Abgefahren

Okay, we have seen fast and furious films where people chase each other and shoot each other and hate each other. But are our lives really made out of stuff like this? Am I an undercover cop, are You an organized criminal? The movie Abgefahren is such a nice example of a gasoline-driven film, which is, in fact, character-driven. The way the girl and the (cute!) boy heat each other up with their witty dialogs is exhilarating. They seem to be like a cat and a dog, both too proud to admit that they love each other, both wanting to be strong and cool and on the other hand longing to embrace each other. Can You imagine Hepburn sitting in a Dodge and Tracy sitting in a Cobra, arguing about who is the better driver? No? Well, watch Abgefahren!

Abgefahren may not be high art, but it's a fun little movie. The leads (male and female) are all very appealing, especially Felicitas Woll, who deserves international exposure. The cars are also excellent. Director Jakob Schäuffelen does love those hero shots, but in this film it works fine, because it is such a playful story. Sonja Rom's cinematography is, as usual, excellent. On the downside, for the English-speaking audience, the current DVD only has the film in German with no subtitles or other languages. That's too bad, because I think this film could appeal to a wider audience. Abgefahren may not be classic cinema, but sometimes all you want is to be entertained and Abgefahren does the trick.

Mia wants to be a rally driver and together with her three girlfriends she enters the cave race. Her opponent Cosmo is interested in her but Mia is already involved with Sherin, her Girlfriend. Since she only drives a Volkswagen ,she bets with Cosmo who adds to the bet ,that he wants to spend a night with her since he drives a better car. Then saying she owes him a kiss he kisses her. Mia agrees. When she wins against Cosmo her victory becomes her defeat when on tape it is discovered that Sherin has sabotaged Cosmos car so Mia can win. There was a lot of resemblance with Chasing Amy, the story that a girl loves a girl first then a boy later. The leading actors were looking good,very nice hear styles and i liked her wardrobe. Sharin was short and nasty and not a very nice person. The movie was made in a manner of American movies from eighties which I liked. A theme, a girl likes a boy and a boy yearns for the girl is something you don't see anymore. I watched the movie with subtitles. Really liked her car when Cosmo painted it in Pink with red hearts all over it. Movie was a slow narrative, there were some jokes but mostly the sexual tension between Mia and Cosmo held my attention.

I enjoyed "Abgefahren" very much because of it´s good humor and excellent actors. The film is neither about cars nor about testosterone, but there are beautiful cars in it and the girls certainly stir your testosterone! The film is really about men and women and love. The races are perfect metaphors of their conflict-laden relationships. The female lead is a star in Germany and should soon be known internationally. And the soundtrack is one to hear in your car. Intelligent entertainment. Very nice.

I liked this movie very much because it has not only beautiful girls and cars but it is also very funny. The actors are very good. The images look rich although the film probably was not very expensive. The car races are not very realistic. Nobody uses oldtimers for private races. But I believe that is creative freedom. These cars have personality, just like the people in the movie. I guess female viewers appreciate the romance of this movie.