Anyone heading to the movie theater in Germany from 19 November to see the new movie starring Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe may find themselves rubbing their eyes. What is meant to be the green wilderness of Oregon on screen is in fact the “Bayerischer Wald” (Bavarian Forest), a wooded low mountain range along the Czech border in eastern Bavaria that many Germans know well from hiking holidays. And the forest scenes are just the start: plenty more of The Weight was filmed in Bavaria.
So what is the movie about? The historical survival thriller, released in Germany with the added subtitle “Im Goldrausch” (in the gold rush), is set in Oregon in the early 1930s. Samuel, a mechanic played by Ethan Hawke who has already been hit hard by the Great Depression, ends up in a labor camp at a quarry in Oregon after what appears to be a miscarriage of justice. On top of that, he is separated from his young daughter, who is now to be put up for adoption.
In the camp, Samuel meets the overseer Clancy, played by Russell Crowe. Clancy offers him a risky deal: if Samuel and a few other prisoners secretly carry a not entirely legal load of gold through the wilderness, Clancy will release him early so he can bring his daughter home. Needless to say, things don’t go entirely to plan.
Viechtach Instead of Oregon: The Real Filming Locations of The Weight
The secret star of the movie is its setting, the Bavarian filming locations. A large part of The Weight was shot in and around Viechtach, a small town in the “Landkreis Regen” (Regen district) in the Bavarian Forest. When the band of prisoners has to fight its way through a wild river on screen, that river is actually the “Schwarzer Regen” (Black Regen), which flows right through Viechtach, among other places.
The “Hochfall” (a waterfall well known to hikers) also appears in the movie, as does the “Großer Arber” (Great Arber), at 1,456 meters the highest peak in the Bavarian Forest. Pullman City, a Wild West theme park in Eging am See near Passau, stands in for the labor camp and a gold mine. Tutzing on the “Starnberger See” (Lake Starnberg, south-west of Munich) makes a brief appearance as well.
Why The Weight Was Filmed in Bavaria
Why the production chose Bavaria is no secret. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, director Padraic McKinley revealed that the test footage from Bavaria looked almost exactly like what he had pictured for the Pacific Northwest. Generous funding from the “FilmFernsehFonds Bayern” (Bavaria’s state fund for movie and television) also played a part. Like several German states, Bavaria runs its own fund that supports productions spending part of their budget in the region.
Whether you simply want to be swept along by the gripping story and the acting or are looking for ideas for your next outdoor trip to the Bavarian Forest: The Weight is well worth a trip to the movie theater.
👉 The Weight (German title: The Weight – Im Goldrausch), in German theaters from 19 November, 113 minutes, rated FSK 16 (Germany’s age rating, admission from age 16).
👉 More on well-known filming locations in Bavaria on Bavaria’s official tourism website.
