AllMovie

90-year-old Frau Stern (Ahuva Sommerfeld) is in remarkable shape for a woman her age. Her physical health is excellent, her daughter and granddaughter are doting on her, her hairdresser supplies her with recreational drugs and she is surrounded by friends who are still in their 20s. But the Holocaust survivor from Berlin has had enough: she desperately wants to die. After surviving the concentration camps, all she wants is a peaceful exit as soon as possible, as she’s seen enough tragedy in her lifetime. Yet, while trying her best to find a way out of this life, she spends her time joyously with her spirited granddaughter, Elli, and her eclectic group of friends, living it up to the fullest which conflicts directly with her stated desire. Set in modern Berlin by director Anatol Schuster, making his feature film debut, FRAU STERN is a dark comedy suffused with real warmth -- a meditation on life, death and everything in between. The late Sommerfeld, who gives a memorable last performance as Ms. Stern passed away shortly after filming, won the Max Öphuls Prize for Best Actress and was nominated for the same award by the German Film Critics Association.