Winterschläfer

When filmmakers attempt to do anything radical or completely experimental, critics often hit them hard with insults about how "unreal" or "amateur." But, hello, all of these new devices being used in films ARE unreal AND amateur because they're so innovational (since no one has tried them before). Tom Tykwer is exactly the sort of filmmaker that likes to take chances, who goes against the normal (sometimes recycled) cinematic techniques employed by the majority of the cinematic world. Here, in "Winter Sleepers," we see those revolutionary techniques that led to his international success in "Run Lola Run" in full bloom. The narrative is basically shallow, leaving many gaps in plot and dialogue, but this is done purposefully, and the filling of the gaps is left up to the cinematography, lighting, and color schemes. It is no surprise that Tykwer uses the subjective camera to convey the feelings of his characters (sometimes we fall to the ground in a flash of white when Laura blacks out, or we spin around in circles when Rene has a psychological episode). It is done for a purpose, and we can understand the turmoil that each goes through--without the reliance of a script.

The film can be seen as more character driven than plot. So, if you need the precious plot more than anything else, I wouldn't recommend this movie. But you should see this movie if you're at all interested in how an event can exponentially set off another set of events, continually building, until the life of every character (whether involved in the first event or not) changes forever.

Odd how everyone's perception of film is different. I thought this film was fantastic - good acting and characters, fantastic story, beautiful camerawork, excellent music.... etc etc

This film shows that you can still make a unique, original film without stuffing EVERYTHING down the viewers throat. It has the most excellent circularity to it where everyone gets exactly what is coming to them. It is funny, dark, depressing, enthralling, and overall, satisfying.

This movie pictures the life of five characters connect by a car accident in a snowing road, provoked by the projectionist Rene (Ulrich Matthes) and the broken farmer Theo (Josef Bierbichler). Rene is a kind of melancholic intellectual, who has amnesia problem and takes picture of the most important events of his life to recall them. One night he drinks too much and steals the car of the ski trainer Marco (Heino Ferch) just for fun. Due to a lack of attention of Theo on the road, there is a dreadful accident, when his young daughter is seriously hurt in the head. She is sent to a hospital without the necessary resources for such a case, but she is unable to be transferred to another suitable place due to the bad weather and her conditions. The nurse in charge of the young girl is Laura (Marie-Lou Sellen), an anorexic woman full of problems and inferiority complex due to her body, who lives in a house inherited from her grandmother with her friend Rebecca (the delicious and sexy Floriane Daniel). Rebecca works in translation, usually wears red colored clothes and has a kind of engagement (indeed their relationship is limited to sex) with Marco. He is a typical unfaithful male man, sexually chasing the women trained by him and being an empty person. The story is a kind of metaphor with the cycle of life, through the lives of five persons with different attitudes and behavior, who are linked by an incident, having death and birth but with life going on. The direction and the performance of the cast are excellent and the photography is wonderful. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `Winter Sleepers – Inverno Quente' (`Winter Sleepers – Hot Winter')

I have to disagree with the other rather lengthy comment made by a viewer in Germany. This film is hypnotic, powerful and satisfying. One has to be in the right mood for this film. It takes it's time. It is surrounded by snow and muted colors (except one character, Rebecca, is always in red - even her car is red). In a dreamlike state, this film will take you into four different people's lives and see how they intersect through the tragedy of a car accident. I think Twyker is extremely gifted with how he tells a story visually and I was a big fan of his Run Lola Run. He obviously has an attraction to stories about destiny and fate and how life is full of little decisions and moments that mold us or damage us in a blink of the eye. Very well acted film also.

I went to see "Winter Sleepers (Winterschläfer)" only because it's the same director as "Run Lola Run," though it turned out to be pre-"Lola."

It plays with the same theme of coincidences, though not with "what if's" of Lola or "Sliding Doors" or others in the genre. Rather, the audience knows what connects random people together to understand the misunderstandings and connections.

It's slow at spots (too much stuff that's almost French movie satires of a couple not looking at each other and smoking away) but the directing otherwise is very non-Hollywood intriguing, swooping and looking in at such odd angles, creating tension from a neat VERY unpredictable plot involving basically five or so people in a beautiful Bavaria.

I had no idea the German Alps could be so breathtakingly beautiful -- absolutely terrific stunts that will look puny if you see it on cable or video.

The pop soundtrack is again in English, but the director co-wrote the ambient music that is also used very-non-Hollywood in how it comments and builds up on the tension.

It's a bit long but a nice relief from too many Hollywood movies.(originally written 4/23/2000)