HORST BUCHHOLZ ... MEIN PAPA

"My father was not someone who enjoyed talking about himself. In order to encourage him to talk about his life, I decided to interview him. I wanted to understand him better, and to get him to confront the contradictions within himself. From 2001 until his death in March 2004, I used a DV camera to record many hours of conversation during which he opened up to me like he had never done before."

In this unconventional film portrait, Christopher Buchholz takes us on a tragicomic journey into the world of his father, the international film star Horst Buchholz. The personality and life of the endearing but difficult star, a native Berliner who grew up in a working-class family, come slowly into focus: the search for his biological father; the horror of the war years experienced as a child; his meteoric rise to stardom; his life in Hollywood; his bisexuality; the depression that eventually turned him into an alcoholic; and his passion for speed and adventure. Through film clips and intimate conversations a complex picture of a personality full of contradictions emerges. Twenty years of Super-8 family footage recall magic moments from the past, a carefree childhood and family life together with Christopher's mother, French actress Myriam Buchholz Bru, and sister Béatrice. This is a sincere documentary and a poignant declaration of love to a father.