Yes it’s more than two and a half hours long (and, by the way, could do with pruning) but Maren Ade’s comedy boasts two fascinating characters and a string of surreal set-pieces that you can’t afford to miss.
German management consultant Ines (Sandra Hüller) is trying to be a ruthless high-flier in Bucharest. One day she gets a surprise visit from her liberal scallywag father Winfried (Peter Simonischek). He’s horrified by her stiffness and lack of warmth, while she basically orders him off the premises. Since he’s got nothing better to do with his time, he begins to stalk her. I did say it was surreal...
Whether pretending to be a diplomat or a “life coach” (who goes by the name of Toni) Winfried embarrasses Ines in front of her friends and questions the way she does her job. Yet she barely fights back. The life she keeps under wraps (she snorts coke and watches her boyfriend ejaculate onto petit fours) is clearly driving her nuts.
The big question is whether her father’s intervention says as much about his mental health as hers. Winfried seriously violates his daughter’s privacy. Are we on course for a happy ending or will both parent and child wind up having breakdowns?
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I didn’t laugh much while watching Toni Erdmann: I squirmed, because the escalating tension rang so true. The film has been nominated for the Foreign Language Oscar and, whether or not it wins, seems likely to get re-made with US stars (if so, I hope they cast Amy Ryan as Ines and Larry David as the father). Technically, these characters are European. It would be more accurate to describe them as wounded citizens of the world.
Cert 15, 162 minutes
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