I grew up in Germany and have a different impression of this film than many here. For one thing, it is not a story about post-war Germany. It is the description of an outsider in a brutalised society. There are outsiders everywhere, yesterday as well as today. Hamburg is still known for its milieu today. The area around the Reeperbahn, where this film is set, still exists today in one way or another. Director Akin lives there and knows the people, which you notice very quickly in the original language. The people often speak dialect and have the typical dry Hanseatic manner. Big plus points for this attention to detail. But now comes my problem with this film, because I cannot understand why a good director would approach such a subject in this way. Every scene made me uncomfortable, I felt embarrassed and was partly bored by the absurdities Akin interspersed. I also didn't find the film well rounded in terms of acting, with some brilliant performances (Jonas Dassler) alongside amateurs whose bias was obvious. And in the end, the crucial question for me is why so much effort is put into a subject that is quickly told. The world is bad, man is scum, there is little hope, the end.
Review of The Golden Glove
