andrea-maria-glaser Reviews

Messy Christmas (2007)

Brilliant X-mas comedy and extraordinary who's done it? "criminal" case.

[10/10 · 17 December 2007]

We can't see anything. We are in a closet. Obviously we are not alone. A human arm, a piece of a face, heavy breathing. What - for heavens sake - is this? Cut. The closet from the outside. It's a big old fashioned wardrobe, suitcases and trunks on top of it. The wardrobe is being pushed hardly from the inside, the trunks are shaking. We are hearing a background music medley of cheerful bright jubilating Christmas carols. At the fortissimo point the doors of the closet spring open – and the wardrobe spits out a merry human couple – a man and his wife. Both are landing - still in a hug- on the carpet of a sleeping room.

This could be the beginning of a tasteless low brow plot which would give us a pain in the neck. The opposite is the case. Meine schoene Bescherung is a rejoicing brilliant firework of points, gags and astonishing twists and turns of an amusing story line performed by a powerful ensemble of divergent characters. It's a plea for living in community and companionship – and it's a pleading for the satisfaction we can take advantage of, if we dare to decide for a living with our children.

Heino Ferch and Martina Gedeck at their best.

Afrika, mon amour (2007– )

Colourful, interesting, suspenseful, big emotion epic drama about the fate of a courageous women

[10/10 · 23 January 2007]

I liked the story about the courageous Katharina von Strahlberg very much. Her adventurous fate in Africa at the outset and during WWI is partly a "who done it" criminal case, partly a love story and a partly family affairs story. Although the story has to deal with many different characters, the main plot would develop a clearly understandable story line. All the main figures receive a good deal of space in the movie to develop in a colorful manner. The alternation of tension climaxes and releases is felicitous. The plot turnarounds keep unpredictable until the very end. Although all the actors would do an excellent job, a special breath of fresh air was the amiable figure of the Scotsman Victor March (excellently played by Pierre Besson), who comes from old Europe and finally finds his peace with a near-natural life in Africa.