y-e-b Reviews

Vacuum (2017)

Amazing performanc by Barbara Auer

[7/10 · 5 August 2021]

I had discovered Barbara Auer in her other film "Preis der Freiheit", and therefore was directly attracted to this film. Auer's performance is really just splendid, she brought the disappointment and shock of the woman after discovering her HIV infection very well home. I see great talent in this actress. Enjoyable and convincing movie, story and performance.

Prelude (2019)

aimless and scattershot

[4/10 · 31 May 2021]

I thought the movie would be worth it, but to be honest: go look for something else. The viewer is snatched from one scene to the other with no connection / no context, and the story is so badly explained / non-understandable that it all makes no sense. I don't know what good the other reviewer saw in the sound design, but I've never seen such an obnoxious sound track (and I work in acoustics) - a very low-frequency near-infrasound rumbling is played throughout nearly the whole movie, which quickly becomes unnerving, especially since it has absolutely no connection to the scenes. I guess the director wanted the movie to accompany the protagonist's descent into depression, but the whole was very badly "orchestrated", to choose a fitting term. Not recommended.

Bis zum Ende der Welt (2014 TV Movie)

Overwhelmingly positively surprised !

[9/10 · 14 February 2021]

I simply thought of watching this film because I already knew Christiane Hörbiger's excellent acting , and accordingly expected the film to be enjoyable, but honestly I was positively overwhelmed by how good it was ! The film largely surpassed my expectations. Not only is Hörbiger's acting very convincing, but so was everyone else's, especially the teenage kid playing the second role. I could hardly find a main role that was less then splendidly convincing.

The film deserves special attention because it sheds light on our existing prejudices and how we handle or go beyond them, all the while presenting a story you can immediately connect to due to convincing acting and very likeable characters.

I don't know why the other reviewer rated the film so poorly, I absolutely disagree as that would be grossly unfair - this is a hidden gem!

Secret Hope (2014 TV Movie)

Insider-view of precarity

[8/10 · 4 February 2021]

Although the protagonist is seemingly from a well-off household, suddenly her life takes an unexpected turn as her husband dies. She finds herself in the most precarious situation, partly because of her husband's legacy and partly because of her own decisions and attitudes. Regardless of the reasons why she fell into precarity - which can be many for a person - the film shows an inside view of a stranded, homeless person's life; I really appreciated this aspect of the film, as it's not so often that you see that life depicted realistically on film.

I've already seen Christiane Hörbiger acting in other films, and she is one of the most convincing actresses I've watched Perhaps the director's pick of a person of her age to take the role of the protagonist added another layer of engagement to the film, as precarity hits hardest when it hits the most vulnerable, and you are sure to develop an appreciation of this after watching this film. All in all the film is highly recommended, not least because it sheds light on important societal topics. I would have personally preferred it to be longer and for it to have developed some points further (the fragile but restorable family ties for instance).

Die Liebe des Hans Albers (2021)

It's OK, with a nice historical perspective, but nothing more

[6/10 · 21 January 2021]

The film is a depiction of Albers' life, with an emphasis on his temporary separation from his jewish wife during the Nazi regime. It gives nice historical as well as personal perspectives, but I found it not to be very engaging, sometimes a bit bland. I think this is probably because it was trying to hastily fit too much into a 1.5h movie.

Das Ende einer Nacht (2012 TV Movie)

Nice and twisting story, but very much a crime movie

[6/10 · 10 January 2021]

I liked the movie overall, but I wasn't mesmerized by it either. It's engaging and all, but not to the point of other films played by Bauer (like "Preis der Freiheit").

Our wonderful years (2020–2023)

Good to watch, nothing fantastic though

[6/10 · 6 January 2021]

Overall the 3-part film is good, but compared to other German productions I found the story, while important to recount, a bit unengaging. It's a good watch, but don't set your hopes super high. One positive thing is that it sheds light on how the Germans dealt with the nazi past right after the war.

Playing God (2020 TV Movie)

Very thought provoking

[9/10 · 6 December 2020]

This film presents many sides to the assisted-suicide debate in the form of an ethics committee discussion. The acting and the actual script were very engaging, they kept me glued to the film from start to finish. As another reviewer pointed out, this is film is really an "exercise for the mind". The debate's script touched on all sides of the topic, from freedom, to religion, to ethics, to the hippocratic oath. It really makes you think and engages you with the different sides of the argument. I even - for a small while - could agree with the bishop's arguments against assisted suicide, although I'm nowhere near being a religious person; this is how good the film is. I think the film captures the essence of the issue quite well.

