"Einmal Hallig und zurück" is a German movie from 2015. The director is Hermine Huntgeburth and she is somewhat known here in Germany, among the most famous female filmmakers. The script is by Albrecht/Geletneky, who worked on shows like "Pastewka" and "Ladykracher". The latter is a television series starring Anke Engelke and she is also the star in this film we have here. It runs for slightly under 90 minutes and has Engelke star next to Charly Hübner. These two should certainly be known to German film buffs and maybe they will also recognize Lars Rudolph among others. Anyway, I think in theory the movie does not sound too bad. I like Engelke and especially Hübner and environmentally-centered films can also leave a lasting impact on me at times, like the fracking-themed Matt Damon movie from a while ago. But this one here has more weaknesses than strengths. For example I felt that many of the characters were depicted as pretty over-the-top and this also refers to some of the performances. While Hübner was solid from start to finish, I thought Engelke had some weaknesses too. The huge character transformation for her did not really work out for me looking at who she was early on and who she was when the ending credits rolled in.
In general, the movie showed some struggles that many films here in Germany have when it comes to mixing comedy, drama and important topics like the environment here or the character transformation for the better. It all does not really feel that authentic and the film relies too much on the "funny" moments which aren't't good enough in terms of quality and quantity to really entertain audiences sufficiently. Like I said, it is a bit of a pity and while I think Engelke is a better actress than many give her credits for, she is also not great in the dramatic moments. Then again, the script here is quite a bit of a challenge to work out. Most positive aspect is Hübner who creates a relatable character without ever appearing gimmicky, which was a huge challenge given the way the character was written. And the parts about stealing important data do not feel that credible either I must say. Plus the forced happy ending meh I don't know. It may not be as bad as some M'Barek/Schweighöfer stuff from these days, but it also was not really a good watch in my opinion. I think i have to give it a thumbs-down.
In general, the movie showed some struggles that many films here in Germany have when it comes to mixing comedy, drama and important topics like the environment here or the character transformation for the better. It all does not really feel that authentic and the film relies too much on the "funny" moments which aren't't good enough in terms of quality and quantity to really entertain audiences sufficiently. Like I said, it is a bit of a pity and while I think Engelke is a better actress than many give her credits for, she is also not great in the dramatic moments. Then again, the script here is quite a bit of a challenge to work out. Most positive aspect is Hübner who creates a relatable character without ever appearing gimmicky, which was a huge challenge given the way the character was written. And the parts about stealing important data do not feel that credible either I must say. Plus the forced happy ending meh I don't know. It may not be as bad as some M'Barek/Schweighöfer stuff from these days, but it also was not really a good watch in my opinion. I think i have to give it a thumbs-down.
