Herbert

Covered in tattoos, nicknamed "the Panzer" (the German word for tank), famous as a former East German boxing champion, and earning income based solely upon his muscles and bulk, Herbert is not someone you want to mess with. With few friends beyond the young boxer he is mentoring, a tattoo artist and Olga his angelfish, the Panzer lives a solitary and isolated life in apparent bachelor bliss. Even the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) hardly slows Herbert down. He treats ALS as just another physical adversary.

As Herbert drifts into total paralysis and it becomes clear who the victor in "Panzer versus ALS" is going to be, Herbert tries to make amends with the daughter he abandoned many years ago. This battle, like that with ALS, can't be won with his fists and Herbert finds himself in unfamiliar and unfathomable territory in more ways than one. While slow-paced and dark, the film is poignant and moving as a punch to the gut. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

I thought of HOMEBOY all thru this film, the tale of an aging boxer, his downfall, his struggle to survive, keep his pride and.dignity. It is painful, poignant, disturbing but so great. Yes, Mickey rourke would have been great in such a film, but the German actor is excellent, Oscar winner worth performance. This in the line of FAT CITY or REQUIEM FOR A HEAVY WEIGHT. There is also a Ken Loach touch. But this poor guy is lucky enough to have a gorgeous girl friend, that compensates much, doesn't it? The only bright touch in this gloomy drama.

Do you sometimes wonder what individuals would risk their own body to just collect money for someone else? Maybe that's the only thing they know how to do. The only thing they know they are good at. But in this case, the character who is front and center stage has to reflect on what he has been doing. And the things he missed on doing.

When a life event that is rather big hits him, things fall apart. Then again, maybe this is finally a way for him to see things clearer. Is it too late though? Can he find inner peace? Or outer peace for that matter? It is not so much about where he is heading (inevitable) but the journey there. And how he handles himself being robbed of the one thing he thought made him stand apart ...

This film is not an emotional roller coaster. Roller coasters take you up and down, and in loops.A roller coaster can produce a feeling of joy and excitement. This film can more symbolically be represented by a mine shaft. A mine shaft just keeps going down, and the feeling is more akin to a journey into darkness. Also, like a mine shaft, this film can feel like a lot of work. Frankly, I felt emotionally exhausted by the end of it.

Look, I'm not saying this is a bad movie; please don't misunderstand me, but it's like someone watched "The Wrestler", and thought "Wow that was good, if only it was more depressing!"

"A Heavy Heart" AKA "Herbert" AKA "The Cinematic Plunge Into One Man's Hell On Earth" isn't afraid of its subject matter (degenerative brain disease); it instead grabs you by the back of your skull and pushes your face against it saying "See, see here? This is the ugly truth. You don't like it? Well deal with it because this is just a taste of what many people have to live with."

As stated before this film shares a lot of similarities with "The Wrestler". It is a character-piece driven by an amazing performance by Peter Kurth who plays a has-been boxer.

Like "The Wrestler" this is a story about a man trying to continue his existence while grappling with his mortality.

Also, just like in the wrestler, once our protagonist learns he is dying he tries to repair the broken relationship between him and his daughter.

That's about as deep into things as I can get into the story without wandering into spoiler territory, but I would like to reiterate how amazing Peter Kurth is in this film. The man dug deep and delivered a performance I won't soon forget.

So the final verdict? I wanna give this film a higher score, but I just can't honestly do that. The last 30 minutes of the movie I found myself just waiting for it to be over already.

The performances were great, and I respect the director's commitment to style, but finishing "A Heavy Heart" began to feel like a chore towards the end.

A very heavy drama, due to the reconstitution of the degradation, however, I only managed to feel empathy towards the end of the film, when the disease almost completely withered him, the final words, recording by Herbert for daughter and granddaughter hurts in the soul, a film beautiful and very representative, especially about the choices we make in our lives, and when we neglect our most precious asset, the family...