Die Goldfische

I caught this German indie comedy - the director's debut film - and was blown away by the thoughtful, respectful way the director featured disabled characters as the central protagonists, (one of the actresses actually has Downs Syndrome but the rest don't have the disabilities they're portraying from what I can tell) not in a typical "struggle" story way but as fully developed characters. The plot is devoid of pity for the characters - who are shown in their full range, warts and all - and the movie was darkly hilarious - it translates through plenty of physical comedy that doesn't even need the subtitles. The director has been earning awards for it as well, rightfully so!

Certain things may be hard for us as viewers to connect to. Not being a banker or someone who is detached from human interaction in general, it is not easy to fully identify with the main character here. And there are flaws or at least weird decisions along the way ... but it is a comedy and it tries to be as funny as it can be overall.

That out of the way, I had no idea what the movie would be like or any story element, so color me shocked and surprised by the inciting incident at the start of the movie. I did not see that coming/happening. After that "bang" the movie takes a minute to breathe a little bit and that is the moment you see the human in our main character. Overall we get quite a few of cliches though, but still it does its best to stay on the right side of funny and delicate when it touches certain subjects. Funny but predictable - still entertaining if you let it.

Kurzweilig, anders und ohne erhobenen Zeigefinger. Bester Deutscher Film seit langem!

A German comedy about a group of people with disabilities going on a smuggling trip to Switzerland. The movie is funny, honest and fast-paced. Centered around a banking man, who recently lost control of his legs, it portrays his transition from a total prick to a less-so guy as he first exploits and later starts helping the members of his therapy group and the care-takers. It sounds predictable, and it is so up to a point, but the little episodes aren't. Most importantly, the characters are given in their full true colors. One character (a girl with Down syndrome), is played by an actress who actually has the Down syndrome. And no the bad people do not turn completely good, just a bit better. Like real people do (well, sometimes at least). Nonetheless, all the characters develop nicely and in a coherent way.

In total, a surprisingly fresh German comedy, which does not entirely follow the typical Hollywood plot pattern, but which will certainly leave you with a smile in the end, even if you don't crack up laughing throughout.

Honestly, I never read a more cynical, self-righteous and callous review than that of WinstonNoCGI. This said, I think he is wrong in nearly every point. This movie uses the structure of what we know as typical German comedy, but it does something totally different: It is focused on human condition, not on the fast laugh. The cast does a great job in creating natural, living characters in an exaggerated and stylised setting. Camera and picture editing are awesome (including some fun references to movie classics). Everything is lighthearted, but not superficial. This movie is exactly what you'd expect it to be, and totally different at the same time. Give it a try. Maybe you love it like I did.