Netto

I have a weakness for first features. But because there is justice in the world, weaknesses are punished. Most debuts aren't worth the acetate they are printed on. But every now and then, a karmic slip occurs and a firstborn comes out spic and span. Robert Thalheim's "Netto" is like that. Made as part of the director's graduate studies, "Netto" is a tough, yet touching story of a prodigal son (Sebastian Butz) reclaimed by his misfit father. Worn thin by years of unemployment and drinking, daddy (Milan Peschel) has a hard time keeping up with the women in his son's life: his all-but-absent mother Angelika (who found herself a yuppie boyfriend) and his would-be girlfriend Nora. As usual, Milan Peschel shines in the part of the underdog. Sebastian Butz is no less convincing in his adolescent clumsiness, especially in a scene that has his character acting all bashful and confused when Nora tries to snuggle up to him in her secret attic lair. Throughout, the script reflects profound insights into the emotional dynamics of family ties. For example, while Sebastian is more than skeptical about his father's ambitions to make it big as a hotshot bodyguard, he can't help defending him in front of Nora. The ending is a melancholic variation of Dennis Dugan's "Saving Silverman". Where Dugan brings in Neil Diamond (as himself) to save the day, Thalheim digs up Eastern country pioneer Peter Tschernig (as himself) to cast a ray of light into the darkness. Says Sebastian, addressing Nora and referring to "Star Wars": "The movie is so good, you might as well watch it by yourself."

This little German gem tells the story of a father-son relationship. Marcel is an east German electrician who couldn't cope with the difficulties of market economics after the German reunification and who spends his day in between a vietnamese snack bar and his shabby apartment. When his son Sebastian who lived the last three years with his mother returns for a place to stay his life is given new direction. Filmed on a shoestring budget for a university assignment this movie makes you laugh where you should cry, depicting the hardships of those who where the losers of the German reunification. Not to miss. During an interview after the screening the director pointed out that he considers this a regional movie. I think however it has universal appeal as that type of biographies exist everywhere.

The story in "Netto" is particular to the East Berlin/West Berlin divide, yet it is also a universal story that has repeated itself one way or another in every time and culture. It is a story of a decent man who has 'failed' at life, and how he and his son relate to each other.

The father in this story is an East German who has been unable to adjust to changing times and circumstances. He is estranged from his family, unemployed, and bogged down psychologically in a past that is no longer applicable to the world around him -- he is drowning. His teenage son comes to live with him unexpectedly when the boy's mother decides to move to a new house with her new husband/partner.

This is a 'slice of life' story, with beautifully nuanced characters and a remarkable amount of insight into human relationships and psychology. The acting is exceptional.

"Netto" ends somewhat abruptly, and that is the only real criticism or complaint that I have about it. A very good film.