"Der ganz große Traum" or "Lessons of a Dream" is a German 100-minute movie (without credits) from 5 years ago. It was co-written and directed by Sebastian Grobler and it surprises me to see that he has not made another theatrical release after this film as I quite enjoyed the watch here. It may have to do with Daniel Brühl giving one of his better performances as the main character, but the real heart and should of this film is a script. Sometimes too many cooks spoil the broth, but not here. Well done. The movie is in theory about how football came to Germany when a teacher who worked in England recently returns to Braunschweig in the late 19th century and teaches his students about this totally unknown activity.
But this film is also a good watch for those with little interest in ball-games. The characters (grown-ups and children) are interesting to watch with who they are, how they behave and who they become during the course of the film. Social standards play a big role as well as Germans really not liking the English at this point in time. I do not have one particular scene that I enjoyed the most here, but I also don't have a scene I really disliked, which is much more important. It was a nice watch from start to finish. I also believe the fact that pretty much half of the cast are children makes this a quality watch for younger audiences. I have seen many German so-called kids films that offered nothing and parents should not let their kids watch them because they are just utterly forgettable. This one is different. It is an interesting watch as it plays mostly in a school and also delivers convincingly in terms of group dynamics. A good message on fair play that kids might remember and this one applies to a lot more than football.
"Der ganz große Traum" is a success and it is nice to see the awards attention it received. Well-deserved. For me it was particularly nice because I also like Burghart Klaußer, Thomas Thieme, Axel Prahl and Justus von Dohnanyi and one of them was basically in every scene that was not visually about the kids playing football. The ending was also nice with the remaining doubts (based on racism) crushed by team spirit and competition. Go check this movie out. You will not be disappointed. I certainly recommend seeing it and it is closer to a **** than a **. The music is pretty great too. Don't miss out here.
But this film is also a good watch for those with little interest in ball-games. The characters (grown-ups and children) are interesting to watch with who they are, how they behave and who they become during the course of the film. Social standards play a big role as well as Germans really not liking the English at this point in time. I do not have one particular scene that I enjoyed the most here, but I also don't have a scene I really disliked, which is much more important. It was a nice watch from start to finish. I also believe the fact that pretty much half of the cast are children makes this a quality watch for younger audiences. I have seen many German so-called kids films that offered nothing and parents should not let their kids watch them because they are just utterly forgettable. This one is different. It is an interesting watch as it plays mostly in a school and also delivers convincingly in terms of group dynamics. A good message on fair play that kids might remember and this one applies to a lot more than football.
"Der ganz große Traum" is a success and it is nice to see the awards attention it received. Well-deserved. For me it was particularly nice because I also like Burghart Klaußer, Thomas Thieme, Axel Prahl and Justus von Dohnanyi and one of them was basically in every scene that was not visually about the kids playing football. The ending was also nice with the remaining doubts (based on racism) crushed by team spirit and competition. Go check this movie out. You will not be disappointed. I certainly recommend seeing it and it is closer to a **** than a **. The music is pretty great too. Don't miss out here.