the BlogYou Might Also Like
More like Rückkehr aus der Wüste, picked from what people are watching
6.3TalhotBlond
2012 6.3
Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
TalhotBlond
2012
6.0Black Site
2022 6.0
A group of officers based in a labyrinthine top-secret prison must fight for their lives against Hatchet, a brilliant and infamous high-value detainee. When he escapes, his mysterious and deadly agenda has far reaching and dire consequences.
Black Site
2022
5.8Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything
2023 5.8
Set in a warm summer in 1990 in former East Germany, it follows a young woman who begins a relationship with a charismatic farmer who is twice her age.
Someday We'll Tell Each Other Everything
2023
6.9In the Aisles
2018 6.9
Christian, a reclusive young man from Leipzig, gets a job working the night shift at a big-box store. He's trained to stocks goods and operate a forklift by Bruno, a wistful former truck driver, who introduces Christian to a colorful group of overnight workers, including Marion, with whom Christian develops a troubled infatuation.
In the Aisles
2018
6.7Until the End of the World
1991 6.7
In 1999, a woman's life is forever changed after she survives a car crash with two bank robbers, who enlist her help to take the money to a drop in Paris. On the way, she runs into another fugitive from the law — an American doctor on the run from the CIA. They want to confiscate his father's invention – a device which allows anyone to record their dreams and visions.
Until the End of the World
1991
6.5The Last Bus
2021 6.5
Widower Tom, on the recent passing of his wife Mary, uses his free bus pass to travel the length of Britain from John O'Groats in Caithness to Land's End in Cornwall, their shared birthplace, using only local buses. It's an incident-fuelled nostalgia trip and his encounters with local people make him a media phenomenon. Tom is totally unaware and to his surprise on arrival at Land’s End he’s greeted as a celebrity.
The Last Bus
2021
User Reviews
7.0
Community rating
Loading reviews…
From the Blog
All Posts
News
Michael OTT Release Date: The Michael Jackson Biopic Streams August 29
The Michael Jackson biopic arrives on JioHotstar on August 29, 2026. Here is where to watch it, what you need, and why it is one of the year’s biggest music films.
News
Jana Nayagan OTT Release Date: When Vijay’s Film Streams on ZEE5
Thalapathy Vijay’s Jana Nayagan is headed to ZEE5 for its digital premiere. Here is the latest on its OTT release date and where to watch, updated as news is confirmed.
News
Cocktail 2 OTT Release: Now Streaming on Netflix
The wait is over. Cocktail 2 premiered on Netflix on August 14, 2026. Here is how to watch it tonight, which languages it streams in, and what you need.