Homegame (2009) User Reviews

Struggles here and there in the realism department

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 3 December 2020]

"Heimspiel" is a German German-language live action short film from 2009, so this one is already over a decade old, probably way older even when you read this review as I guess most people here are not gonna shop up for the remaninder of 2020. It runs for under 22 minutes, so basically sitcom episode length, but the subject could not be any less funny. Director is Bogdana Vera Lorenz and the riter is René Schumacher. Both have not really managed a successful or prolific career since this got made, which is a bit surprising to me because their combined effort here (plus the actors) resulted in a movie that scored solid aawards recognition and not just from really small bodies because for example the German Film Critics Association handed it their short film prize back then. This is not bad, but the real and maybe pretty much only reason why this film has not been forgotten really is that the lead actor, the man you see on the photo here on imdb, is Wotan Wilke Möhring and he has had a massive breakthrough and is among Germany's most known actors at thhis point probably, even if I still somehow feel that his brother is superior. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with Möhring's performance here. It would have been a worde film without him I'm sure and sometimes he makes it easy to ignore the flawws with the script. I will give you a few examples when it comes to the latter. Especially realism is a problem. How has the wife never seen his injuries. I mean they are a couple. They see each other naked more often than occasionally under the shower. I did not like how Möhring in the very first scene is depicted as the strongest and at the same time most aggressive from the gang and that he needs to be held back by hiw own folks. Really simple way of elaborating on the character and definitely exaggerated. But hey, maybe he is this strong that he is almost Superman and never got hurt before in a fight and that is why his wife did not see something. The scene with the injured kid at their home I liked. In terms of how he reacts. Or doesn't react. The scene with the fight at school did almost nothing for me. I know it was supposed to show us the man's hidden aggression and how he blames the new kid, but still. The weakest from the entire movie was the spectacular fight then near the end, on the hand hand because of how much he beats up the boy, but also how the boy is just as strong early on as his teacher. And don't tell me the teacher held back initially because he knew the kid. It was already unrealistic that this new student actually really comes across the teacher and his secret hobby. He is new in town and does, but the other students never did? Come on. At least the ending was slightly better again, not necessarily because Möhring's character did not see the empty seat until after wiping the blackboard (come on he must have looked right when he entered the classroom), but because it is a bit of an open ending. His life has not changed for the sake of a happy ending. We do not know where the boy is and what happened to him. Just slightly injured? At the hospital? Dead? Why would we know if the teacher does not know. And the only realistic reaction would be to go on with life and his class as if nothing happened. He did not interfere these two very different areas of his life before, so why would he now. Okay, that is all. I would not call this film a failure, but I think the awards recognition was too much and the rating here on imdb is too high. I think I came across this movie because it wwas the final performance for young actress lea Kurka from the Oscar-winning "Nirgendwo in Afrika" before she pursued a career away from the limelight. Still quite a pity I think, but it wwas no surprise because her role in this film was truly minimal as she played one of the students. Hope if she ever reads this, then here's my wish for you to come back and act again. Can't go out on a low note like it was the case with this movie. That's all. Watch something else instead.