Das Vaterspiel

They say you can take the man from the country, but you can't take the country from the man. Remember Tori Amos and her "Strange Little Girls" project? In 2001, she recorded an album of cover versions and posed for the booklet wearing a variety of wigs, hats, and glasses. Yet in every one of the dozen or so head shots, she looked strangely like Tori Amos. I guess you can't fake mystery. To Sabine Timoteo, who plays Mimi, it comes naturally. She is the focal point of this movie, and her performance alone would well make it worth your while. But Austrian writer-director Michael Glawogger doesn't only give us the girl of a thousand faces. He has also made an engaging and entertaining movie about a range of very serious subjects: growing up and growing old, secrets and lies, guilt and forgiveness, rage and revenge. He succeeds by focusing on just a few pieces of the puzzle, and sticking with them to the end. I loved how the computer game that is part of the plot seeps into the movie at crucial moments. Outstanding performances by Ulrich Tukur as a witness to the Nazi genocide, and by Itzhak and Samuel Finzi as the objects of his testimony. Guest appearance by comedian Christian Tramitz as a corrupt politician and failing father. He should try his hand at serious parts more often. He more than holds his own in this sophisticated movie for grown-up people.