MONTREAL -- One of two German films in the official competition, with an awards-worthy lead male performance, "I'm the Father" (Vater) is an intimate drama from X Filme Creative Pool about a family's seemingly unstoppable breakup, with the title showing where the emphasis is placed.
While it frequently, distractingly bathes the screen in yellow light, Dani Levy's direction (with a decent digital video-to-widescreen transfer) is just savvy enough to make shopworn material less about final outcomes and more about creating endearing characters. Thankfully not too intense when these characters lose control, with the crucial participant of an adaptable small boy caught between two parents, "Father" starts with what should be a moment of triumph.
An architect who doesn't follow suggestions and by his brashness helps his firm win a major project, Marco Krieger (Sebastian Blomberg) wants to share the good news with his wife, Melanie (Maria Schrader), but she's not a happy camper. A drama teacher who is seeing her ambitions thwarted by responsibilities like picking up their son Benny (Ezra Valentin Lenz) from school, Melanie sends out such negative vibes that Marco knows to try to stop the relationship's downward spiral.
Unfortunately, one missed afternoon pickup of Benny and a testy exchange at a party, and Melanie lowers the boom. A little smashed, Marco lashes out at her, and she prudently leaves, then returns with two cops to collect Benny. From there, it's downhill for Marco as his shock and anger derail early peace offerings, while even his sympathetic father (Rolf Zacher) can't unwind him.
Drinking heavily, smoking, letting his house turn into a pit, Marco tries to understand what has happened and how to fix it, but Melanie decides that it's over and wants a divorce. She also wants to limit his time with Benny. It is this condition that Marco can't compute, but his increasingly desperate attempts to have contact with his son only exacerbate the situation.
There's still a glimmer of hope Mom and Dad will get back together. But in one of the film's best scenes -- which has Marco perhaps starting something serious with a co-worker (Christiane Paul) who is thoroughly enamored of him, just as Melanie comes by on a peacekeeping mission -- it becomes clear that this marriage is kaput. Starting to live up to his reputation as a drunk and danger to his family, Marco snaps when he learns that Melanie is trying to deny him any contact with Benny.
With his career triumph also teetering on ruin, Marco snatches Benny and they drive out of town. With no plan but for an open-ended spree that includes a call or two to let Melanie know they are OK, the kidnapping ends messily with Marco hitting rock bottom. A basically decent guy who does stupid things, Marco has made an impression on Benny, paving the way for the far from hopeless conclusion.
With Schrader's character doing very little explaining of her actions and coming off as less dimensional than the father and son, the film encourages us to get under the skin of Blomberg's character, and the actor is onscreen nearly the entire movie. "Father" is also helped considerably by one's being able to laugh and cringe at the reactions of Benny, thanks to Lenz's excellent performance.
I'M THE FATHER
X Filme Creative Pool
Credits:
Director: Dani Levy
Screenwriters: Rona Munro, Dani Levy
Based on an idea by: Matthias Matussek, Gunter Rohrbach
Producer: Manuela Stehr
Director of photography: Carsten Thiele
Production designer: Christian Eiselle
Editor: Elena Bromund
Costume designer: Ingrida Bendzuk
Music: Niki Reiser
Cast:
Marco Krieger: Sebastian Blomberg
Melanie Krieger: Maria Schrader
Benny: Ezra Valentin Lenz
Ilona: Christiane Paul
Nico: Ulrich Noethen
Peter Krieger: Rolf Zacher
Christa: Marion Kracht
Running time -- 102 minutes
No MPAA rating...
While it frequently, distractingly bathes the screen in yellow light, Dani Levy's direction (with a decent digital video-to-widescreen transfer) is just savvy enough to make shopworn material less about final outcomes and more about creating endearing characters. Thankfully not too intense when these characters lose control, with the crucial participant of an adaptable small boy caught between two parents, "Father" starts with what should be a moment of triumph.
An architect who doesn't follow suggestions and by his brashness helps his firm win a major project, Marco Krieger (Sebastian Blomberg) wants to share the good news with his wife, Melanie (Maria Schrader), but she's not a happy camper. A drama teacher who is seeing her ambitions thwarted by responsibilities like picking up their son Benny (Ezra Valentin Lenz) from school, Melanie sends out such negative vibes that Marco knows to try to stop the relationship's downward spiral.
Unfortunately, one missed afternoon pickup of Benny and a testy exchange at a party, and Melanie lowers the boom. A little smashed, Marco lashes out at her, and she prudently leaves, then returns with two cops to collect Benny. From there, it's downhill for Marco as his shock and anger derail early peace offerings, while even his sympathetic father (Rolf Zacher) can't unwind him.
Drinking heavily, smoking, letting his house turn into a pit, Marco tries to understand what has happened and how to fix it, but Melanie decides that it's over and wants a divorce. She also wants to limit his time with Benny. It is this condition that Marco can't compute, but his increasingly desperate attempts to have contact with his son only exacerbate the situation.
There's still a glimmer of hope Mom and Dad will get back together. But in one of the film's best scenes -- which has Marco perhaps starting something serious with a co-worker (Christiane Paul) who is thoroughly enamored of him, just as Melanie comes by on a peacekeeping mission -- it becomes clear that this marriage is kaput. Starting to live up to his reputation as a drunk and danger to his family, Marco snaps when he learns that Melanie is trying to deny him any contact with Benny.
With his career triumph also teetering on ruin, Marco snatches Benny and they drive out of town. With no plan but for an open-ended spree that includes a call or two to let Melanie know they are OK, the kidnapping ends messily with Marco hitting rock bottom. A basically decent guy who does stupid things, Marco has made an impression on Benny, paving the way for the far from hopeless conclusion.
With Schrader's character doing very little explaining of her actions and coming off as less dimensional than the father and son, the film encourages us to get under the skin of Blomberg's character, and the actor is onscreen nearly the entire movie. "Father" is also helped considerably by one's being able to laugh and cringe at the reactions of Benny, thanks to Lenz's excellent performance.
I'M THE FATHER
X Filme Creative Pool
Credits:
Director: Dani Levy
Screenwriters: Rona Munro, Dani Levy
Based on an idea by: Matthias Matussek, Gunter Rohrbach
Producer: Manuela Stehr
Director of photography: Carsten Thiele
Production designer: Christian Eiselle
Editor: Elena Bromund
Costume designer: Ingrida Bendzuk
Music: Niki Reiser
Cast:
Marco Krieger: Sebastian Blomberg
Melanie Krieger: Maria Schrader
Benny: Ezra Valentin Lenz
Ilona: Christiane Paul
Nico: Ulrich Noethen
Peter Krieger: Rolf Zacher
Christa: Marion Kracht
Running time -- 102 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 10/3/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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