Time of Maturity

Time of Maturity (German: Reifezeit) is a German drama film, directed by Sohrab Shahid-Saless and released in 1976.^[1] One of the first films Shahid-Saless directed after immigrating to Germany from his native Iran, the film centres on the coming of age of Michael (Mike Henning), a young boy who runs errands for his blind neighbour to save up for a bicycle; meanwhile, his single mother (Eva Manhardt) has tried to shield him from knowing that she works as a prostitute.^[2]

Time of Maturity
German	Reifezeit
Directed by	Sohrab Shahid-Saless
Written by	Sohrab Shahid-Saless Helga Houzer
Produced by	O. E. Kress
Starring	Mike Henning Eva Manhardt
Cinematography	Ramin Reza Molai
Edited by	Christel Orthmann
Production company	Provobis Film
Release date	August 1976 (1976-08) (Locarno)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	West Germany
Language	German

The cast also includes Eva Lissa [de], Charles Hans Vogt [de], Heinz Lieven, Lothar Köster [de], Sabine Titze and Axel Brehmer in supporting roles.

The film is sometimes also known by the English title Coming of Age,^[3] although Time of Maturity is the standard English title.^[1]

It premiered in August 1976 at the Locarno Film Festival, where it received an honorable mention from the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.

A restored version of the film was screened in 2024 at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival,^[3] and later at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.^[4]