Detektiv-2

I haven’t read the book that this was based on, nor do I intend to read it: this movie is simply great in itself. The impression I got from it was that I had just watched very a well-made movie with great acting, with a story that leaves you with a very unpleasant feeling of hopelessness. It depicts the reality of the lives of refugees in Berlin. How to fall down, hit rock bottom, only to struggle back up again; how to improve social status, how to be able and ambitious, but fail to see any results due to naivety and ego. What works great here is the camera, the music and chemistry between the actors. Toward the end, the movie unfortunately loses a little of its pace, but that’s probably due to the extended running time and I can’t help feeling that Francis’ daily bread is pretty familiar to me (and to thousands and thousands of those in similar shoes as him...

Growing up, searching for an identity, setting priorities and laying the foundations for the future. The movie faithfully captures the problems of today’s teenagers. Freedom, leaving home, a quick buck, but also uncertainty and no thought about tomorrow. I enjoyed the movie, but was kind of expecting the artsy open ending. At the same time it had nothing so outrageous or so intriguing to make it deserve a higher score.

If you are not 30-something and don’t have any kids, this would probably be a waste of time for you. No plot, extremely dry comedy that lacks chemistry between characters, with utterly awful music and it’s more like marriage guidance counseling session than a movie. The jokes are often absurd, simply nonsense… I must honestly say that, to my surprise, half of the cinema was having fun, a quarter was sitting there dumbstruck, and the last quarter actually walked out.

A powerful topic, quality execution and, most importantly, the excellent M. Hofstätter and A. Petrovic The setting is very realistic and comfortless. Samir’s fate sends shivers down your spine. The characters of the main protagonists are very well depicted and, even though they are outcasts from society, you feel you should keep your fingers crossed for them as well as for their teachers. And it’s all perfectly complemented with good music.

A comedy stuck in a time loop that really works. I must praise the cast, who are likeable and whose appearance perfectly fits the characters they play. Every day repeating itself over and over again is nothing new, but it works nicely at least for the most of the movie. As time goes on, the day keeps on repeating itself, bringing nothing new and resolving the time loop stops being an issue. The way the girl finally manages to break free seemed far too oversimplified by the screenplay and I found it quite a disappointment at the end of the movie.

This really drags on, time almost stops passing and days turn into years. The timeline is a mystery for the viewer. A true story that has nothing to offer? Or were the filmmakers just being lazy? A thief from Switzerland, who managed to improve the conditions of his prison stays thanks to his popularity, left me uninspired. The plot almost lacks emotion, everything seems bland and monotonous. The final euphoria is too short-lived and comes too late; the running time could easily have been shorter. The main protagonist’s character is rather flat, her intentions are unclear and her relationship with Walter seems uncertain, so I keep on asking myself: "Why did she do it all for that asshole when there was no tangible affection from her towards him during the whole of the movie?"

He is just plain dumb, she is more of a calculating type and the other one is ambitious. A triangle that moves from bland plot without momentum through absurd drama to far-fetched comedy where you can’t take anything seriously which only occasionally makes you smile slightly at a funny line. The result isn’t much of a movie experience and certainly isn’t enjoyable.

A heart-warming road movie about a journey visiting the cities, towns and villages of Germany, about politics, life, negation and happiness. Each place they visit and every conversation has something to it, which together creates a fascinating and enriching view of today’s united Germany. The 30-year time-lapse has its charm.

The movie starts as a seemingly frivolous comedy, but the plot slowly begins to reveal itself. But to be honest, things don’t start to gain momentum until the story completely disappears and the viewer is left with just a bunch of bizarre music numbers, simple jokes, a bar-based road movie, philosophical questions and only a hint of light drama. The movie simply alternates so many genres that it forgets to develop the plot, which ended up almost nonexistent. The final "wow" explanation was needed, but lacks any kind of magic or surprise whatsoever.

The movie lured the viewer with family warmth and wellbeing mapping the story of women of three generations. Unfortunately the movie ended up being a rather monotonous and, in places, almost depressing drama. The story is told as a long-winded conversation between mother and daughter, only very occasionally interrupted by opinions voiced by Grandma or family friends and, although were are treated to emotions and cruel human fates, the whole movie seems very distant and cold. The problem is the excessive running time, 80% of which is dedicated to an idiosyncratic character called Frauke who is interesting, but in the end doesn’t have much to offer. I would much rather have heard something about the other women in the family, which, despite perhaps not being quite so interesting, would have been a nice contrast, filling some of the gaps I could see.