Die tödliche Maria

Being a huge fan of Tykwer's work, I felt obligated to check out a very rare US screening of his debut feature, "Die Todliche Maria". It was being shown as part of a Tom Tylwer film retrospective by the local Goethe institude, and the man himself was present for discussion and dialogue concerning his films. It was a pleasure indeed. Tykwer proved to be a very thoughtful and intelligent individual with a real passion for films and the artistic/creative forces guiding them. It was a rare pleasure to meet him in person and something I will never forget.

Concerning the film itself, I must honestly admit that I was blown away by it. Deadly Maria is a dark film for Tykwer. Do not go check this out if you enjoyed the whimsical frenzy of Run Lola Run or the introspective and methodically paced Heaven. The camera work and most of the "basic" themes of this film were genuine Tykwer (working for the first time here with the remarkable Frank Griebe) but the overall atmosphere of the film made this a completely unique and engaging film on EVERY level. I dont think most of the people at the screening were all that moved by it, judging by the blank faces at the end of the film and the perplexed sentiment of many people I saw leaving the theatre. I was affected by this film on many levels, though, because I felt immersed in Marias world for the duration of the film. The character of Maria was displayed as the full package by the director, and for the first time in awhile I watched a true charecter study on film. It is relieving to know that some directors still want to have a main charecter that is examined on many levels and not just shallow surface level oriented stuff. We got an appropriate and sufficient amount of background throughout the film of her experience, making everything that happened after seem relevant and powerful. The scenes involving the young Maria were (I thought) very dark and very ominous. The colors were bleaker and the overall tone was different than the present day scenes (although they too were quite bleak). I could go on and on about how effective this film was, but I guess you just have to check it out for yourself. Nina Petri was just remarkable on all levels. Joachim Krol did a phenomenal job as the guy next door with bizarre obsessions. He is a fantastic actor.

I would put this towards the very top of Tykwer's work. In many ways, it is the dirty art house flick I think he was trying to make since he first started shooting 8mm as a kid. There are allot of surrealistic elements in this film too, and because he was able to convey them so well on such a minimal scale, my hat is tipped once again to the fantastic Tom Tykwer.

This should be released on DVD in the United States. My collection feels incomplete without it.

It's the directorial debut of Tom Tykwer and he knows how to drag us into his world. "Deadly Maria" is instantly mesmerizing with its strident horror film music and its surreal cinematography. Tykwer focuses on the details. He shows us clocks, an ink pen, the ear of the female protagonist, all in close up shots to control our attention heavily. Nina Petri, who plays the main character Maria, lets us share her thought in poetic offscreen-monologues. It's an oppressive and nightmarish storytelling in which we wait for the outburst of Maria.

A good young woman in terrible trouble, a good man who tries to save her, her fixation with him, their ultimate union in death or dreamland. chance encounters, chance events that change everything, problems of self-identity; all of these and especially, the scene that is repeated in Run Lola Run and The Princess and the Warrior, and Heaven. In this scene, a person, usually the female lead, is seen from the camera's POV (in the middle of the street) crossing the street while a large vehicle looms behind her - will it hit her, or stop just in time? In RLR of course, the plot is reversed, with Lola giving her all to save Matti, but that scene is repeated several times, sometimes with Lola, sometimes with Matti, depending on what version of the run we are seeing. Sissi, in TPATW, is accidently hit by the huge truck, her life is saved by the man who caused the truck to swerve, he is able to save her life because it happens that he knows how to do emergency tracheotomies. Life is a series of accidents, apparently. Is he trying to make this cliche of film making new again - and then into a cliche again? Perhaps we have seen the end of it, though. In Heaven, Phillipa steps into the street on the way to her bombing mission and must jump back to avoid being hit by a small sportscar. It seems to be Tykwer's self-referential joke and a hint that even he has had enough of the image.

In Deadly Maria, the Nice Man Next Door (whose name I forget) is too late to save Maria. Happy chances have passed her by, only the first unhappy chance, of being her father's daughter, has formed her life. Even the bus that almost hits her as she crosses the street stops just in time, might just as well have knocked her down - a happy break, however, for the driver. The NMND may still save her, but what are the odds?

It's a good movie and to be honest, i should have rated it higher. However, i didn't enjoy it that much. I thought this was a "drama/thriller/fantasy", so i was prepared for something like that. Truth is, it's mislabelled. This is a drama. A "heavy drama", i mean, it was tough to watch at times. There are some poetic/dream-like scenes but its core is realistic as it gets. Nothing wrong with these movies, but i was not in the mood. In any case, it's good. Viewer empathizes with the leading character, there is a strong, almost heartbreaking story and i was waiting for a payoff, because she faced too much adversity in her life. I won't say anything about the ending, i'll just say that i didn't expect it. Not satisfying or unsatisfying, just strange.

Great acting performances by everyone here.

The first work of Tom Tykwer shows several qualities that have been brought to perfection in "Lola rennt" ("Run Lola Run"). There are especially the great camera work and the intelligent editing. Unfortunately the script is somewhat protracted now and then.