Honig im Kopf

Go and see this film, next week, tomorrow, right now!

No matter how old you are or of what gender or what you think about both Til Schweiger or Dieter Hallervorden. Go and see this film. It's worth it. It will touch you, even if you're a tough guy. It will amaze you. It will make you silently cry into your tissue. Silently, because you don't want to miss out on the next joke. Yes, this film is drama and comedy and character study and at the same time not shy to do fart jokes. It's the best by and with Til Schweiger I've seen and I certainly don't fancy him. But he knows so well what he is doing and in this film he placed himself rather in the background.

Because the foreground is taken by Dieter Hallervorden, known for silly silly silly comedies in the 70s and 80s and delivering here a performance which is prizeworthy. And by Emma Schweiger, who is not only an actor's cute daughter dragged in front of the camera to make daddy happy, but she can act and very well so and carries with her eleven years one half of the film on her shoulders.

Go and see this film. And you, distributors out there in the world, make sure people around the world CAN actually see this film and bring it to lots and lots and lots of cinemas. Everywhere. North, south, east, west. Please. I never give ten out of ten, but this time there was no other choice. I couldn't give eleven out of ten.

See. This. Film!

"Honig im Kopf" was a great success in Germany. Just another proof that the golden years of German film have been over since the early 1930s. A half-heartedly sentimental take on the difficult subject of dementia. The sets look like something out of an IKEA catalog, the young leading actress (and daughter of the producer and director) is talentless, the music is manipulative, the story is overconstructed. The only bright spot is Dieter Hallervorden. Schweiger is known for his conservative mainstream cinema, wanting his audience to leave the auditorium feeling good, forgoing more mature discussion.

A beautifully filmed but ultimately disappointing film. The first hour, watching an utterly clueless couple in complete denial about the mental state of the husband's father isn't funny - it's painful and disturbing. The saving grace is that this is probably how so many people really do try to deal with a loved one with dementia. Apparently no one in the family knows how to look up more information on the Internet about dementia and caregiving. No idea whatsoever as to why the husband stays with the wife, who is completely unsympathetic. The grand-daughter and grandfather are charming - but that no one intervenes when, say, they see this young child removing this old man's pants on a train is just unbelievable. The film is worth watching to explain to someone what dementia can look like, but it is NOT a good film for explaining how to care for someone with such (except to say "Here's what NOT to do.").

I am surprised that so many other reviewers have taken exception to HÖNIG IM KOPF. The visual style of director/ star Til Schweiger takes a bit of getting used to (with fast intercuts between the characters, analogous to a pop video), but the action remains firmly protagonist-focused, especially on the relationship between Alzheimer's victim Amandus (Dieter Hallervorden) and his granddaughter Tilda (Emma Schweiger). The two of them remain close through thick and thin, even when Amandus appears to be losing his mind for good.

The subject-matter is difficult to dramatize, as anyone who has experienced the trauma of coping with an Alzheimer's victim will testify. Amandus means well, but it's clear that he cannot cope on his own; he has lost his sense of direction, and has little or no connection to the outside world. Neither Tilda's father Niko (Til Schweiger) nor her mother Sarah (Jeanette Hain) can really understand the nature of Amandus's condition, and hence it's hardly surprising that Sarah should frequently lose her temper on seeing the carnage that her father-in-law has caused.

The story takes a sentimental twist in the second half as Tilda and Amandus embark on an ambitious journey to Venice, where Amandus enjoyed his happiest days. Some of the plot-lines are highly implausible, especially in the way others treat Amandus, despite his medical condition. But perhaps that doesn't matter; we rejoice in the fact that the old man has a renewed purpose in life, which restores at least some of his connection to the outside world.

Shot throughout in bright colors, with a particular focus on the glorious landscapes of Austria, Germany, and Venice, HÖNIG IM KOPF has a feel-good ending in which Tilda's parents come to understand the true purpose of their lives, while Tilda (who also narrates the tale) realizes that her bond with Amandus will survive, even after his passing.

Thanks to the reviews of AccessCardRequired and feyza-balak for pointing out some of the astonishing weaknesses of "Honig im Kopf". In addition to that: The problem of the editing is not just about the film's length in general and the louche number of "subplots" (which are more or less excuse for showing the audience proudly the desire of almost every known actor and celebrity in Germany to be a part in a new Til Schweiger movie at least for a second. It seems to be the latest fashion...). Though the story itself urges for intimate scenes where the actors have space to show their talent in favor of their role and the scene, it's high-speed edited in a unnecessary way I've barely seen before. Even the most simple dialog between three people there's hardly one image that stands longer than two seconds. It seems like no one is trusting the impact of the story here. Why else should you cut a quite relaxed dialog like it's an action movie's final car chase? "Honig im Kopf" is a perfect example for what happened to a part of Germany's filmmaking in consequence of 30 years of (bad) commercial TV: it's not about telling a story anymore, true to it's idea, it's characters. It's just about creating a chain of small plot points which have to peak in something that is supposed to be "highly emotional" oder "just funny". The rest is eye-pleasing: interior design out of the cheesiest life style magazines, spectacular shooting locations and of course: super expensive super-slow-mo-camera from time to time just to watch parents and child reunion like they show football-players these days, celebrating themselves after they managed to score. The sad thing is - no one of the teams seems to see or care, though they all did their job far better before (like in "Kokowääh", the first one. the sequel was hell) . And of course: If there'd be anybody out there who could tell Til what kind of path he's walking down, he could easily say: "What do you want? Almost 7 Million Germans went to see my movie, they cried and laughed. So get lost, stupid artsy fartsy guy!" So after all: Is it just a matter of taste? No it isn't. It's a matter of success, that's eating itself. What comes out of that still might look like success, and 30 years of fly-breeding might give you the impression that it's still a success, but if you just take your time - little more than 2 seconds, and check your senses you will realize the smell. Til doesn't seem to have nor time nor interest - no wonder, he's shooting film after film. Even his character here is like that: After Tilda burnt half of the super high class kitchen, he comes home and instead of taking a breath and wondering about the likely smell, his wife has to explain where all this soot is coming from. In it's mixture of lowest level storytelling, high level emotionalizing and inhibited jokes which mostly refer to farting and flippancy - here you have the wiedergänger of the infamous regular UFA-entertainment from once upon a time...