Elementarteilchen (2006)

Director:

Oskar Roehler

Writers:

Michel Houellebecq (novel)
Oskar Roehler (writer)

Release Date:

23 February 2006 (Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Based on Michel Houellebecq's controversial novel, this movie focuses on Michael and Bruno, two very different...

Plot Keywords:

Parakeet | Dysfunctional Family | Isolation | Berlin | Teacher

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Moritz Bleibtreu	...	Bruno Klement
Christian Ulmen	...	Michael Djerzinski
Martina Gedeck	...	Christiane
Franka Potente	...	Annabelle
Nina Hoss	...	Jane
Uwe Ochsenknecht	...	Brunos Vater
Corinna Harfouch	...	Dr. Schäfer
Ulrike Kriener	...	Annabelles Mutter
Jasmin Tabatabai	...	Yogini
Michael Gwisdek	...	Professor Fleißer
Herbert Knaup	...	Sollers
Tom Schilling	...	Michael jung
Hermann Beyer	...	Annabelles Vater
Nina Kronjäger	...	Katja
Deborah Kaufmann	...	Hannelore

Also Known As:

Atomised (UK)
Elementary Particles (USA) (festival title)

Runtime:

113 min | 105 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

UK:15 | Sweden:11 | Netherlands:12 | Hong Kong:III | South Korea:18 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bahnhof, Hetschburg, Thuringia, Germany

Company:

Medienfonds GFP

Trivia:

Oskar Roehler had worked on the script for three years before he started shooting the film.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): The first letter talking about the move to another grave of the brothers' grandmother says she has to be moved due to the construction of "Bundesstraße 17". Later the gravedigger says it's about "Bundesstraße 7"

Oh dear, no

A handsome looking film on the face of it, but to be honest, dead in the water. This isn't just because it's a misfiring literary adaptation. On its own the film fails to successfully blend the comedy and misery that its aiming for.

Alas, one serious failure is the acting. The high-profile Franka Potente's on the bill but has overdone the downplaying of her celebrity - she seems dour on-screen. Christian Ulmen is poor. Moritz Bleibtreu is the best although he's let down by the film's design.

This is really the point. The book gives us an idea of the utter misery of the modern world and its inevitability - the comedy comes from it. Bleitreu makes a good stab at embodying that but receives no support from director Oscar Roehler, with very long stretches (the curse of literary transposition) and flashbacks which aren't crafted or tailored with any sense of drama, let alone melodrama. 2/10