Here we have "Nö", a new German movie from 2021 and you don't see it too often that films consist of two letter only unless they are dealing with evil clowns perhaps. The director and writer here is Dietrich Brüggemann, certainly one of Germany's more (if not most) successful filmmakers these days and has been for quite a while. He has made the headlines also from other perspectives not too long ago when he was the alleged leader of a campaign here in Germany that expressed disapproval about the way the German government handled the pandemic situation in terms of the cultural sector, especially the film industry, but also those inevitably linked to it such as movies-goers like you and me. However, that is another story. It still felt obvious here and there while I was watching this movie and it is certainly no coincidence that one character here talks about vaccinations in a really drastic manner and another is told with determination to put down his mask. The contexts may have been different and weren't linked to the pandemic situation, but still. Pretty smart nonetheless. In any case, I applaud Brüggemann for his courage to speak freely during times like these. So now let us look at his movie finally. He was toying a bit with the audience/script in these situations and on many other occasions as well. I will get to some of those a little later. If we take a look at the basics, it can also be said that, as short as the title may be, this is not a short film at all as it stays only marginally under the two-hour mark. Not unusual when it comes to historic dramas from Germany, but films that focus on romantic relationships rarely run this long. The co-writer is Brüggemann's younger sister Anna, a successful actress too and she is also the woman you see on the poster here on imdb, even if that kissing situation may be a bit misleading because, as you can read from the title of my review, love (in the sense of passion) is something you hardly find in here. Anna is probably the more known from the two leads here. Even I as a German film buff am not familiar with Alexander Khuon. Kinda fitting that he has no picture here on imdb too.
The supporting cast includes more famous names. The likes of Schmidt-Schaller, Waschke, Vogler and Zischler are actors that have been truly prolific over the years. With Vogler, one thinks immediately of his Wim Wenders films, even if they happened a long time ago and Zischler maybe Munich. Vogler has been in many really bad films too though lately unfortunately. Waschke plays a doctor in here who reminded me a bit of Dr. Cox from Scrubs. He may have had one scene only, but left quite a mark there. He was also the one wth the vaccination quote I mentioned early on. He may have been entertaining, but really likable or a true professional he was not. Look at how he tells the baby's gender and then asks if they even want to know and then even rubs it in by making a reference to the genital on the screen that this is where the two should not look. This was definitely a bit of an extreme scene and character, but still somewhat tolerable. However, I felt as if afterwards (the) Brüggemann(s) was/were exaggerating a bit as if the intention was to really go over the top as much as possible and despite how absurd it all felt, still get the message through. The best example was maybe the gunfire scene. I must say that did not fit in at all for me sadly. Those scenes were the reasons why it feels impossible for me to add another two stars. The scene in which the male protagonist was talking to Vogler's character there was slightly better. Also pretty absurd, but the contents were kinda fitting at least and we learn about the male protagonist's insecurities. How there is still really another woman on his mind, but also how he is not exactly a man who is steadfast at all. He sucks in Vogler's character's words, no matter what he is told and agrees to everything basically. Also the script played with us a bit too there because I surely was not the only one in the room who thought that Vogler's character is probably going to die after this scene and this was a bit of a last-words scene, but nope.
It's really all about the dialogues for the entire film. The camera is always 100% static in these segments. Oh yes, there is a double-digit amount of segments here and between two segments we had a few days, weeks or even months time. One of the last segments is the one at the dentist's. Thise was maybe the weakest for me again with how it went really over the top. I definitely preferred the scenes early on. The first conversation in bed was quite good from several perspectives. How she says they fit together because they agree on what it is that doesn't matter. That felt very true and meaningful at times. The "nö" from the title (colloquial "no" in German) is also referenced there when she responds she does not think they should break up. At the very end, when they finally have some time for themselves and each other again and they are at a bar having a drink, it escalates though and the tables are turned. She says she cannot go on like that and his response is "nö" on one occasion. But it is pretty doubtful if he really loves her nonetheless. Maybe he just adjusted to the situation. This is one of a handful frameworks you will find in this film. Some are really small and not easy to find, but it's always obvious Brüggemann enjoyed a lot playing with the audience there. Take the random bulimia reference from one character when the female protagonist is actually pregnant and later on we find out that this smaller character had also not been wrong at all. Or take the idea of the two finding happiness with their child(ren) at an annoyingly noisy place. That is mentioned early on and in one of the last scenes, they really are at such a place, but there is no harmony, no happiness. Brüggemann does not give the viewers this kind of satisfaction. You can even say that it is a pretty depressing film here and there, especially with how they break up at the end or are really close to. There I also did not really get why the flower seller returned as they both stated repeatedly they don't want any. Not even white ones.
