Tag: German movie

Political Thriller Week: ‘The Lives of Others’

Jeff Mitchell

“The Lives of Others” –  Despite popular belief, the U.S.A. does not corner the market on all political thrillers, and a perfect example is Germany’s absorbing and twisty “The Lives of Others”, which won the 2007 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. The year is 1984, before the Berlin Wall came down, and not only do East Germans feel generally oppressed, but it’s not safe for them to converse freely in the comfort of their homes either.  The government could be listening. This is exactly what playwright Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch)…

10 Quirky Comedies: ‘Toni Erdmann’

Jeff Mitchell

“Toni Erdmann” (2016) – “To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter.” – Euripides Winfried (Peter Simonischek) is a piano teacher.  With a rumpled wardrobe and a full mop of silver hair, this 60-something gives lessons in his home and plays the black and white keys for recitals at a local school.  During one particular number, the children mark themselves in zombie makeup and dedicate a song to an outgoing administrator.  The lyrics “here today, gone tomorrow” stand out during the piece, while Winfried – also caked in…