“Toni Erdmann” is written and directed by Maren Ade. It stars Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller, Michael Wittenborn, Thomas Loibl, Trystan Pütter, Hadewych Minis, Lucy Russell, Ingrid Bisu, Vlad Ivanov, and Victoria Cocias.
A huge hit at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Toni Erdmann has generated an incredible amount of hype, even squeezing onto BBC’s recent list of the best films of the 21st century before playing outside of Europe. Such hype can have a deleterious effect on one’s viewing experience. Oftentimes, the suffocating enthusiasm can create expectations that are impossible to exceed. And while I can’t say I love the film in the way many others do, there’s no denying it is something unique and worth seeking out.
The German/Austrian film concerns the relationship between a man and his daughter. Winfried Conradi (Simonischek) is an aging, eccentric music teacher. An unabashed prankster, he enjoys putting on disguises and messing with people. His daughter Ines (Hüller) works at a consulting firm based in Romania. Quite different from her father, she is extremely serious, with no sense of humor to speak of. She doesn’t especially like her job, but she has a drive for success and performing well. After his visit with Ines goes awry, Winfried disguises himself with a wig and fake teeth and takes on the persona of “Toni Erdmann,” in order to force himself into his daughter’s life.
It’s a broad, silly premise, but one that is taken surprisingly seriously, as the film’s tone frequently alternates between dramatic and comedic, without ever feeling forced or self-conscious. The film lives and dies on the chemistry of its two leads, and they are more than up to the task. Hüller gives the more subtle performance, showing a tough exterior but letting us see the cracks in the armor. Simonischek gives the more straightforward comedic performance, getting most of the film’s laugh lines. In his best moments, there’s a sense of melancholy that comes to the fore and brings everything to another level. Their dynamic is beautiful to witness.
The film has gained notoriety for its epic runtime of two hours and forty-two minutes. And while it keeps up momentum for the most part (it’s never boring, exactly), it’s easy to imagine a superior cut twenty minutes shorter. At the film’s weakest moments, I grew impatient trying to parse out Ade’s intentions, or a scene’s relevance/importance in the larger context. None of it is bad, per se, just a bit superfluous. Several threads with little importance to the story could have been excised altogether. Ade more than makes up for this, however, in the film’s final stretch, which includes two show-stopping sequences that generated much laughter and applause in my screening. These sequences are followed by a final scene that strives for a profundity it doesn’t quite reach, but is touching all the same.
Ade has crafted a distinctive, affecting portrait of the bond between fathers and daughters, which is also a crowd-pleaser best experienced with a packed house. While its length may be intimidating to some, it is ultimately a worthwhile experience.
We screened the film at New York Film Festival.
-Anthony Calamunci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF4i7qyUysA
