Toni Erdmann

Toni Erdmann is one of the movies that you find out about and that you never forget. A German dramedy that takes 162 minutes? And on top of that generally praised and with an Oscar nomination? That’s strange, don’t you think? So I wanted to avoid all the strange theories and I decided to watch the movie. But the result was one big disappointment because I sure had not expected such an average movie. You see Toni Erdmann starts off very slowly. In the first 15 minutes, I was thinking that I would give it some time. The premise looked good, the length was brutal, so I’d let the movie run its course before forming an opinion. But the problem was that the movie had the same atmosphere for its entire duration of almost three hours. The teacher Winfried shocked me a bit at the start with his wackiness, but gradually the position of the misunderstood hero was taken over by his daughter, who was even wackier. But at that moment Winfried turned into Toni Erdmann and every now and then there was a scene that was supposed to be funny. I think I may have had a problem with the fact that I didn’t find them funny at all. Quite the opposite. I felt a great sadness in Winfried’s soul, which was trying to understand his daughter’s life in Romania, which I guess a normal person cannot even imagine, let alone Winfried. A very strange film that does have its interesting moments, but I really took nothing from it. And I had really been looking forward to it. (30/01/2017)

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)

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)

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)