19/16
Her joy is temporary, as her health is rapidly deteriorating
Story
Lissi enjoys the deterioration of her husband Gerd’s condition in the house. Even Leo Tolstoy knew that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. This is also clear to German director Matthias GLASNER, who was awarded the Silver Bear at BERLIN 2024 for his new film DYING. But he can add the North German Protestant variant to the topic, which increases family melancholy even more. Lissie Lunis (Corinna HARFUCH) and her husband Gerd (Hans Uwe BAUER) live in a small North German town and are already suffering from old age.
Принимать помощь is difficult for both of them
Their two children live far away and suffer greatly from their own problems. Son Tom (Lars EIDINGER) lives in Berlin and is quite successful as a conductor, but is hopelessly entangled in personal quarrels. Daughter Ellen (Lilit STANGENBERG) lives in Hamburg and is so committed to an alcohol-soaked lifestyle that she wakes up in Latvia after a night of drinking. It’s true! Both face their parents’ weakness and their own shortcomings in different ways.
Melancholic film from the German world!
The fact that the film does not become boring in three hours is the merit of the fantastic cast, which also includes Anna BEDERKE, Robert GVISDEK, Saerom PARK, Saskia ROSENDAHL and Ronald ZERFELD. German actors Corinna HARFOUCH (1989 EUROPEAN FILM AWARD nominee for TREFFEN IN TRAVERS) and Hans Uwe BAUER were awarded the 2024 GERMAN FILM AWARD for their superb performances. The fight over the coffee table between HARFUCH and EIDINGER is one of the most impressive events seen in German cinema in recent years. The Lunes family is unhappy in its own way. Haven’t we seen enough of this already?
And yes, and no
Of course, as a moviegoer you ask yourself if this is typical of Germany (or at least northern Germany) or if it would be possible in other cultures. But Matthias GLASNER sets very high goals for himself and takes an example from such great movie stars as Ingmar BERGMAN and Federico FELLINI. After all, it’s not for nothing that Tom Lunies prefers to watch the four-hour television version of “FANNIE OCH ALEXANDER” (1983) on Christmas Eve. And the character played by Robert GVISDEK (son of HARFUSH in real life) reminds me, at least, of Steiner, played by Alain CUNEY in the movie “Sweet Life” (1959). Of course, depressive German cinema is not to everyone’s taste.
But the fact that the story is close to reality makes a special impression that you should definitely expose yourself to
Definitely recommended!