German co-production "Night Train To Lisbon" in Berlin

"Night Train to Lisbon" premieres at the Berlinale 2013, adaption of bestselling novel, by Pascal Mercier.

Jeremy Irons plays Raimund Gregorius, a talented but boring middle-aged swiss professor, investigating the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal. After an unexpected encounter with a mysterious woman in a rainy day in the city of Bern, Raimund discovers a book of a Portuguese writer and doctor, Amadeu de Prado, a figure pursued by the fascist regime. This leads to a train ride to Lisbon to discover the fate of such a fascinating personality.

Danish filmmaker Billie August, with 2 Palme d'Or and an Oscar for Best Foreign Film ("Pelle the Conqueror"), directs the beautiful story of Raimund's self-discovery journey and the history behind it.

The film has an international production value with a fantastic international cast such as Jeremy Irons, Bruno Ganz, Mélanie Laurent; and Portuguese cast: Breyner Nicholas, Marco de Almeida, Adriano Luz, José Wallenstein and Beatriz Batarda.  The story encounters a few slower moments with absence of drama at times, since the main protagonist is the philosophical curiosity of Raimund, in the captivating city of Lisbon.

L. Fietz