Barefoot

As a German movie fan I am familiar with Til Schweiger's original 'Barfuss' (2005). But since I always try to keep an open mind I was intrigued to see this remake - and I wasn't disappointed.

'Barefoot' - as an americanized version - tells the story a little bit different and dips more into the romantic (comedy) genre. That's fine by me because a mere copy of Schweiger's film would be pretty redundant. Evan Rachel Wood plays beautifully and portrays an adorable innocence in her role as 'Daisy', the mental patient accompanying Scott Speedman's 'Jay' to his brothers wedding. Their unusual bond is sweet and the movie has more of a light romantic dramedy tone than the original. The colors are warm and the tempo is upbeat but slows down for some nicely done heart-to-heart scenes. I especially loved the setup of certain pivotal scene towards the end.

I can already hear all those serious movie 'critics' moaning about yet another unnecessary remake but that's just it - this remake is not unnecessary. It tells a similar story with a different tone, in a different light, with a different background - transitioning it to a lighter genre. It's not taking anything away from the original - I see it as more of a bonus and really liked it.