Visitation (2026): Cast, Story and Release Details

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Visitation follows one plot of land and a house beside a lake as its inhabitants change across seven decades of German history. Moving from the Weimar period through Nazism, war, Soviet occupation, reconstruction and the fall of the GDR, the German-language drama is directed and written by Volker Schlöndorff.

Visitation is a German drama built around a single place rather than one continuous protagonist. A house by a lake becomes the fixed point as different inhabitants pass through it and the country around them changes.

Directed and written by Volker Schlöndorff, the film covers 70 years of German history, tracing the property’s connection to periods that include the Weimar era, Nazi rule, the war, Soviet occupation, reconstruction and the fall of the GDR.

Visitation movie details

Story without spoilers

The story centers on a plot of land and the house standing beside a lake. As the inhabitants change over time, the property witnesses major shifts in German history, from the Weimar period and the Nazi era through the war, Soviet occupation and reconstruction, eventually reaching the fall of the GDR.

The supplied information identifies Visitation as based on a novel or book, but does not specify the source title or provide individual character arcs. Its broad structure is historical and place-based, using one location to connect multiple periods and lives without reducing the story to a single generation.

What to expect

Viewers can expect a German-language historical drama with a long time span and an ensemble cast. The premise places the emphasis on changing inhabitants, continuity of place and the way a property reflects successive stages of 20th-century German history.

At 1 hour 58 minutes, the film has room to move across several historical periods. The source material lists a book-based origin, but does not provide further information about its tone, visual approach, pacing or the extent to which specific events are dramatized.

Cast and creative team

The ensemble includes Lars Eidinger, Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Matthes, Michael Maertens and Susanne Wolff. Stella Denis-Winkler plays Elisabeth Kaplan, Greta Ipfelkofer plays Gerda, Josefin Platt plays Hermine Engel and Wigand Witting plays Gärtner.

Volker Schlöndorff directs and writes the film. His role as both director and writer places him at the center of the film’s adaptation and presentation, while the listed cast brings together established German performers and younger credited actors.

• Lars Eidinger
• Martina Gedeck
• Ulrich Matthes
• Michael Maertens
• Susanne Wolff
• Stella Denis-Winkler as Elisabeth Kaplan
• Greta Ipfelkofer as Gerda
• Josefin Platt as Hermine Engel
• Wigand Witting as Gärtner

Release and production context

Visitation is a 2026 German production with a reported runtime of 1 hour 58 minutes. It is scheduled for release on October 15, 2026, and is listed as a drama spoken in German. The production companies are Ziegler Film, StudioCanal, Studio Babelsberg, Volksfilm and Mideu Films.

The film is listed as released in the supplied metadata, while its stated release date is October 15, 2026. Its historical scope extends from the Weimar period to the fall of the GDR, giving the story a distinctly German national and political context.

Production companies: Ziegler Film, StudioCanal, Studio Babelsberg, Volksfilm, Mideu Films

Visitation official trailer

Watch the official trailer on YouTube

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Visitation offers a clearly defined historical framework: one lakeside property, changing inhabitants and seven decades of German history. With Volker Schlöndorff directing and writing, the film is positioned as a substantial German-language drama whose narrative is organized around place, time and historical change.

Film data:
TMDB · IMDb