Infokrieger - Die neuen rechten Medienmacher (2019 TV Movie)

Informative and to the point

[9/10 · 5 December 2020]

I appreciated this documentary / reporting quite a bit, as it sheds some light on the inner workings of our era's new sinister trend - the post truth phenomenon. It shows that part of this trend is, unsurprisingly, being used and promoted by far-right circles to promote their ideology. Indeed, once the concept of truth is no longer respected, especially where it matters - in politics - then anything goes, and the far right thinks "we might as well broadcast our humbug and (dis/mis-)information in this stream".

Ökozid (2020 TV Movie)

Thought provoking

[8/10 · 18 November 2020]

I found the film very engaging and thought provoking. It forces us to face difficult question about the rights of the ones vs the rights of others, and to bore down to the fundamental meaning of what liberty and liberalism mean - basically, that the liberty of the one stops where the liberty of another starts - if the ones can trample on the existence of others with no consequences. While some parts of the film were a bit too cliché, on the whole it offered a good treatment of the climate change question from an ethical, legal (even if fictional) as well as justice (not the same as legal) perspective.

Toter Winkel (2017 TV Movie)

Eye-opening drama for how the far right simmers right under the water's surface

[8/10 · 28 October 2020]

The movie tells the tale of how a far-right terrorist operation, initially thought to go fully undercover, creeps out to the public due to unforeseen events. Throughout the suspenseful film the viewer is made aware of how the perpetrators' ideology is simply simmering under the surface of a small-town society where seemingly everything is going fine and well. This film should make people think about how they educate their children, and how an even benign dose of chauvinism they bring to them - whether pride in the nation, the family, the religion or any other thing for which they have absolutely no merit - can lead to disastrous consequences. Films like this are welcome in the unfortunately crystallizing age of Le Pen, Trump & co.

Sprung ins Leben (2014 TV Movie)

Very moving depiction of social disadvantages

[8/10 · 27 October 2020]

I really appreciated the depiction in this film of the impact an arbitrary event or inheritance can have on one's life. The life of the antagonist of the story is quickly turned upside down because of an accident, and he moves from a position of popularity and privilege in his societal circle to a position of marginalization. I found this sudden shift depicted in the film, and its consequences for the boy's life, very touching. It sheds light on what other similarly disadvantaged minority groups must deal with. Recommended film.

Stiller Abschied (2013 TV Movie)

Very touching and moving film

[9/10 · 21 October 2020]

This is a film about a 70-year whose old age is starting to get the best of her, and her memory and self-control starts failing her. The performance by Charolotte Brüggeman is just fascinating. Her acting in the last scenes brought me to tears. Very moving film which highlights the central role our memory plays in our human identity.

Hannas Entscheidung (2012 TV Movie)

Well woven story

[8/10 · 20 October 2020]

The film is a good depiction of what women's lives and circumtances looked like after WWII in europe, and what their circumstances look like in other parts of the world even today. I found Christine Neubauer's performance Hanna's role as a woman striving for recognition and independence especially convincing. I didn't expect the film to be this goo, but it is indeed a very good film and really worth watching.

Ich werde nicht schweigen (2017 TV Movie)

Touching film that tells a little-known (his)story

[8/10 · 13 October 2020]

I found the film very good. The description of the power abuse by the "doctors" of the health institution was especially successful.

1989 - A Spy Story (2019 TV Movie)

Good and suspenseful movie, only a bit confusing/boring at the beginning

[8/10 · 7 October 2020]

At the beginning I found the film a bit confusing and therefore boring, but after a few scenes with flashbacks to explain the background of the story, it then became quite good and suspenseful. Recommended watch

Merkel (2020 TV Movie)

Good and insightful movie !

[8/10 · 25 September 2020]

I found the film to be very insightful, I live in Germany and thought I knew enough about the refugee crisis of 2015, but the film depicts less-known, backstage events in addition to more wel-known events.

Aenne Burda: Die Wirtschaftswunderfrau (2018– )

Very moving movie

[8/10 · 8 September 2020]

I really appreciated this movie. It shows in a very touching a moving way what a woman has to go through to make it in life, but I think the message also applies to other downtrodden groups. The film offers many lessons about people's treachery and about fulfillment and success in life.

Preis der Freiheit (2019)

Absolutely poignant film about the GDR, and a showcase for how far hypocrisy can go

[10/10 · 25 August 2020]

I watched this 3-part film a while ago, but I was very sad to see that it had no reviews, and I think it definitely deserves one.