The really last scene is a flashback to several years back when romance was still in full swing and we find out about a scene from their past that stayed in both their heads, but we also know how reality by now has basically taken its toll on what happened back then. I could of course also mention the funeral scene after the male protagonist's father died, but this is pretty self-explanatory and you will remember it without my words. I'd rather speak about some of the early scenes. Let's take the one at the ship. There was also some massive irony to it because we have the couple announce to his father that she is pregnant and briefly afterwards we see another passenger collapse with a heart attack most likely and it could be that for one life about to begin, there is one life lost that very same time. We don't find out what happened to the man. Also pay attention to the bonbon bowl there moving back and forth. This scene was really random and interesting at the same time. I also liked the wedding scene, not only because it mocks the gender-inclusive language nonsense. Obviously not our two main characters getting married, but friends of them and the male protagonist catches the bouquet and how he is on his knees was a bit clumsy and cute at the same time. I thought this very scene really fit the idea of what he said later on that they are just acting in a way that invisible people around them want to see them act. (We in the audience?) Even if the other party guests were not invisible. But yeah, how their own wedding kept getting delayed, also because it did not mean a lot to both of them in terms of marriage as an institution, was quite self-explanatory.
There is really way more to write about this film (for example about all the scenes involving the female protagonist's mother from the very first conversation between the two central characters or about the acting class) as, even if I felt that while it struggled with the for my liking too showy big scenes here and there, there was amazing attention to detail to the screenplay here and a lot more that could be elaborated on. Instead, my suggestion is that you watch the film yourself if you get the chance. It's not a movie that must be seen on the big screen really, but also a pretty nice choice to watch with your partner at home in the evening when it's cold outside or so. I give the outcome a thumbs-up here for sure and I am glad I got to watch this tonight as it was the last occasion for now at a movie theater. Admittedly, I am biased because I've liked Anna Brüggemann for a long time. She still reminds me a bit of Scarlett Johansson. And her brother has also risen a lot in my appreciation for the aforementioned courage reasons. I wonder if "Nö" is also a bit of a statement towards everything pandemic-related going on here in Germany. Maybe I am thinking too much into it. The one thing which I am sure about though is that this gets a positive recommendation from me. You will find so many small moments and inclusions in here that make it easy to appreciate the outcome and show us how talented the Brüggemann siblings are. I hope they stay in the industry for a long time to come. Many decades. So the only thing still missing is the response to my question in the title. Where is it? Well, it was there in this one scene in which he uses a Bavarian accent when talking to his partner, but that was really it. Not much love here. More convenience. And the look into the future with the baby monitor and even the baby as a teenager was also not sweet, just sobering, even if I did not particularly like this scene. Nonetheless the good and creative is more frequent than the mishaps and I happily give this film some love. Surely deserves to be seen.
The supporting cast includes more famous names. The likes of Schmidt-Schaller, Waschke, Vogler and Zischler are actors that have been truly prolific over the years. With Vogler, one thinks immediately of his Wim Wenders films, even if they happened a long time ago and Zischler maybe Munich. Vogler has been in many really bad films too though lately unfortunately. Waschke plays a doctor in here who reminded me a bit of Dr. Cox from Scrubs. He may have had one scene only, but left quite a mark there. He was also the one wth the vaccination quote I mentioned early on. He may have been entertaining, but really likable or a true professional he was not. Look at how he tells the baby's gender and then asks if they even want to know and then even rubs it in by making a reference to the genital on the screen that this is where the two should not look. This was definitely a bit of an extreme scene and character, but still somewhat tolerable. However, I felt as if afterwards (the) Brüggemann(s) was/were exaggerating a bit as if the intention was to really go over the top as much as possible and despite how absurd it all felt, still get the message through. The best example was maybe the gunfire scene. I must say that did not fit in at all for me sadly. Those scenes were the reasons why it feels impossible for me to add another two stars. The scene in which the male protagonist was talking to Vogler's character there was slightly better. Also pretty absurd, but the contents were kinda fitting at least and we learn about the male protagonist's insecurities. How there is still really another woman on his mind, but also how he is not exactly a man who is steadfast at all. He sucks in Vogler's character's words, no matter what he is told and agrees to everything basically. Also the script played with us a bit too there because I surely was not the only one in the room who thought that Vogler's character is probably going to die after this scene and this was a bit of a last-words scene, but nope.
