Dem Leben auf der Spur

This worthwhile father-son story was shown in the cinema today as a sneak preview and will be released in cinemas in a few weeks by the new German distribution company 24 BILDER. What can you say? A little private story - seen many times and yet always convincing when it's done well.

After his wife and mother die from cancer, a father (ACADEMY AWARD nominee John HAWKES) and a son (Logan LERMAN), who have not had anything to say to each other for a long time and are extremely different, set off for Ireland. There they want to scatter the ashes of the deceased in a lake (filmed on Lough Tay / Wicklow Way - this should look familiar to fans of VIKINGS). The encounter with a young Irish woman (Sarah BOLGER, who also has a great singing performance with SJ McARDLE) leads to unexpected complications and also reveals deeper injuries in the father-son relationship...

A beautiful Irish film that, with its landscape shots, seems to have been made for the big screen. The Icelandic director Elfar ADALSTEINS composes true landscapes of the soul in his film, which was released in 2019.

Suitable for everyone who appreciates even small stories and has an idea of how complicated the relationship between father and son can be!

The beauty of this movie touches my hearts deep down. Family theme not my first priority always but this one nail it. It's not making any big speech on family values but just warming to watch and feels that family always the most important in life, for most people.

An estranged father and son (from the US) take a trip to scatter the mother's ashes in Ireland.

Fairly unexceptional. Not quite emotional enough, not interesting enough, script not that strong. It's okay if at a loose end but there is better out there.

Greetings again from the darkness. The pandemic has put most blockbusters and mainstream releases on hold, allowing the projects of many first time filmmakers to jump to the front of the line for exposure to critics and streaming platforms. Director Elfar Adalstein's first feature film stems from a screenplay by Michael Armbruster (BEAUTIFUL BOY, 2010) and covers familiar ground in an unfamiliar manner, enhanced by gorgeous scenery and a couple of terrific performances.

Frank Fogel (John Hawkes, WINTER'S BONE, 2010) and his wife Anna (Andrea Irvine) are visiting their son Sean (Logan Lerman, THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER, 2012) in an Alabama prison. Sean is serving time for stealing a car, and his mother is there to tell him goodbye. Frank and Sean are estranged, so there is no father-son visit. After the funeral, Frank shows up on Sean's day of release to convey the mother's death bed wish ... father and son are to travel together and spread her ashes on her favorite lake in Ireland. Sean has no interest in traveling with dad and only wishes to get to California for a fresh start.

Of course there would be no movie if the two men didn't eventually take the trip together, and we notice immediately that Frank, though a man of conviction, doesn't appear to have a strong backbone. Sean, acting the jerk, clearly holds a grudge against the father he views as not protecting him from an abusive grandfather during childhood. These are deep wounds that may go deeper if there is to be a chance for healing. A wake in mom's Ireland hometown reveals secrets of her past, and results in the men taking in Jewel (Sarah Bolger, one of the young daughters in Jim Sheridan's excellent IN AMERICA, 2002) as a hitchhiker. Jewel has her own secrets and agenda, and seems to both further divide father and son, while also helping pull them together. This segment is very well written and acted.

The father-son road trip is really nothing new, though the setting of Ireland, with its stunning countryside captured by cinematographer Karl Oskarsson make it a visual treat. But more than that, the basic story is elevated thanks to the work of Mr. Hawkes (a previous Oscar nominee) and Mr. Lerman. The two excellent actors make the strained relationship seem real, rather than hokey or manipulative. We sense Frank's pain in discovery, and Sean's pent-up frustration that softens when he learns more of the history. On the downside, three musical/song interludes is two too many, but fortunately the performances overcome these storytelling shortcuts. Self-discovery, the acceptance of others, and the importance of family ties are all at play here, in addition to some quirky life philosophy: "Sometimes you're the pigeon. Sometimes you're the statue. That's life."

End Of Sentence

The title of this movie signifies the end of a feud between father and son, brought about by the dying wish of both mother and wife. It was also a movie that examined the grieving process on those left behind, following years of care and commitment, and how essential it is to let go of everything in life but the essential bits.

Much of its subtlety lay beyond the script and was largely inferred. Many would have missed many of these subtleties, like how the burden of caring for someone can lead to being self-absorbed and making poor life decisions, and it was this perceived neglect that led to the son going off the rails, or how the father had concealed his own abuse from his son under the guise of modesty.

The female Irish car thief added little and was perhaps both a distraction and overly contrived, this let the movie down, as did the inference of a hidden history of potential infidelity by the mother.

Overall I enjoyed this gentle story, there was good chemistry and it was well acted. I agree it not everyone's cup of tea and it really was about very little.

I give this a weak 6, meaning suitable for Sunday night viewing.