Sommer vorm Balkon

Saw this one when it played at the Chicago festival in October. Two gals share a friendship over a summer. And over a summer they change and the friendship changes. Things occasionally stray into melodramatic territory, but fine performances all around, especially by the two female leads, make for a pleasantly watchable movie. The day to day struggles of the leads provide not-so-subtle political subtext about tough times in post-unification Germany.

Andreas Schmidt's subdued portrayal of an underemployed trucker provides a contrast to his more exuberant performance in a similarly blue-collar role in "Guys and Balls."

Although this was hailed by the critics in Berlin as yet another masterpiece of German film-making I can't really see anything special here. Solid acting, solid script, solid camera; but at no stage does this film become more than the sum of its parts. Its set in the trendy part of former east Berlin and revolves around the friendship between unemployed shop window decorator Katrin and the stereotyped blonde Nike, an old people's nurse. At first glance they have nothing much in common apart from living in the same house, both being single and both having taken an unhealthy liking towards vodka. The plot itself is rather trite; we just fade in on their everyday problems and yup, you've guessed it, there are men involved. Then, after the usual complications that come with love, friendship and too much drink we fade out again. To give the whole thing a little more depth, a kid is thrown in for good measure. Still, after the credits rolled in I asked myself, whats the point? Three days later I couldn't remember much of it anymore. True, there are some good lines and a few mildly amusing scenarios, but the story stays rather predictable all the way through. I reckon this film is supposed to depict life as it is but if life is that dull, I don't really see any reason to make a film about it. My summers in Berlin are usually a bit more entertaining, that much I know.

SUMMER in Berlin (Vor dem Balkon). Viewed at San Sebastian, 2005, image1.jpeg Director Andreas Dresen. Featuring actress Nadla Uhl. My personal favorite in competition here was "Summer in Berlin", (Sommer vorm Balkon) which is an extremely funny social drama set in the run down Prenzlauer Berg district of East Berlin. Andreas Desen, who is steadily building up a filmography of highly regarded independent films, is arguably the most talented and innovative director currently at work in Germany and has already picked up many prizes in a relatively short career. In "Summer before the balcony" (literal translation of the German title) two woman, one an extremely sexy and generally appealing blonde (Nadja Uhl) about 30, and a 39 year old still attractive but highly neurotic brunette, (Inka Frierich) are neighbors in the same tenement and such close friends that there is a borderline erotic bond between them. Uhl, the drop-dead attractive blonde (altho most of the time dressed in cheap jeans and over- tight jerseys) works as an attendant to pathetic helpless old people living alone, which requires her to wipe up rectum juice and other unsavory tasks, but she goes about it with a sunny good natured disposition.

Meanwhile her unemployed divorced brunette buddy has, among other things, a heavy drinking problem, a young daughter, and a tendency to suicidal self-destruction. Enter Andreas the blunt-spoken tattooed slob of a truck driver who, in spite of the fact that he looks like a geek, seems to have a fatal attraction for all of the women who hang out in the drinking dive which is the meeting place for all the low-life characters in the neighborhood. At first it seems impossible that such a beauty as Nadja could ever go for such geek, but there is more to geek than meets the eye – such as a number of former wives and children scattered about the German map and a certain free-wheeling, disarming existentiality. Actor Andreas Schmidt is the kind of character who needs to do nothing more than walk across the screen to make the audience crack up.

This picture is a slice of many lives, people trying to keep afloat as best they can in a prosperous society that has passed them by. It's hard to explain why this is all so ha-ha funny, but it is, and it all ends up on a somewhat promising up-beat note. I would give this picture all the Conchas – with a double Concha for Nadja Uhl – but, alas, I'm not on the jury, and juries tend to have very strange minds of their own. By the way, the script by Wolfgang Kohlhaase is so damn good that it looks like there wasn't any script at all, and the actors were just making the story up as they went along with a little nudging from the director -- and the music is a subtle underpinning of German hits from the seventies that never intrudes but sounds like it emanates from the hearts of the characters themselves. I'm still not sure whether it was just that Nadja totally blew my mind or that the picture really is this good. In any case, this is one to watch for if it ever comes your way.

Sommer vorm Balkon is a very pleasant comedy about two young women of Berlin, their daily fight for a work, their bad luck with men and their fiendship. In spite of all the difficulties they will meet in their life they are full of humour and this make this film enjoyable. The performances of Inka Friedrich (Katrin Engel) and Nadja Uhl (Nicole "Nike" Pawelsky) are very good.

Though I've been watching films all my life and have been active on IMDb for nearly a decade, I never bothered to write an official user review. Up until today. (Well, duh, or you wouldn't be reading this.) With just three reviews in nearly ten years, this film seems to be greatly overlooked as well as under-appreciated. Which is a pity, as it conveys so much in such an understated way.

First of all, several establishing shots of the town it's set in -Berlin- are not only beautiful, but will also put a smile on the faces of everyone who, like Marlene Dietrich, loves the city.

Next, the film wonderfully shows average life – it does not pretend to have a blockbuster-type script. There are no spies, murderers or explosions. There are just normal folks with normal, rather dreary lives, with quite average problems, jobs and so forth. The way in which Nadja Uhl's job -homecare of senior citizens- is depicted, is respectful and loving. Like so many aspects of this movie, this depiction closely resembles real life. And the romance she ensues makes you scream at the screen: stop that, he's bad for you, a lot like what happens a lot in real life as well – regardless of gender.

Also realistic is the way the movie conveys the desperation of Inka Friedrich, a single mom who has trouble finding any sort of reliable job and too little money to adequately take care of her son. Again, many people from all the seven continents will be able to empathize with or recognize her situation.

Then there's the great use of music to establish the location, namely Germany: many typical 'schlager' songs are featured and the use of Nana Mouskouri's 'Guten Morgen Sonnenschein' is not only very clever, but also ensures that particular (very catchy) song to be stuck in your head for days to come.

To save the best for last: Nadja Uhl. This great actress, also known for her roles in De Tweeling, Dschungelkind, Die Stille nach dem Schuß and Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, might be the prettiest woman and one of the very best actresses ever to have been 'Made in Germany'. Unfortunately, both her looks and skills have been criminally undervalued internationally. Luckily, there are films like Sommer vorm Balkon, in which we get to see her shine like only few actresses can.

While the film might have its faults, much like nearly every other film does, the combination of its honest script, great use of music, Berlinesque setting and great acting -as said, in particular Mrs. Uhl- make it very worthwhile.