"Eden" is a German 100-minute movie from 2006, so this one had its 10th anniversary last year and this is the third full feature film by writer and director Michael Hofmann and it is a definite contender for his most known. Interestingly enough, his second is also just the name of the female protagonist like for this one here as well, even if Gregor (played competently by what can be seen as Josef Ostendorf's career-defining performance) may even be a bit more in the center than the title character. The latter is played by Charlotte Roche, who is mostly known for her hosting and writing in Germany, but with this one here, she can be seen as a solid actress too. The biggest supporting performance comes from the prolific Devid Striesow and he plays the title character's husband who is maybe even worse off than Gregor because even if he is not a loner and somewhat integrated in society, nobody respects him one bit. There is a scene when his own dad pulls beer all over him in a scene that looks as if he would urinate right on his son's face and even if that wasn't the case, this is what it may have looked like to Xaver. So yeah, he really is a tragic figure, not just because of what happens to him at the end, but also because he has no talent like Gregor for example to impress his wife with.
All in all, this was a really good character study. The script was interesting enough, has some solid love to detail and breathes life into the two protagonists, so you really care about what happens to them. Being a bit of a Roche fan, I may be biased like I wrote in the title of this review, but I think it is a bit of a shame she really almost never acts in anything. She mostly hit the right notes here and it was a very subtle, very calm turn that fits the character nicely for sure. Truly likable in my opinion. And then there is the food component. This is without a doubt a film that will get you hungry as many delicacies are involved and shown. Nom nom nom. I recently saw another film about food and the enjoyment it can bring us, starring Jessica Schwarz, and sadly that one came short in all the departments where this one here delivers. So yeah I believe you really wanna give it a go. It's smart, insightful and touching at times. It's maybe not really great from any perspective or best-of-the-year material, but it is a very human work. Go check it out if you manage to get a hand on it.
All in all, this was a really good character study. The script was interesting enough, has some solid love to detail and breathes life into the two protagonists, so you really care about what happens to them. Being a bit of a Roche fan, I may be biased like I wrote in the title of this review, but I think it is a bit of a shame she really almost never acts in anything. She mostly hit the right notes here and it was a very subtle, very calm turn that fits the character nicely for sure. Truly likable in my opinion. And then there is the food component. This is without a doubt a film that will get you hungry as many delicacies are involved and shown. Nom nom nom. I recently saw another film about food and the enjoyment it can bring us, starring Jessica Schwarz, and sadly that one came short in all the departments where this one here delivers. So yeah I believe you really wanna give it a go. It's smart, insightful and touching at times. It's maybe not really great from any perspective or best-of-the-year material, but it is a very human work. Go check it out if you manage to get a hand on it.