Das Leben ist nichts für Feiglinge (2012) Reviews

• A way out of the misery

  Horst_In_Translation2015-04-24

  "Life is nothing for cowards" is the literary translation of the title from this German movie from three years ago. It's a pretty bad title in my opinion, but the film was much better thankfully. I am not too big on Möhring, but he did a decent job here as everybody else. Schorn was the standout in terms of awards recognition. The movie runs for 90 minutes (without the credits) and is based on the literary work of Gernot Gricksch. He also adapted his work for the film. The movie's director is André Erkau, not too known even in Germany. Basically it is about learning to deal with the death of a loved one while the next death is approaching quickly. It's a nice parallel with the funeral at the beginning and at the end as the reactions and whole atmosphere could not be any more different. The film has quite a few known German actors in the cast, probably not outside the country, but if you are interested into German films you will find quite a few people you have seen in other productions already. Special mention to Edin Hasanovic who gave my favorite supporting performance in the film. The film's general atmosphere is rather dark and depressing, but it certainly also has its comedic moments, which mostly come with the inclusion of Rosalie Thomass' character. Sche brightens everything up. There is lots of subtle humor, like when Möhring's character believes his mother could be dead and he leans over her and suddenly she rises and headnuts him. All the characters are somewhat unconventional and interesting to watch. There are some criticisms, but none of them are that serious. One would be the early connection between Lau's and Möhring's characters, which was a bit too random for my taste and does not add anything either. All in all, it is a decent film which is good to watch, but never really has any moments of greatness. Recommended for those with an interest in German cinema.

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