It's really all about the dialogues for the entire film. The camera is always 100% static in these segments. Oh yes, there is a double-digit amount of segments here and between two segments we had a few days, weeks or even months time. One of the last segments is the one at the dentist's. Thise was maybe the weakest for me again with how it went really over the top. I definitely preferred the scenes early on. The first conversation in bed was quite good from several perspectives. How she says they fit together because they agree on what it is that doesn't matter. That felt very true and meaningful at times. The "nö" from the title (colloquial "no" in German) is also referenced there when she responds she does not think they should break up. At the very end, when they finally have some time for themselves and each other again and they are at a bar having a drink, it escalates though and the tables are turned. She says she cannot go on like that and his response is "nö" on one occasion. But it is pretty doubtful if he really loves her nonetheless. Maybe he just adjusted to the situation. This is one of a handful frameworks you will find in this film. Some are really small and not easy to find, but it's always obvious Brüggemann enjoyed a lot playing with the audience there. Take the random bulimia reference from one character when the female protagonist is actually pregnant and later on we find out that this smaller character had also not been wrong at all. Or take the idea of the two finding happiness with their child(ren) at an annoyingly noisy place. That is mentioned early on and in one of the last scenes, they really are at such a place, but there is no harmony, no happiness. Brüggemann does not give the viewers this kind of satisfaction. You can even say that it is a pretty depressing film here and there, especially with how they break up at the end or are really close to. There I also did not really get why the flower seller returned as they both stated repeatedly they don't want any. Not even white ones.
The really last scene is a flashback to several years back when romance was still in full swing and we find out about a scene from their past that stayed in both their heads, but we also know how reality by now has basically taken its toll on what happened back then. I could of course also mention the funeral scene after the male protagonist's father died, but this is pretty self-explanatory and you will remember it without my words. I'd rather speak about some of the early scenes. Let's take the one at the ship. There was also some massive irony to it because we have the couple announce to his father that she is pregnant and briefly afterwards we see another passenger collapse with a heart attack most likely and it could be that for one life about to begin, there is one life lost that very same time. We don't find out what happened to the man. Also pay attention to the bonbon bowl there moving back and forth. This scene was really random and interesting at the same time. I also liked the wedding scene, not only because it mocks the gender-inclusive language nonsense. Obviously not our two main characters getting married, but friends of them and the male protagonist catches the bouquet and how he is on his knees was a bit clumsy and cute at the same time. I thought this very scene really fit the idea of what he said later on that they are just acting in a way that invisible people around them want to see them act. (We in the audience?) Even if the other party guests were not invisible. But yeah, how their own wedding kept getting delayed, also because it did not mean a lot to both of them in terms of marriage as an institution, was quite self-explanatory.
There is really way more to write about this film (for example about all the scenes involving the female protagonist's mother from the very first conversation between the two central characters or about the acting class) as, even if I felt that while it struggled with the for my liking too showy big scenes here and there, there was amazing attention to detail to the screenplay here and a lot more that could be elaborated on. Instead, my suggestion is that you watch the film yourself if you get the chance. It's not a movie that must be seen on the big screen really, but also a pretty nice choice to watch with your partner at home in the evening when it's cold outside or so. I give the outcome a thumbs-up here for sure and I am glad I got to watch this tonight as it was the last occasion for now at a movie theater. Admittedly, I am biased because I've liked Anna Brüggemann for a long time. She still reminds me a bit of Scarlett Johansson. And her brother has also risen a lot in my appreciation for the aforementioned courage reasons. I wonder if "Nö" is also a bit of a statement towards everything pandemic-related going on here in Germany. Maybe I am thinking too much into it. The one thing which I am sure about though is that this gets a positive recommendation from me. You will find so many small moments and inclusions in here that make it easy to appreciate the outcome and show us how talented the Brüggemann siblings are. I hope they stay in the industry for a long time to come. Many decades. So the only thing still missing is the response to my question in the title. Where is it? Well, it was there in this one scene in which he uses a Bavarian accent when talking to his partner, but that was really it. Not much love here. More convenience. And the look into the future with the baby monitor and even the baby as a teenager was also not sweet, just sobering, even if I did not particularly like this scene. Nonetheless the good and creative is more frequent than the mishaps and I happily give this film some love. Surely deserves to be seen.
