The title literally means “honey in the head” and this is how a main character is describing how Alzheimer’s feels like (an analogous pun would be that the brain gets jammed).

Honig im Kopf is a german Dramedy movie I saw in the theatre today. I was expecting a comedy with some melancholy and while the movie was quite funny at times, it was also one of the saddest movies I’ve seen in quite some time.

The story is about a family of three generations and the grandpa (played by veteran actor Dieter Hallervorden) is suffering from Alzheimer’s and forgetting more and more.

When his son (played by Til Schweiger – the German Basterd) realizes that his father can’t live alone anymore, he takes him into his house with his wife and daughter Tilda (played by Til’s daughter Emma Schweiger) but soon it becomes clear that this can’t be a permanent solution.

Upon realizing that her dad wants to put her grandpa into a care facility, the eleven-year old takes her grandpa to the place he still remembers very clearly because of the memories of his passed-away wife: Venice.

The trailer is a bit misleading because it makes the movie appear a lot more light-hearted than it actually is. Prepare to bring tissues when watching it.

And in case you’re not that big of a fan of Til Schweiger: a) His role is that of a supporting character. b) Give it a try anyway, he might surprise you.