IMDb RATING
7.1/10
7.6K
YOUR RATING
17-year-old Phil lives with his mother and twin sister in an old mansion on the outskirts of town. When he starts to feel attracted to a new boy at school, Phil is plunged into emotional tur... Read all17-year-old Phil lives with his mother and twin sister in an old mansion on the outskirts of town. When he starts to feel attracted to a new boy at school, Phil is plunged into emotional turmoil only exacerbated by the trouble at home.17-year-old Phil lives with his mother and twin sister in an old mansion on the outskirts of town. When he starts to feel attracted to a new boy at school, Phil is plunged into emotional turmoil only exacerbated by the trouble at home.
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- Awards
- 6 wins & 7 nominations total
Christian Skibinski
- Passant
- (uncredited)
Aurélie Thépaut
- Lehrerin
- (uncredited)
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The German film Die Mitte der Welt was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Center of My World (2016). It was written and directed by Jakob M. Erwa.
This movie can be interpreted in many ways. It's a coming of age movie, a gay love story, and a melodrama with many twists and turns.
Louis Hofmann plays Phil, a gay young man, who is looking for a boyfriend-lover-partner. Jannik Schümann plays Nicholas, who is handsome and athletic, and becomes Phil's boyfriend and lover, if not partner. Both Hofman and Schümann are fine young actors, and they do admirable work in this film. Also involved in the plot is Phil's twin sister, who may or may not have some special powers.
For me, however, the acting honors go to Sabine Timoteo as Glass, Phil's mother. She brings men into the family, and then sends them away, with devastating results to her children. Timoteo brings acting skills that allow her to inhabit this role. You can't take your eyes off her as she lives--and messes up--her life and the lives of others. She always tells just enough of the story to make you aware that she knows more than she tells.
The film will work well on the small screen.
This movie can be interpreted in many ways. It's a coming of age movie, a gay love story, and a melodrama with many twists and turns.
Louis Hofmann plays Phil, a gay young man, who is looking for a boyfriend-lover-partner. Jannik Schümann plays Nicholas, who is handsome and athletic, and becomes Phil's boyfriend and lover, if not partner. Both Hofman and Schümann are fine young actors, and they do admirable work in this film. Also involved in the plot is Phil's twin sister, who may or may not have some special powers.
For me, however, the acting honors go to Sabine Timoteo as Glass, Phil's mother. She brings men into the family, and then sends them away, with devastating results to her children. Timoteo brings acting skills that allow her to inhabit this role. You can't take your eyes off her as she lives--and messes up--her life and the lives of others. She always tells just enough of the story to make you aware that she knows more than she tells.
The film will work well on the small screen.
I enjoyed it. I may be simple and I may be unable to understand the nuances that apparently abound, but for sheer entertainment for me, it was pleasing. So many of IMDb critics forget that they are watching a film that is designed to entertain. They go off on journey of esoteric criticisms that only the pompous and pretentious would understand. Sit back, open a beer and view it for what is was - just a film, and to me, an enjoyable one.
Good acting, good story. Enjoyed the movie and would watch it again.
To start with, I completely disagree with a previous 2/10 review.
"Center of my world" / "Die Mitte der Welt" was and is one of my most beloved novels I first read end of the 90ies shortly before it has been released. It's a wonderful book I always return to. I didn't know how it could be brought to screen - until now.
When I first saw the trailer I was already roped back into the world of Steinhöfels book. I needed to see this film and I did on the first weekend. While they removed several parallel and back stories of the book to create a better narration for the screen, they managed to keep the dreamy atmosphere of the book for the whole 2 hours. The main cast is more than perfect, from Louis Hofmann as Phil to Sabine Timeteo as his mother, to Jannik Schürmann as Nicholas. I fell in love with each of them. The setting in the small town and the enchanted home of the "different" family was a perfect match to the tone and style of the story. It was wonderful to live, laugh and cry with the characters throughout, a very emotional, dreamy, wonderful journey, accompanied with a beautiful soundtrack. The love story between the two main characters blew me away, so real, intimate and wonderful to watch.
I didn't see any other film this year that I embraced so much like "Die Mitte der Welt". Maybe I will see it a second time in the cinema but the Blu-ray will be on my shelves on day one. Go and watch it, it won't get better this year.
"Center of my world" / "Die Mitte der Welt" was and is one of my most beloved novels I first read end of the 90ies shortly before it has been released. It's a wonderful book I always return to. I didn't know how it could be brought to screen - until now.
When I first saw the trailer I was already roped back into the world of Steinhöfels book. I needed to see this film and I did on the first weekend. While they removed several parallel and back stories of the book to create a better narration for the screen, they managed to keep the dreamy atmosphere of the book for the whole 2 hours. The main cast is more than perfect, from Louis Hofmann as Phil to Sabine Timeteo as his mother, to Jannik Schürmann as Nicholas. I fell in love with each of them. The setting in the small town and the enchanted home of the "different" family was a perfect match to the tone and style of the story. It was wonderful to live, laugh and cry with the characters throughout, a very emotional, dreamy, wonderful journey, accompanied with a beautiful soundtrack. The love story between the two main characters blew me away, so real, intimate and wonderful to watch.
I didn't see any other film this year that I embraced so much like "Die Mitte der Welt". Maybe I will see it a second time in the cinema but the Blu-ray will be on my shelves on day one. Go and watch it, it won't get better this year.
I've read the book some years ago. I remember being fascinated by the almost fantasy-like world in which our hero and his family live. They are funny, warmhearted, easygoing and freewheeling -and there is some magic secret waiting to be uncovered.
And the strange boy has secrets too and is shrouded in mysteries.
In the film almost all of the females are shrill borderline cases, acting way over the top most of the time. Our hero is weak willed and confused (which is okay for a teenager coming of age) and must be constantly advised and be comforted by those females who can't master their own affairs.
The other boy comes across as a blunt, sexy, needy and selfish guy without any mystery in his life.
Being gay myself I appreciate the nicely filmed sex-scenes (guys have sex in the nude and are not covered in linen and shorts like their american brothers ).
Louis Hofmann and Jannik Schümann are believable in their roles (as the director sees them) but the MAGIC which hovers about them in the book can't be felt here.
Did you know
- GoofsWhen mentioning famous celebrities who grew up without their fathers Phil had some mistakes. he mentioned Gene Simmons who however knew his father Ferenc Yehiel Witz since he was born, but his parents got divorced in 1957 when he was 8. Al Capone also lived and moved with his family, including his father Gabriele, who died in 1920, when Al was 21.
- ConnectionsReferences Star Wars: Épisode IV - Un nouvel espoir (1977)
- SoundtracksFeel Something
Performed by 'Marius De La Mer'
- How long is Center of My World?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
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- Also known as
- Center of My World
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Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $3,656
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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