I like this film more, the longer I reflect upon it. At the screening, I was perplexed, and increasingly irritated, by the constant laughter of the audience, particularly from the person sitting next to me, who evidently thought it the funniest thing she had seen in years. I didn't get it. Why was this poignant tale of dysfunctional, lonely characters in a harsh, frozen landscape seen to be so funny? I am not a German speaker and perhaps the sub titling was hilariously off the mark. Anyway... it is an impressive debut, with subtle performances from all the cast, particularly Josef Hader, as the quietly despairing Henrik. Tighter editing would have made for an even better film, many scenes were held just that bit too long so that tension began to dissipate, but the photography was always superb.
I like this film more, the longer I reflect upon it. At the screening, I was perplexed, and increasingly irritated, by the constant laughter of the audience, particularly from the person sitting next to me, who evidently thought it the funniest thing she had seen in years. I didn't get it. Why was this poignant tale of dysfunctional, lonely characters in a harsh, frozen landscape seen to be so funny? I am not a German speaker and perhaps the sub titling was hilariously off the mark. Anyway... it is an impressive debut, with subtle performances from all the cast, particularly Josef Hader, as the quietly despairing Henrik. Tighter editing would have made for an even better film, many scenes were held just that bit too long so that tension began to dissipate, but the photography was always superb.