Der Junge muss an die frische Luft

Ein wunderbarer Film, der meine Ansicht von "deutschem Kino" positiv erschüttert hat. Normalerweise befindet sich Filmmaterial zwischen Tatortverschnitten, 2. Weltkriegdrama und Til-Schweiger-Komödien...

aber dieser Film war anders.

Ich habe ihn nur durch Empfehlungen gesehen, da ich mich selbst nie in das deutsche "Klischeekino" wage - und der Film fast ähnlich zu anderen Komödien aussah. Weit gefehlt. GENIAL.

Hans-Peter "Hape" Kerkeling ist ein Urgestein der deutschen Comedy - oft wurde seine selbst erschaffene Kultfigur "Oskar Schlemmer" verlacht. Aber dies ist endlich der Film nach der Autobiographie, der offen legt - warum er so exzentrisch und expressiv sein Talent auslebte... wie er seinen Träumen folgte und so zu etwas unvergesslichem der deutschen Mediengeschichte werden konnte.

Ein Film über den Jungen Hans-Peter und seine depressive, überforderte Mutter. Über eine herzliche Familie, Lebenslust, Lachen, Schmerzen und Träume. Oskar konnte seine Mutter nur durch Witze und Verkleidungen zum Lachen bringen - und fand sich als kleines Kind auf der Bühne plötzlich ... wieder.

Großartige Regie, natürlich wunderbares Geschichtenmaterial von Kerkeling und fantastische Schauspieler, gerade der Junge Julius Weckauf bringt frischen Wind, viel Talent und nuancierten Humor auf die Leinwand.

Zeitzeugen (also die Generation, die in den 70ern groß wurde) sagt mir aus ihrem Erleben, dass sie die Darstellungen der Läden, Räume und visuellen Welt ähnlich empfangen, wie es im Film dargestellt wird... hier entspinnt sich ein authentisches Bild nicht nur über Menschen und ihre Probleme, die ihr Leben verändern... sondern auch der damaligen Welt.

Ich bin froh, dieses Schmuckstück gesehen zu haben und ein wenig mehr daran zu glauben: Alle Wunden können uns zum wachsen bringen - und wir können Träume erreichen, wenn wir nur daran glauben... und es ein paar Menschen gibt, die auch an uns geglaubt haben, irgendwann auf dem Weg.

Wunderbar, must see!

We laughed a lot, cried a little and were all amazed by how good the film portrays the emotions of being in a big, a bit weird family in Germany. This film connects with you through strong performances and is just beautifully done.

Now it wont be for everyone and probably will not translate (both in terms of language and culture) but for Germans it is a must see.

Based on Hape Kerkeling's autobiographical novel, "Der Junge muss an die frische Luft" is one of the most extraordinary German mainstream-fitted films to be released in recent years. People who have never lived in Germany probably won't be particularly familiar with Hape Kerkeling's comedy, but as someone who has continuously watched his presence in German television while growing up, I was probably the perfect target for the film's intention to hit all the nostalgia nerves. It paints a beautiful picture of small-town Germany during the early 1970s, not to mention a stellar performance by young Julius Weckauf, who may just have given one of the best child performances I have seen in a long time. He took over Hape Kerkeling's person and completely vanished into the character, allowing for a very compelling viewing experience.

The movie capably handles tragedy and humor, keeping both of these aspects in perfect balance and allowing the audience some room to laugh one minute and cry the next (I won't lie, I did both of those things). Caroline Link's film probably can't be called critic-proof; someone who wants to find flaws probably will, but as for me, I absolutely loved the experience of just letting this portrait of a boy's upbringing in Germany during the early 70s sink in. Ursula Werner's performance as Oma Bertha is especially note-worthy; she's a scene-stealer whenever Julius Weckauf isn't (which is a rare incident). I fear people outside of Germany probably won't ever get to see this film unless they embark on an extended search for it, though I also think people outside of Germany probably won't care, as long as they aren't familiar with Hape Kerkeling himself. But honestly, even if you don't know anything about him, this is just a fantastic film which is a more than worthy way to spend 100 minutes of your time with.

All About Me is based on the biography of German comedian and presenter Hans-Peter "Hape" Wilhem Kerkeling. It chronicles his childhood and family upbringing, growing up in the countryside of Recklinghausen in the 1970s.

The German title, Der Junge muss an die frische Luft, is transliterated as "This Boy Needs Some Fresh Air", which sounds like a euphemism describing a hyperactive child (that's my best non-confirmed linguistic guess anyways). It would have been a more suitable English title than "All About Me".

Director Caroline Link, who previously won an Oscar for Nowhere In Africa, skillfully balances comedy and tragedy with precise timing. The script captures that feeling of everyday time passing that Richard Linklater was shooting for in Boyhood, though the story covers a much shorter timespan. The audience effectively watches the Kerkelings watching Hans-Peter grow up and get to share their joy. When tragic things happen, you've realized you have become a part of the family and you are sobbing with them. Ready the tissues, this is a tearjerker. It's August now so it might be early to say this, All About You is the nicest cry you will have at the movies this year.

Julius Weckauf delivers a great child actor performance on par with a young Dakota Fanning. He possesses the acting chops, the presence and comedic timing, which is the rarest skill to have at such a young age. The boy is the star of the show and sufficiently in carries the film through its hilarious and the serious moments.

What was moving about All About Me was that it captured the joy of family in its best conditions. It is unrequited love, having a mutual support system, and endless inside jokes. As someone who works in education, how the Kerkeling family raise Hans-Peter is a great standard that parents and teachers can refer to. It illustrates the possibilities when you go along with a child's interests, instead of rejecting them offhand on the account of social norms or conventional thinking.

Hans-Peter has a natural God-given theatricality and develops a comedy bug as a child, doing impersonations of old ladies at the local mom and pop shop. When Hans-Peter wants to dress up like a woman for a local festival, his family encourages it, despite the occasional grimace from other families. "Just do what you want to do and forget what other people think," Hans-Peter's grandmother tells him. The routine of performing spontaneously improvised comedy bits for his family becomes the seed for his future comedy career.

All About Me is on my current top ten of 2019. It was serendipitous that I got to see it having perused its poster display walking out of Pain and Glory in a Taipei movie theater. It was a box office hit in Germany. If the film is released in your local arthouse cinema, go have a good laugh and a good cry.

It's more then a well known German comedian biography. It's a movie who reminds us how beautiful it is to be surrounded by family.The support and emotions to eachother in laughter and in difficult times like when you lose someone in your family. A movie which reminds us what it means to grow up with a family who is there for you and doesn't treat you like a child but like a person who can raise his voice and show his feelings without having fear . Please watch this movie. I hope that it will be able to watch all non-german speakers aswell.