●●●●●
On the surface, Toni Erdmann may seem more like exercise than entertainment: the running time approaches three hours and the characters speak mostly in German. Do not let this deter you. Writer/director Maren Ade provides a feature that is not only fascinating and deeply affecting, but also frequently hilarious. Most importantly, there are moments where this film communicates a vision and sense of humour that are totally unlike anything else. It is these moments which elevate Toni Erdmann to the point of being unmissable.
The plot initially centres around Winfried (Peter Simonischek), a divorced German schoolteacher who spends his time playing elaborate, prop-based pranks on people. Forced to confront his own aging when his pet dog dies, Winfried decides to visit his semi-estranged daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller), a cold and and ambitious consultant working in Romania.
Winfried turns up unannounced in Bucharest (donning a wig and false teeth, of course), only to be ignored and later brushed off by Ines. Seeing how hectic and miserable his daughter’s life has become, Winfried reappears, again bewigged and false-toothed, adopting the persona of “life coach” Toni Erdmann. At this point the plot might seem fairly standard. However, this film goes everywhere, frequently changing direction to explore new territory.
What differentiates Toni Erdmann from other movies with a similar set-up is its unique atmosphere. The emotional core of this atmosphere is the handling of the father/daughter relationship. Rather than simply placing Winfried as the kooky saviour figure for Ines, Ade creates a complex, constantly developing dynamic between the two characters. When Winfried questions his daughter’s priorities or Ines callously rebuffs him, they are revealing just as much about their own fears as they are about the other’s problems.
This organic quality is achieved primarily through Ade’s deft script. Toni Erdmann has a much smaller scope than other films of similar length, with most of the story taking place over just a couple of weeks. Ade instead devotes much of the film to going deep into the characters’ psyches, allowing each emotional moment to fully run its course. This is more than met by Hüller and Simonischek’s sympathetic and expansive performances.
As much as this film touches on some very dark themes, it also offers an uproarious and genuinely original comedic voice. There’s a multi-layered nature to the humour. Unlike other dramedies, the funny moments only accentuate, never undercut, the themes of the movie. This quality leads to a few scenes that are hilarious and moving and revelatory all at the same instant.
A good example of this can be seen in a sex scene between Ines and a competitive co-worker. There is no heat in this exchange, and when the co-worker finally tries to have sex, Ines instead makes him masturbate onto a small cake, promising to eat it afterwards. The basic style of humour here is something you would expect to see in an American Pie sequel, and yet it is also the perfect representation of Ines’s character. She values power over pleasure, turning down what she really wants just to render her competition both literally and metaphorically flaccid.
Apart from La La Land, nothing else on offer at the cinema at the moment has carved out so singular a mood and atmosphere. Toni Erdmann is ruthlessly entertaining, and never dull.
