Mein Vater (2003 TV Movie) User Reviews

Depressing and touching and very good

[Horst_In_Translation · 8/10 · 26 December 2018]

"Mein Vater" (literal translation "My Father") or "Coming Home" is a German television movie from 2003, so this one has its 15th anniversary this year. Director Kleinert and writer Käfer, especially the former, have worked on many other projects before and after this film, but it is still probably a contender for their most known and most successful work with the awards attention it received. This has mostly to do with the cast. Götz George is a force of nature as always and the baity role sure helps him. Klaus J. Behrendt is pretty well-known here too in Germany and I am a bit surprised how young he was back then in his early 40s as I feel he looks older, but it kinda fits given the stress his character has. And Krumbiegel as well as the young Moya and Schorn are actors that German film buffs have come across too I think. Don't be chased away by this being a small screen production. Yes German television is really not a revelation these days, but these 1.5 hours we got here are somehow the exception that proves the rule as we say here in Germany. The actors are all doing a pretty good job (even Moya) and the script is not too bad either. If you were looking really deep for a negative criticism, you could say that it is maybe too much drama, too many heartbreak moments and some quietness in-between would not have hurt. But then again, the illness defines the lives of those around him too, so it still kinda fits. Maybe with the fire or so, the film did go over the top on one or two occasions, but it sure is not a negative deal breaker. While everybody in Germany was talking years later about the mediocre Schweiger film "Honig im Kopf", this one here did not get the attention it should have gotten (I think) because it is the far more accurate, far more relevant and far more moving Alzheimer's movie. And I am saying this as somebody who likes Hallervorden. At least as an actor. So yeah back to this one here. Like I said, George does great qith the quality material he has. Krumbiegel really shines in her one scene near the end. And even one scene performances like Krumbiegel's character's mother stay in the mind when she elaborates on how fools speak the truth and how correct the old man is with his comments about loneliness. This is a really sad film, a pretty depressing movie on one of the most devastating illnesses of our generation and one can only pray and do scientificic research so that hopefully soon effective medicine can be found. Maybe I like this film more than I should because the subject always hits close to home, well most of the time, and I also really loved Amour for example. George sure is not Trintignant here, but then again the latter was not the sick one, so difficult to compare. Another thing I liked from the script was how it played with the audience not knowing early on how sick he is and how he gets worse the longer the film continues and still you cannot really blame him and with that I am talking for example about the scene also near the end when he bites the boy because hs is not capable of understanding why they are in his former room. The boy gets it anway considerably from him, maybe envy can be a factor here too. i liked the comment about boys becoming men and men eventually becoming boys again. So there is a lot of depth in here, a very meaningful movie that may not be easy to stomach most of the time, but this is exactly why it is so good. I am glad this was made and I am glad I watched it, even if it makes me somewhat sad. A definite contender for best German film of 2003 and probably also on the extended list for Best European films from that year in my opinion. Go see it if you can. If I remember correctly, it's not that easy to get a hand on anymore so many years later.