"Schwester Weiß" or "The Prodigal Sister" is a German live action drama movie that premiered in 2015 (even if it took until 2016 for general audiences to see it), so this means that it has its 5th anniversary soon. The director here is Dennis Todorovic and this was his second full feature work (well maybe third if you count the documentary) after some short films and I have seen the first film he made and I was relatively unimpressed. same applies to this one here as well. But first things first: This one here ran rlightly under 100 minutes in its original release apparently, but it seems that they slightly cut it down for the television version that was airing last night. Or morning as it was already the new day when I watched this. Anyway, on the poster here you can see the two lead actresses / protagonists. The one in the front is Zeljka Preksavec and I must say I am not familiar with her at all. Perhaps the reason why she got cast so unexpectedly in this German-language movie also has to do with her origin and the director's origin. At least, she is not known in my country, even to big film buffs like myself. The woman on the right is Lisa Martinek and she certainly is. I would not say she is one of the best (maybe not even better) actresses when it comes to her generation, but she has been famous for quite a while and also appeared in some movies that were seen by many people. Sadly, I should say "was" because she dies under tragic circumstances not too long ago and while on holidays, which is a bit ironic if we look at the cast here because the other lead actress is considerably older and same is true about the biggest supporting actress. May Martinek rest in peace. This film was her final theatrical release, even if she starred in a few small screen releases afterwards still.
Okay, now as for the movie: This is the story of two very unusual sisters and how they struggle with each other again, but also bond again after tragedy ensues. Martinek's character loses her family and her memory in a devastating accident and is taken care of by her sister immediately afterwards. The two could not be more different. The sister is a devout nun and Martinek's character is a modern atheist, but it is not about turning the latter into something else when she suffers from amnesia, but really getting her memory back, the memory that maybe still exists somewhere in her head and reminds her of better times. With the help of a lot of talking, many photographs etc. A second core plot issue is the funeral of the woman's daughter who died in the accident as well, the way the funeral should be like. This is where the third major female character comes into play, the one portrayed by experienced actress Beatrice Richter. I mean it was okay. But sadly, despite all the emotion in this movie, I felt that it was a very sterile movie that did not make it easy for the audience to feel for the characters. I mean in a monastery, there has to be a bit of a sterile, sobering environment and I do not criticize that, but sadly Todorovic did not find a way to get the audience really involved here in my opinion. I think this was also an issue already with "Sasha", his first full feature film, but it's been a long time since I watched that one, so I am not entirely sure there. In any case, I cannot say I am too disappointed that he has not made a new film (as the man in charge) apparently since this one here was release. I think the ending is really the best example with the majestic deer. We see how they were going for emotion indeed, but just come short and even the female (number one) protagonist crying so hard in this really showy scene did not really make an impact. The reason may be that everything before that is so genuinely mediocre and not doing justice to the subject that it is difficult now to really wanna let it all out together with her. My final judgment here is that maybe it is best to skip this movie. Even if you care about films that are monastery/nun-centered, there are many better choices to go for and with that I do not only mean the obvious "Doubt". You will find them youself. I say this one here is more on the level of "Gottes mächtige Dienerin", which means it is not good, even if the lead performance is perhaps slightly better. Overall, watch something else instead. The frequent use of music (exactly the one you would expect given the location) is not helping matters either. A lot here feels for the sake of making an impact and telling a quality story, but almost nothing succeeds eventually. This could/should have been a much better movie. Thumbs down.
Okay, now as for the movie: This is the story of two very unusual sisters and how they struggle with each other again, but also bond again after tragedy ensues. Martinek's character loses her family and her memory in a devastating accident and is taken care of by her sister immediately afterwards. The two could not be more different. The sister is a devout nun and Martinek's character is a modern atheist, but it is not about turning the latter into something else when she suffers from amnesia, but really getting her memory back, the memory that maybe still exists somewhere in her head and reminds her of better times. With the help of a lot of talking, many photographs etc. A second core plot issue is the funeral of the woman's daughter who died in the accident as well, the way the funeral should be like. This is where the third major female character comes into play, the one portrayed by experienced actress Beatrice Richter. I mean it was okay. But sadly, despite all the emotion in this movie, I felt that it was a very sterile movie that did not make it easy for the audience to feel for the characters. I mean in a monastery, there has to be a bit of a sterile, sobering environment and I do not criticize that, but sadly Todorovic did not find a way to get the audience really involved here in my opinion. I think this was also an issue already with "Sasha", his first full feature film, but it's been a long time since I watched that one, so I am not entirely sure there. In any case, I cannot say I am too disappointed that he has not made a new film (as the man in charge) apparently since this one here was release. I think the ending is really the best example with the majestic deer. We see how they were going for emotion indeed, but just come short and even the female (number one) protagonist crying so hard in this really showy scene did not really make an impact. The reason may be that everything before that is so genuinely mediocre and not doing justice to the subject that it is difficult now to really wanna let it all out together with her. My final judgment here is that maybe it is best to skip this movie. Even if you care about films that are monastery/nun-centered, there are many better choices to go for and with that I do not only mean the obvious "Doubt". You will find them youself. I say this one here is more on the level of "Gottes mächtige Dienerin", which means it is not good, even if the lead performance is perhaps slightly better. Overall, watch something else instead. The frequent use of music (exactly the one you would expect given the location) is not helping matters either. A lot here feels for the sake of making an impact and telling a quality story, but almost nothing succeeds eventually. This could/should have been a much better movie. Thumbs down.
