** 1/2 /****
Dir: Wolfgang Becker
2003 Color German 121 min
Rated R for brief language and sexuality.
From the Netflix queue, this was one of those movies that you read about and think to yourself that it should be funny and interesting and crazy. The trailers certainly made it feel that way. I should know better than to listen to trailers.
I put this movie in the mixed bag category. One the one hand I liked the whole situation of the movie and the characters that were involved, but I think the movie wasn’t very successful in playing up the comedy when it was there and wrenching the emotions when it was trying to be serious. I think part of the disconnect comes from the fact it was in German, and let’s be honest, I live in the US and have never been personally involved in the sort of trauma and life that these people lived through. I also think part of my blas’ feelings regarding this movie was that I felt it just dragged on in spots.
The German thing might be a cop out since I thoroughly enjoy Japanese and French movies that are subtitled.