This is a really captivating film. It portrays the last days of the GDR, and in doing so sheds light on some of the hypocrisies of the GDR state and its break with reality. It also makes known inconvenient facts about this state namely that it was partly kept alive via the financing of a decidedly non-socialist, outright capitalist business that the state itself founded and euphemistically called "commercial coordination", gathering foreign capital using all sorts of shady businesses ranging from human trafficking to arms sales, some of which are illegal wrt the GDR state law itself.

I found the performance by Barbara Auer (Margot) simply splendid. She really brought the point home about her character's careless pursuit of her own interests, all while the socialist principles she supposedly harbored went out the window. I can only compare her performance with Meryl Streep in the Devil wears Prada.

For anyone interest about topics such as the abuse of power, corruption, hypocrisy and human rights, this is a must-watch. Kudos to the actors and the direction.

Planet of the Humans (2019)

Sensationalist but of little substance

[3/10 · 19 August 2020]

I was hoping for a good documentary considering that Ozzie Zehner was a part of the production, but unfortunately I was very disappointed.

The documentary is a typical example of cheap home productions, focusing more on sensationalism than information, and mixed with a good touch of conspiracy theories, but very little to give in terms of solutions to tackle climate change.

In the whole film, of 1hr 39 mins, the producer barely dedicated 2-3 mins to hint at solutions. I think documentaries like these only make the problem worse. They make people feel good about themselves, and continue on buying stuff, eating meat and consuming like crazy, al the while schizophrenically thinking this is all ok since they watched a documentary and they "know" they're doing better than the big banks and the industry tycoons who are the source of all evil in the world. Except these tycoons are simply producing junk for precisely people like them.

The movie probably does more harm than good, since any right-wing conspiracy theorist will just come and selectively pick up lines and slips from this "documentary" to knock down the very people actually trying to tackle the climate issue.

The film could have been much more useful had the producers talked about the side effects of green energy in a smaller portion of the film, but also compared them to other options and more importantly discussed actual solutions. Here are the solutions: stop taking the plane instead of complaining about the airline companies, stop eating meat instead of complaining about the Amazon deforestation, stop buying useless things that go dead the month after you buy them, and stop wasting your time watching documentaries and spend that time studying your behaviors and their impact instead.

I admit I'm not a fan of these types of films for precisely this sort of sensationalism, I thought this would be different and so I fell for this, but no this is not any different. Ozzie's book does a much better job in this regard of outlining the issues and the whole topic and the solutions. I think the quality of his activism that I took from his book was lost on this cheap piece.

Die Neue (2015 TV Movie)

Exquisite and thought-provoking portrayal of the edges oof tolerance

[8/10 · 13 August 2020]

I watched and found this to be a really great and thought-provoking movie. Being an ex-muslim myself, I found the film to give a very accurate and thought-provoking treatment of the limits of tolerance and the contradictions within multi-cultural society. The film is really in essence a study of individual liberty and freedom, and a reflection on the fine line between one's own (in this case religious) liberty and the liberty of others. I think the film does an especially good job of bringing home, the fundamental truth that the freedom of the one stops where the freedom of the other starts.

In specific to the topic the film took as an example, the place of Islam in the liberal west, I especially appreciated the treatment of the inner and outer conflicts of a muslim person with the outside western world. In this case the story is about a muslim girl living in the west, but the same reflection outlined above, which the movie splendidly instills in the viewer, applies ipso facto to a non-muslim person living in a muslim-majority community, or more generally to anybody living in a society wrt which they are fundamentally different.

Hala (2019)

If you think this is islamophobic, then you've got problems

[8/10 · 11 June 2020]

Newsflash: NO, this does not concern just "1 percent" of muslims but more like 80-90%. It's about time these sorts of issues get talked about.

I'm not even Pakistani but I'm from a muslim family and I can tell you this is exactly the sort of struggle children of muslim parents go through not just in Pakistan but in the middle east and everywhere else in muslim communities living in countries where liberal ideas haven't gained hold (and even in those communities living in countries where they did, as this movie shows). For *most* children of muslim parents, it often comes down to choosing between religion or themselves - it shouldn't surprise you that they end up choosing themselves (you can't love anybody - including God - if you hate yourself).

I really liked the movie because I think it sheds a light on a reality many people simply don't want to see nor recognize.

The only misshap with the movie is that story about the teacher - that simply has no place / no logic and no reason to be in the story. If it weren't for that I'd give 10 stars,