Agnes und seine Brüder

...but quality. This movie is short in every meaning. The story is not a story but the attempt to shock in times where even kids cannot be shocked by almost nothing anymore. What we see is a collection of different scenes some of them pretty good some awfully bad.

We follow three brothers (a politician, a sex maniac who feels inadequate and a sex changed) looking for happiness in their own tragedy of life and especially the tragedy in their interpersonal relationships. Reason for their being what they are is their dominating father who became - oh wonder - gay after he might have abused his sons in the past...

So far so good but beside the fact that the story is partly stolen, the writer and director did not decided if he wanted to make a comedy or a drama. What he definitely wanted to do is art, and that is by far not enough to make a good movie. Some critics called it a comic strip, some a satire and others called it a contemporary image of the German Republic. And there are the ones like me who just call it a big waste of time and money.

If you don't like Lynch, Fassbinder and Aldomovar just sent them a copy of the film so they can see how they have been imitated in a small minded way. I promise that they will suffer a lot.

At the end of the movie an ex porno-model and the still-sex-maniac agreed to drive from Germany into the Iraq (by car) and help the people over there... I am pretty sure that the movie meant exactly this, no ironic to be found in this scene.

Having seen this film, I was left with the feeling that it betrayed its title. Although the acting was superb, the script or directing was lacking. This had to happen. Each of the three characters is the center of a separate story and each of these stories could have quite happily been a separate film. Agnes' story succeeds in being painful to watch, but I was lost because so little time given to Agnes' characterization. Agnes' fate begs the question: "Is there no happy ever after for Transexuals?" Of Course there is. But, it does not suit the tone of the film, which is a parody on middle class, liberal, left wing families.

I can't see this being a fair answer to American Beauty as that film was quite mystical in nature and the main character was very well introduced and described.

So many films are just "over the top" that it's refreshing to see one that has such a real "feel" to it.

I liked the cuts and transitions which interweave the lives of the brothers. The blending of three very different lives and personalities complete a fascinating portrait of a family. In a way it might have been "3 brothers and their father". (His character was not developed, but the three brothers' relationship to him made him a central figure.) That there is something dysfunctional within the film could be inferred from the title, but that does not imply anything interesting nor worthwhile in the film. Happily, it is interesting and fascinating.

I don't know if all dysfunctional families are interesting, but this one certainly is. Possibly, it is because the characters are so well developed that we can empathize with them. All in all - quite enjoyable.

I was very touched. This may be because marriage fight is one of the main topics. It was great how characters that have an obvious "flaw" or "tick" fight for their happiness but struggle and fail so much at times. Problem was the actors are so well-known in Germany that I wasn't completely convinced. Like Moritz Bleibtreu is just too warm and kind for a guy like that. Some questions were not answered. Especially about the wife, why didn't she love him anymore, why did she use to love him? Even the filmmaker didn't know what the persons could have changed to make it easier. (Even the filmmaker let one person completely alone in the movie). I wasn't so touched by the Agnes, because I cannot relate to such a CALM person but I liked her and followed with mild(er) interest.

I liked it so much because it was REAL problems with an entertaining approach to present them.