Ein Freund von mir (2006)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Sebastian Schipper

Writer:

Sebastian Schipper (writer)

Release Date:

26 October 2006 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot Keywords:

Loneliness | Buddy Movie | Nude In Public | Car Driving | Insurance Investigator

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Daniel Brühl	...	Karl
Jürgen Vogel	...	Hans
Sabine Timoteo	...	Stelle
Peter Kurth	...	Fernandez
Michael Wittenborn	...	Naumann
Oktay Özdemir	...	Theo
Steffen Groth	...	Frank
Jan Ole Gerster	...	Cornelius
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bernardus Manders	...	Geschäftsmann (as Berry Manders)
Jens Münchow

Also Known As:

A Friend of Mine (Europe: English title) (festival title)

Runtime:

Germany:84 min | Argentina:84 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

Spanish | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Germany:o.Al. | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Film1

Trivia:

Daniel Brühl and Jürgen Vogel broke Will Smith's world record for most public appearances on the red carpet in 12 hours by attending the movie's premiere in Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf and Cologne (22 October 2006).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Karl and Hans drive the Porches they stop side by side. For a brief moment there is a refuge between the cars. When they drive off it has disappeared.

Quotes:

Hans: Who's waiting for you at home, your girl-friend?
Karl: Nobody.
Hans: So, Nobody's her name!

a fight club of latencies

Definitively one of the ten best, to my opinion most likely The best movie produced and released in Germany this year. A masterpiece, story-, acting-, picture- and sound-wise. Vogel as Hans is hilariously funny, Brühl outstanding as his real counterpart and a compelling Simone Timoteo. Entertaining and moving. Once again and even more than the first time Schipper has proved his outstanding talent for subtle storytelling.

I saw it in a crowded cinema, the audience was laughing through half of the movie, though it reminded me of Ozus evenness as much as of van Sants verité - style (e.g. the long, uncut shots) without being documentary or raw at all (absolutely NO dogma movie). If you think Gerry (Gus van Sant) was beautiful but somehow boring (at least when watching it a second time), watch this one - you will like it. A movie as simple as ambiguous done with an outstanding reliable sense of style.

either life is nothing or it must be everything