Der Tränenmacher

I didn't read the book so I don't know if it's a good adaptation but as a movie it's.. mediocre. A shallow drama.

First though, let me just praise the leads. They really sell the chemistry for their characters. The longing and all that. Bonus that both are handsome people.

Now for the bad. The plot... while I was interested in the premise as I thought it had potential for depth it only gave me something shallow. They didn't give time for the trauma of their past to take root so it hits different. Would've been so much better if they really dug into the abuse, mental health issues, ptsd etc but everything got glossed over even during the scenes it's highlighted.

While I liked the base chemistry of the actors the actual romance between the them is non existent. They never built it up so it's just there. Very weak foundation is just not good. Because why should I care about these character's love for each other?

The most atrocious is the pacing... there's very bizarre cuts of time that forces you to fill it in yourself because they jumped over it so you're noticably missing chunks of scenes.

Shout out too for that bad insert of Olivia's song that was so out of place and the cringe acting for some of the actors.

Anyway overall this reminds me a lot of Royalteen... which to both would have been better as a limited series of sort to really delve into the characters' struggles, why they act they way they do, so you can actually empathize with them while the romance is a B-plot to create that slow burn. But alas this wasn't it.

Warning: Some brief nudity, attempted rape.

I feel like this should've been a series or at least a longer movie, as there are too many crucial details in the book that they failed to mention in this movie. Especially a lot about Nica and Rigel's relationship wasn't really portrayed very well on screen and lacked the depth and detail present in the book, which is probably why most people rated this fairly low. I would, too, if I hadn't read the book before. Up until the middle of the movie it was pretty decent and followed the book accurately, but the rest felt incredibly rushed. I really urge people to read the book though, as it's way better than this adaption.

I don't understand all the bad reviews - It's a good movie. Is it Oscar worthy? No of course not. Is it predictable? Yes but why be upset about it. Surely most people who watched or plan to watch the movie knew/know exactly what they were getting themselves into, so why be so hypocritical. This movie is watchable and a great way to escape reality for 2 hours. The dark cinematography adds a mysterious element and with an attractive cast, it goes well together. If you're not into dark romantic movies, then you should move along to something else. If you're going to watch it, just lower your expectations and enjoy the cheese.

Honestly, I enjoyed the movie. As other people said - is it Oscar worthy - no. Is it, however, a nice movie to escape reality for a bit - yes.

It could've been a little longer and would've benefited from a bit more character development, but people need to understand that you cannot retell a whole novel in one movie, no matter how hard you try.

With that being said, I've read some ridiculous complaints such as that it does not become clear why the family chose to adopt Rigel so suddenly or why Ms. Margaret hated Nica so much.

So let me break it down - Rigel obviously reminded Mr. And Mrs. Milligan of their son, who passed away probably not too long ago (since he loved playing the piano, just like Rigel does and that is the exact moment when the family seemingly out of nowhere decide to bring home both Nica and Rigel).

Ms. Margaret, on the other hand, probably hates Nica because she sees her as a potential threat to Rigel and as someone who might "take him away from her". This is why she does everything in her power to punish Nica, out of spite.

I liked the cast, I think they suited their roles just fine and the movie is obviously targeted towards a younger audience. The atmosphere is also very nice, a little dark.

Overall I would say I enjoyed it, although the ending felt rushed and was a bit disappointing. However, as I previously said - it is impossible to reach the depth of the novel, which is completely understandable.

I read the book and I was expecting some details not to be in the movie. However, they had so much potential and they lost it. Everything was very predictable and different from the book itself. The sex scene sucked, the timeline, and the scene itself took place in another setting. It was just so bad. Very disappointed. I wanted to feel sparks just like the book and I felt nothing but cringe. Not everything is bad though, the actors ans actress are very attractive and they got some important scenes and dialogue the same. But I have to rate this a 4 because didnt fulfill my expectations. Very sad.