Toni Erdmann

“Are you even human?” Laughter through tears. Maren Ade’s third film is a sad costume comedy whose characters are most exposed thanks to the masks they wear. Their addiction to living in solitude and by their own rules both divides and unites Winfried and Ines. We see them alone for a substantial part of the film, at moments when the relieving effect of laughter reverberates and the awareness of a missed opportunity and irreversible estrangement returns. Unlike many contemporary American indie comedies and series, an awkard feeling is not an end in itself. Besides laughter, it evokes sympathy and relates to the key theme of humiliation and inadequacy. The characters feel this inadequancy with respect to each other, themselves and the world they live in. The film does not take the side of either of the characters, which is reflected in its structure and in the way situations that seem like a victory for Winfried suddenly turn in Ines’s favour. We spend roughly the first hour of the film with Winfried, who then suddenly disappears from the narrative with no promise of whether we will see him again. We then stay by Ines’s side for a while until Winfried’s reappearance, which is as unexpected as his departure. During the rest of the film, perspectives alternate in the manner of passing a baton. A scene begins with Ines, in whose life Winfried/Toni suddenly appears (sometimes indirectly, through his crafty way of relating to the world – see the erotic hotel scene) and with whom we stay even after Ines leaves the scene. The ease and unpredictability with which Ade combines comedy with tragedy, intimate drama with an account of socio-economic relations in globalised Europe is not the result of happy accidents and improvisation à la Dogme 95, but of precise work with editing and mise-en-scene, which prepares us in advance for some of the next scenes while creating false expectations. Thanks also to the masterful directing, we experience uncertainty, wonder, sadness, joy, humiliation, rejection, acceptance and catharsis at the same time with the characters, whom we don't want to leave behind after 160 minutes not because we feel good with them, but because we have so much in common with them. I’m sorry about only one thing: it is unlikely that I will see anything better (equally unpredictable, funny and sad) this year. 95% (07/10/2016)

The reputation of Toni Erdmann preceded the film as one of the most significant films of today and a hot contender for victory at the Oscars, so I approached it with great expectations. It must be said that this time the enthusiastic reviews did not disappoint me, and although in the hypothetical battle for the best European film of 2016, I would prefer the Danish film Land of Mine, Toni Erdmann is, in my eyes, a film worth seeing and reflecting on. I would say that it is the best film about so-called cosmopolitans, educated specialists working for international corporations, who constantly change their commitments and where they live. Their position is exclusive, and although the majority are smart enough not to show their superiority and condescension to the native people at first glance, it is apparent from the film that they have no intention of wasting unnecessary time on local culture and residents. The father of the main protagonist, Winfried, becomes increasingly aware of his alienation from his daughter, who spends her life working under the banner of a prestigious consulting company and decides to somewhat disrupt her circles. His sense of recession and a certain feeling that he may have one last chance to reconcile with his daughter leads him to a confrontation with the corporate world of the better people. The clash between an aging joker, uptight businessmen, and Romanian employees, on whom the decisions of the consulting firm will have an impact, could lead to a mixture of excellent jokes, where the movie theater would be convulsing with laughter at accurate hits on the mockery of corporate culture, but director Maren Ade guides it more in the slightly awkward style for which the Czech New Wave once became famous. In any case, there is something to think about and pay attention to here. Perhaps only the runtime seems excessive to me, and I think the film could be shortened by about half an hour without losing any significant dimension. Overall impression: 85%. (02/04/2017)

An acclaimed film that had me wondering what could be so interesting about it. The nearly three-hour runtime scared me off a bit, but this is a movie that simply must be seen. In terms of plot, it's not fundamentally original - a father trying to reunite with his estranged daughter. But the way it's approached, how it's filmed, how the creators aren't afraid, that's something that will grab you. (14/03/2017)

Toni Erdmann is a very original drama with comedic elements imbued with a huge dose of humanity. At the beginning, I was a bit worried about the longer runtime, but after a few minutes, I was so drawn into the story that I felt like I was being blown through a centrifuge. I would like to highlight the performance of Peter Simonischek, who took on the role of the aged teacher Winfried Conrad in a completely disarming way. His efforts to reunite with his daughter, who had become a spineless careerist, were extremely heartwarming, even if he sometimes used some pretty annoying pranks to achieve his goal. Sandra Hüller, on the other hand, as the workaholic Ines, gradually began to resemble the image of a girl loved by her father, as clueless in life as she was in her childhood. It should be noted that both actors were amazing. In addition, there were quite a few situations in the film where I didn't know whether I was tearing up with laughter or with emotion. For the tangle of emotional outbursts and several unforgettable scenes, I simply have to give the film full marks. (17/07/2020)

I could rave about how well the German filmmakers managed to handle a serious theme, but I'd be lying. I don’t think it takes a nearly three-hour film, where often nothing happens, to convey how a father and daughter have a different perspective on life. Perhaps I would have given a higher rating, but the runtime literally murdered the film and almost me with it. I gotta appreciate the excellent costume at the end of the film, to which I can only say Fish On. (17/06/2017)