42/33
Her joy is temporary, as his health is rapidly deteriorating
Tale
Lissy enjoys the deterioration of her husband Gerd’s house. Even Leo TOLSTOY knew that every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. This is also clear to the German filmmaker Matthias GLASNER, who won the Silver Bear at the BERLINALE 2024 for his new film DYING. But he can add the Protestant variant of northern Germany to the theme, which further intensifies the family’s melancholy. Lissy Lunies (Corinna HARFOUCH) and her husband Gerd (Hans Uwe BAUER) live in a small town in northern Germany and are already badly affected by old age.
Accepting help is difficult for both of them
Their two sons live far away and are badly affected by their own problems. Son Tom (Lars EIDINGER) lives in Berlin and has some success as a conductor, but is irremediably involved in private quarrels. The daughter Ellen (Lilith STANGENBERG) lives in Hamburg and is so committed to an alcohol-soaked lifestyle that she wakes up in Latvia after a night of drinking. It’s true! Both are confronted in different ways with their parents’ illnesses and their own inadequacies.
Haven’t we seen enough of that?
The fact that the film never gets boring in its three-hour running time is thanks to the fantastic cast, which also includes Anna BEDERKE, Robert GWISDEK, Saerom PARK, Saskia ROSENDAHL and Ronald ZEHRFELD. The German actors Corinna HARFOUCH (nominated for the EUROPEAN FILM AWARD 1989 for TREFFEN IN TRAVERS) and Hans Uwe BAUER were awarded the GERMAN FILM AWARD of the year 2024 for their splendid performances. The confrontation at the coffee table between HARFOUCH and EIDINGER is one of the most impressive things that has been seen in German cinema in recent years. The Lunies family is unhappy in its own way. A melancholy film from the German-speaking world!
Yes and no
Of course, as a cinema-goer you wonder whether this is typically German (or at least northern German) or whether it would be possible in other cultures. But Matthias GLASNER aims very high and draws inspiration from film greats such as Ingmar BERGMAN and Federico FELLINI. After all, it’s no wonder that Tom Lunies prefers to watch the four-hour television version of FANNY OCH ALEXANDER (1983) on Christmas Eve. And the character played by Robert GWISDEK (in real life, HARFOUCH’s son) reminds me at least of Steiner played by Alain CUNY in LA DOLCE VITA (1959). Of course, depressing German cinema is not everyone’s cup of tea.
But the way the story is so close to reality has a very special impact that you should definitely expose yourself to
Definitely recommended!