Absolute Giganten

As Floyd' s probation has expired he's going to leave Hamburg the next day to see the world. So there's only one night left for him to say farewell to his best friends Ricco and Walter. The movie depicts the funny and sad adventures of the trio during that last night involving an argument with some die-hard Elvis fans, the most nerve-racking table-football match in film history and way too much alcohol.

The whole thing is so beautiful in a bittersweet way that you wish the film would go on forever. You want to see more about Ricco's family, about the barflies at Horst's and especially about Telsa, the girl next door (who is played incredibly cute and vulnerable by Julia Hummer in her film debut). But if a film is too short it's always a compliment, not a fault.

Sebastian Schipper in *his* debut as a director really knew what he was doing, although (or because?) he sometimes doesn't play by the established rules. For example he uses refreshingly little dialogue for a german film and he even lets it go on for a few more minutes after the last words have

been said, telling the end just with images. And those images are brilliant since the director of photography was Frank Griebe ("Lola rennt"). IMO the movie gets 9 out of 10.

I already watched this movie some years ago today I watched it again and I really like this movie. The story tells about 3 friends living in hamburg the night before one of them will go to a ship to Africa and later singapore. It's their last evening they spend together and they have much trouble but fun too. A really nice scene is the kicker-scene where they play against the "snake", a really strange guy who plays kicker very well. This movie got so much emotion and is very funny too, so this proves that there are coming up some good talented directors, producers and actors. I hope to see more movies like this in the future, telling realistic stories from peoples lifes without spending so much money on movies to plaster bad stories. We have that movies from Hollywood all the time so I'm really glad to have movies like this one.

9/10

Normally I am not a big fan of German cinema, but every now and then a gem like Lola Rennt or this comes out of nowhere. Unlike anything Hollywood would have done, this does not clutter the story with subplots and just focuses on the three friends' last night together. The music is perfect, as it helps the audience realize the sadness these people must feel, knowing that they will never be together again. The script is very funny, and the direction is perfect, as Schlipper is able to let the story pause and simply film Floyd, Ricco and Walter as they sit in silence. However, somehow the film does not turn into a long-winded cheesefest. Along with Tom Tykwer(I think that's how you spell it) who produced the film, I think Schlipper is a talent to watch, cos, if there's any justice in the world, he will have a bright future. This film rocks.

When I first saw "Absolute Giganten" it instantly became my favourite. I just love this movie. It is wonderfully sad but at the same time it seems to keep a certain happiness that just moves you and makes you feel glad to be alive. Sebastian Schipper has made a beautiful but also very real film with wonderful actors and great music by The Notwist. Directors of the world do me a favour and give me more films like this one!

schipper has shown incredible diversity as a budding actor in many of tom tykwer's eclectic and nuanced german films. also had a minor, yet unforgettable, role in anthony minghella's 'the english patient', in the interrogation scene with willem dafoe. 'absolute giganten' marks his brave and confident debut, with superior directional and editing skills. definitely a new german director to keep a watch out for.