Fascinating, funny look at what makes up a modern relationship. Wonderfully directed by Phillip Van, and nicely written by Simon Biggs, 'High Maintenance' proves more successful at entertaining the viewer in an intelligent fashion than most feature films. We see Jane (Nicolette Krebitz) and Paul (Wanja Mues) celebrating an anniversary of the two being together. Paul however is distant, thinking more about his job than about Jane. Jane is dissatisfied with Paul, who won't even have a glass of wine as he has to work early the next morning. Jane has had enough, and feels that the time is ready to find a new man, one who loves her more than his career. Van and Biggs play with the idea of the 'perfect' relationship beautifully, showing how a lot of people concentrate on the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect man/woman, but never on the small, personal details and human emotions that truly bring two people together. We feel we can change partners like we change shoes, or cars, or TVs. Both Krebitz and Mues are excellent, playing their roles with a terrific satirical edge. The cinematography (by Felix Novo de Oliveira) is also a stand-out. Can Mr Van please now make a feature film, hopefully teaming up again with Mr Biggs.
6 Reviews
I would not want to "live" in this world
Horst_In_Translation23 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"High Maintenance" is a 9-minute live action short film from 2006, so it has its 10th anniversary this year. It is a German production, which you will easily see from the cast, but due to the writer and director's origins I guess the language in here is English exclusively. I see this little movie won quite a nice share of awards and this fact turned it into a contender for Nicolette Krebitz' most known work. She is a fairly prolific actress here and Germany and has also delivered in terms of writing and directing. And of course, she is really beautiful. This is the story of a woman who gets bored with her man and luckily for her the characters live way into the future or in an alternate universe as her man is a robot and she decides to give him back and exchange him for another, more distinguished model. But decisions have consequences and this proves also very true for Krebitz' character. Overall, I regret a bit that the description here on the title page gives away a major spoiler and that I read it before watching, but still I am not too sure how much I liked the ending. It's not entirely unexpected, but it came a bit too sudden if you ask me. However, it is interesting as it offers great room for discussing this film and yes it is also a somewhat fun take on the relationship subject. Overall, the positive outweighs the negative and I recommend the watch. I liked the acting and it is also really nice in terms of atmosphere and thinking about this film it is actually pretty creepy and sad. Go see it.
Bar Raising Storytelling
rgunthersara28 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
'High Maintenance' redefines conventional narrative storytelling in a style that is reminiscent of Hitchcock, Hawks and Kubrick but that is ultimately all its own. The film delivers complex frames, characters and editing that come off deceivingly straight forward, performances from Nicolette Krebitz and Wanja Mues rich with subtlety, subtext and pitch-black deadpan humor, deliberate sound layering, and an airtight yet completely unpredictable story that is as beautiful in its economy and efficiency as in its ultimate existential meaning.
The film uses a sci-fi concept relating to relationships (nospoilers here) to deeply explore very real human connections, or lack thereof. It doesn't stray from conventions, instead rebuilding them from the ground up, reframing science fiction by approaching it from an intensely unique angle. As Miles van der Rohe put it, 'god is in the details,' as are the brilliant touches and intensely meaningful elements in this film.
I had the feeling that I got as fully realized a story in 9 minutes as a good feature might present in 120. The scenes, character arcs and directorial decisions are that clear, concise and meaningful. It could easily be a magnum opus squeezed into 9 minutes but something tells me a year from now we will see more from the filmmaker, though I imagine it will be anything but predictable.
The film uses a sci-fi concept relating to relationships (nospoilers here) to deeply explore very real human connections, or lack thereof. It doesn't stray from conventions, instead rebuilding them from the ground up, reframing science fiction by approaching it from an intensely unique angle. As Miles van der Rohe put it, 'god is in the details,' as are the brilliant touches and intensely meaningful elements in this film.
I had the feeling that I got as fully realized a story in 9 minutes as a good feature might present in 120. The scenes, character arcs and directorial decisions are that clear, concise and meaningful. It could easily be a magnum opus squeezed into 9 minutes but something tells me a year from now we will see more from the filmmaker, though I imagine it will be anything but predictable.
Clever take on male/female relationships -- bold and creative.
adoraburl30 January 2007
Most impressive is the high end look and feel -- you would think the budget was 100 times larger than it was, and that the time spent making it was 6 months rather than about a week. Very professional in every way, this "short film" presages a "long career" for the director. Also, the acting is top notch -- often short films suffer from poor performances by whomever was willing to do the job for little pay. In this film, the lead roles are performed by accomplished professionals who give this project an air of commercial and artistic integrity that is based in reality, not artifice. I applaud this film, and encourage you to watch it and share it with your friends.
The grass isn't always greener.
DaRitz28 April 2008
Since this short film is heavy on plot twists, it's almost impossible to give a synopsis without spoilers. I'll say it's an excellent commentary on the modern throwaway nature of romantic relationships, with a bit of a sci-fi angle. Although the basic elements of the plot have been done before, the direction it took was pleasantly unexpected.
The acting, writing, directing, and set layout were all superb, and I hope the cast and crew will continue to work together. The pacing and timing of this film were of critical importance, and were handled perfectly, with not a single wasted second. Hilarious ending, too, at least if you're a guy.
The acting, writing, directing, and set layout were all superb, and I hope the cast and crew will continue to work together. The pacing and timing of this film were of critical importance, and were handled perfectly, with not a single wasted second. Hilarious ending, too, at least if you're a guy.
maybe, a warning
Kirpianuscus25 February 2019
At its end, you perceived it as a warning. For its realism, result of impecable performances , nuanced story and status of parable about marriage. Bold and seductive, fascinating in essence, remembering commercials and family crisis, the technology as the best answer to each ordinary problem and the result of fantaisies. A seductive, well crafted film.
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