{"id":6741,"date":"2016-05-14T15:20:32","date_gmt":"2016-05-14T14:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/?p=6741"},"modified":"2017-03-16T02:18:17","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T01:18:17","slug":"toni-erdmann","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2016\/05\/14\/toni-erdmann\/","title":{"rendered":"Toni Erdmann"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Toni<\/a>
Toni Erdmann<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\nSeen at Cannes International Film Festival 2016<\/a>

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nRelease date:<\/B> 3 February 2017

\nDistributor:<\/B> Soda Pictures

\nDirector:<\/B> Maren Ade

\nWriter:<\/B> Maren Ade

\nCast:<\/B> Peter Simonischek, Sandra H\u00fcller, Ingrid Bisu, Michael Wittenborn

\nGermany, Austria 2016

\n162 mins\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Toni Erdmann<\/i> is that rare thing: a film that makes you laugh and cry, wince and twist in your seat all at once.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Toni Erdmann<\/i> is that rare thing: a film that makes you laugh and cry, wince and twist in your seat all at once. Rather than a comedy by definition, it\u2019s a subtle drama with slow-burning humour , winding up to the punch with care and pathos that renders the punchline all the more poignant. But even more than that, Toni Erdmann<\/i> is about a father who refuses to do what\u2019s expected of him, and a daughter whose drive to be nothing like him has driven her to the verge of hysterics.<\/p>\n

Ines (Sandra Hüller) leads a solitary life, immersing herself in work and concealing her insecurities with a cool exterior. She\u2019s lonely and so is her father Winfried (Peter Simoneschek), who lives alone, separated from his wife and has just buried his much-loved dog. In a desperate attempt to reconnect with his daughter he creates an alter ego , complete with grotesque teeth and an unconvincing wig, and the film takes a great effort in following him on his mission to re-build their relationship. Yet, it\u2019s not only Winfried who mounts an offensive, instead father and daughter both share an ability to make up outlandish stories about each other: she invents a whole new wife for him, he jokes about having a substitute daughter because \u2018the cakes are better\u2019, but with every knock each is making serious points about the other.<\/p>\n

In many ways, Toni Ermann<\/i> is a tragedy as much as it is a comedy and it\u2019s down to Maren Ade\u2019s fine direction that the film never loses its balance. There\u2019s a great deal of wisdom to be found amongst the satiere, and a great deal of heart \u2014 although Ade stringently avoids any hint of sentimentality. The result is breath-taking, and often hilarious.<\/p>\n

Pamela Jahn<\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

This review is part of our Cannes 2016 coverage<\/a>.<\/div>\n

Watch the trailer:<\/b><\/p>\n