Overview
In a crumbling Berlin, love flickers amidst the chaos of a changing society.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- sardonic
- restless
- arthouse film night
- historical cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the ambitious literary adaptation visually inventive and thematically resonant, with strong performances despite its considerable length.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Fabian's personal and romantic life unfolds in Berlin in 1931 as unemployment, Nazi agitation, and cultural ferment intensify.
Jakob Fabian remains sober and distant while waiting for a vaguely imagined victory of decency rather than committing himself to political or professional ambition.
The film moves through sublets, brothels, artists' spaces, and streets where Nazi abuse reveals the corrosion beneath Berlin's nightlife and culture.
Fabian's relationship with Cornelia is the central force challenging his fatalism as his surrounding world crumbles.
Films like Fabian: Going to the Dogs, and why
Cabaret
shared weimar-era berlin setting, literary fatalism, political decay, and romantic melancholy
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
shared interwar european disillusionment, moral uncertainty, and doomed romantic atmosphere
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
shared historical drama, bohemian culture, social degradation, and idealism under pressure
The Tin Drum
shared adaptation of a major german literary work, political extremism, and intimate human tragedy
Movie Details
- Director
- Dominik Graf
- Release Date
- 2021-08-05
- Runtime
- 176 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (67)
Cast
- Tom Schilling
- Albrecht Schuch
- Saskia Rosendahl
- Michael Wittenborn
- Petra Kalkutschke
- Elmar Gutmann
- Aljoscha Stadelmann
- Anne Bennent
- Meret Becker
- Eva Medusa Gühne
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Kino Film Collection
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Fabian: Going to the Dogs about?
- A detached scholar and an idealistic young woman struggle to preserve decency and love amid the collapsing freedoms of 1931 Berlin.
- What is Fabian: Going to the Dogs like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Fabian: Going to the Dogs as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Fabian: Going to the Dogs violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Fabian: Going to the Dogs as moderate.
- What did critics think of Fabian: Going to the Dogs?
- Critics broadly found the ambitious literary adaptation visually inventive and thematically resonant, with strong performances despite its considerable length.
- Which films are like Fabian: Going to the Dogs?
- Films with a similar feel include Cabaret, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, and The Tin Drum.
- How long is Fabian: Going to the Dogs?
- Fabian: Going to the Dogs runs 176 minutes.
- Where can I watch Fabian: Going to the Dogs?
- In United States, Fabian: Going to the Dogs streams on Kino Film Collection.
