28/09/2016
TONI ERDMANN, Maren Ade (2016)
People say one of the best german films since years, standing ovations in Cannes and submitted to the Oscar 2017. So what is so great about this film?
At the beginning it seems just German to me, especially the interior, clothing and even some habits, just “spiessig” (bourgeois). But there is Winfried the male lead actor who breaks all the rules and is more embarrassing, awkward, unabashed, especially when it comes to his daughter Ines. She is a successful business-women, currently working in Bukarest. The story is mainly about their relationship which is something we can all relate to and is one key point which makes this film so good. Next thing is this excellent kind of humor which just makes everybody laugh and this is really difficult. It’s long without feeling long. It’s set in unseen locations like Aachen and Bukarest and non of the typical Hollywood-Places which is nice and interesting at the same time because you haven’t seen it a thousand times yet. There are multiple unexpected turns and twists and both characters raise during the film. They seem to strengthen each other even if they hurt the other one. Both of them have their crazy, mad times during the film (maybe father more than daughter) and are played so well by Sandra Hueller and Peter Simonischek. Sometimes there are only gazes at each other, full of hate, love and disappointment at the same time. Those are extremely strong. A scene which stayed in my mind is during a business-party in Bukarest where Winfried (Toni), Ines and some of her colleagues going out just after the “game” between father and daughter started. People are dancing, an uplifting popsong (Safe and Sound) is playing, there is champagne for everyone. Ines is laying on the couch, looking to her father, sitting on another one and tears fill her eyes. She starts to cry slowly and silent. This kind of contrast hits me every time. Writing about the sound, there is not much music during the film, mostly original sounds like street noise, office, restaurant. At the end I’d like to mention the clean and restrained credits. Everything black and white, in the same size, rolling over the screen, ending with the title.
To summarize why is this a great film? We all can relate to the story/main theme, it’s funny (really), it’s surprising, very well played characters who develop during the film. It brings small but effective things like costumes (wig, fake teeth) back on the big screen and makes use of German cliche.