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Film review: Toni Erdmann Everyone is talking about the German comedy surprise of the year, which was a big hit in Cannes and even received an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film. So, what is all the fuss about? Well, Toni Erdmann is certainly different from any other German comedy. Plus, it holds a couple of surprises… TEXT: SONJA IRANI I PHOTOS: KOMPLIZEN FILM
The Story: A critical analysis of a complicated father-daughter relationship
The Location: Bucharest, Romania – but it could be anywhere
Toni Erdmann opens in Aachen, Germany, where Winfried Conradi (Austrian star Peter Simonischek) is a divorced music teacher with a very odd sense of humour and a passion for childish pranks.
Romania is one of the poorest countries in Europe. Yet the characters in the film always hang out in luxurious hotels, fancy clubs or neat office buildings.
When his beloved dog Willie dies, Winfried decides to reconnect with his daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller) and spontaneously flies to Bucharest, Romania, where Ines is busy climbing the career ladder as a high-flying management consultant. Winfried soon realises that Ines is not happy and thus tries to cheer her up. However, their opposing views of life also cause tension, which eventually leads to a big row and Winfried leaving again. But Winfried would not be Winfried if he did not return as his hilarious alter ego: quirky CEO life coach Toni Erdmann. 52 | Issue 49 | April 2017
In this respect, Toni Erdmann reminded me of German drama Age of Cannibals (2014), which follows three business consultants travelling to impoverished and corrupt countries to close shady deals. They never leave their fancy hotels, yet face their own problems and equally harsh realities indoors. I think that both films are trying to emphasise the well-known cliché that more money and a higher social standing do not usually lead to more happiness. The final verdict: Weird on the surface, wonderful on the inside I must admit that for the first part of the film, I was not sure what all the fuss is
about. There are certainly funnier German comedies. But half-way through this long film of two hours and 35 minutes, I started to realise what the message might be. Ultimately, Winfried’s pranks seem to pay off: Ines loosens up and she realises that her own happiness may actually be more important than that of her clients. If you just see the weird surface of this film, it is just as superficial as the corporate business world. But take a closer look and you will realise that Toni Erdmann is a welldone portrayal about happiness, love and the meaning of life. *** 3 out of 5 stars An English subtitled version of Toni Erdmann is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sonja Irani is a Marketing Translator, Travel Journalist and ex London expat now living back in Germany. Her second home is the cinema. If you don't find her there, she is probably travelling the world in order to trace her favourite film settings. On her blog www.filmfantravel.com she shares her best tips for film-inspired travel on a budget.