eMANNzipation

EMANcipation is a beautiful and mesmerizing film with great acting, unique scenes, and a captivating soundtrack. I love the fact that this movies takes its time to tell Dominik's story. So wonderfully filmed and performed with such an interesting and diverse cast.

I was blown away by this movie.

It is brilliantly written, directed and performed with so much elegance and a great deal of sensitivity! Truly must see!

By the way; it's worth noticing opening credits because the food preparation sequence sets the tone for the entire movie.

I watched this German movie on Amazon Video with my girlfriend and it blew our minds.

The way we look at gender roles, the clichees of what to ecpect from a man and a woman and their role in society, changed drastically with this film.

It is worth watching and even more worth having the lively discussions with friends afterwards. We will definitely re-watch in a couple of days.

I saw "eMANNzipation" at the Kansas International Film Festival, where it won the audience award. It is the story of Dominik, an abused man (abused by his own wife) that takes control of his life. Not knowing where to turn to he enters a "Männerhaus": which is shelter for men, that are abused and/or beaten by their wives. There he meets the director of the house and its other members - all abused men.

In order to get custody for his son, he decides to participate in the Group Therapy Session of the "Männerhaus" . Through these session (told with flashbacks) we find out how Dominik got himself into this abusive marriage.

eMANNzipation is superbly written and brilliantly directed. The actors are amazing, performing with such subtlety and sensitivity! Truly a great film.

I was lucky enough to see eMANNzipation in Berlin this summer and felt compelled to review the film - in hopes that it will get a wider audience, because it surely is a story that needs to be told.

How many movies have you seen that detail troubled relationships that become abusive? Probably a lot. How many have you seen where the female in the relationship is the aggressor against the man? I can't think of any off the top of my head. After seeing the movie I looked into the stats and this is more common than you may think.

eMANNzipation is Dominik's story (played by Urs Stampfli). He is a rather meek man who is first seen wearing an eye patch because his wife has just decked him in the face. We learn how the two met and see the relationship blossom and then deteriorate. The story also brings into the forefront issues of postpartum depression, therapy, parenting, dating, along with the issues of abuse. The story could have turned into something you may see on basic cable, but thankfully writer/director Philipp Muller-Dorn has taken a realistic approach to the material. No one character is just a monster or a weakling.

The performances are wonderful. The star is Stampfli as Dominik, a character so flawed - yet so endearing. Also notable is Frances Heller who is astounding as Hannah who seems to be having the time of her life playing the many sides of the abusive wife. Anna Gorgen is also a welcome addition to the story as the new woman in Dominik's life.

It's a movie I hadn't seen before, handled with precision and care by its director. I would recommend you see the film if it is near you on the festival circuit, or hopefully one day in the theatre!