Review: ‘Toni Erdmann,’ directed by Maren Ade

With only a passing glance, the now Oscar nominated German film Toni Erdmann comes across like a daunting work to approach. The Best Foreign Film contender runs nearly three hours in length, boasts no big name stars, and is essentially a plotless character drama about a burnt out woman struggling to find common ground with her divorced, goofball father. But what writer/director Maren Ade’s poignant, hilarious, and moving film lacks in terms of a concrete storyline it makes up for with a wealth of emotion and perception. It’s not a story about things or situations, but a film about messy, sympathetic people worthy of love and support in their darkest, most potentially unlikable hours. Toni Erdmann appears epic in scope and length, but its one of the most restrained and grounded works of cinema to be made this century and one of the best father-daughter stories I have ever seen.

Still relatively young professional Ines (Sandra Hüller) has been working very hard at her thankless job. She’s trying to broker a lucrative business deal between American and Romanian clients, but she has to remain mum and taciturn when it comes to her idea that layoffs are a necessity and inevitability. She’s treated poorly at work and treated by some clients with caution because of her sex (something she’s occasionally quick witted enough to overcome) and strong, forthcoming nature, and by her sex obsessed pseudo-boyfriend. She’s not at the end of her rope, but she’s slowly fraying.

A great source of consternation for Ines is an unexpected visit from her father, Winfried (Peter Simonischek), a fun loving bloke who cares about his daughter to a point of near annoyance. Not wanting to be alone following the death of his dog and concerned for Ines’ well being, he takes a sabbatical to follow her around, posing as a fright wig and false teeth wearing “life coach.” In typical doting father fashion, Winifried, introducing himself by his titular alias to Ines’ friends and colleagues, tries to make her laugh no matter the cost. He means well, but his presence often causes more stress for a daughter that has already been stretched too thin.

While the humour definitely comes from a European perspective, the themes and situations found within Toni Erdmann are universal. It sounds callous and trite to say this, but it’s not hard to envision a future North American remake of the film being attempted in the near future. It is hard, however, to believe that anyone could do it better than Ade already has. As a comedy and drama based in personal, familial, and professional discomfort it has no equal. It’s a singularly original take on a well trod genre staple that hasn’t been brought out in quite some time. It’s a simple tale of an aging father attempting to selfishly insert himself into the new life his child has made for herself. The difference is that Ade takes the time to flesh out each character in vivid, loving detail before putting them through life’s sometimes unfair and trying motions.

The length of Toni Erdmann might put some off, but it’s actually Ade’s greatest asset. The aggravation of Ines and the good natured concern of Winifred are based on a number of factors that Ade lays out in great detail. Every moment of discomfort, confusion, elation, and frustration has been earned here and explained with a remarkable amount of eloquence. It’s not that Toni Erdmann is a flowery or highfalutin work of cinema with grand artistic aims, but it does want to make the viewer feel like they’re learning about the lives of characters worth caring about. There’s an intelligence here beyond clichés and shorthand, and Ade prefers placing real people in sometimes absurd situations instead of placing bundles of tired character traits into complex plotting.

It’s a film that includes among a plethora of standout sequences Winifried unsuccessfully looking for a bathroom in the countryside, the father handcuffing himself to his daughter and losing the key, Ines participating in a bizarrely gross sexual act, a forced bit of impromptu performance art, and the most ribald and inappropriate party theme to play out among coworkers imaginable. In a lesser comedy with less attention to character, these sequences would be played up for similar effect and wouldn’t seem out of place in a Farrelly Brothers film, but they would act as high spots compensating for a lack of character. Here, Ade finds ways of making even the most absurd of circumstances feel like warranted conclusions.

Some of the trials faced by Ines come across as degrading, but they’re supposed to. Part of the film is watching her character differentiate between silly moments that make her feel terrible and those that she can look back upon with laughter or a shrug. While she takes everything too seriously for her own health, it’s also a story of Winifried’s inability to move on in life. He wants to be liked by everyone, especially his daughter, but like a child that’s starved for attention he craves any sort of validation or notoriety he can get. While there are many moments created by Ade that make it clear that they are father and daughter in terms of world view and temperament, it’s also easy to see how they have drifted apart over time.

While Ade has crafted a world that’s more realistic and immersive than any number of wannabe blockbusters, it benefits further thanks to the daring and humane performances from Simonischek and Hüller, who turn in two of the best performances of the year. Hüller’s tics and neuroses are subtle, and her unenviable spot in life has at least one detail that will be instantly relatable to any viewer. She’s an everywoman in an unkind world being prodded by someone asking her to look for kindness. She sometimes does terribly unlikable things, but they’re never out of character and Hüller coveys these moments with poise, rationality, and a great deal of dignity (which is key, considering some of the things she has to do). Simonischek alternates between “cool dad” and “embarrassing dad” with ease, and while his efforts are misguided from the jump, it’s hard not to feel for him. He could have been played as creepy and smothering, but Simonischek wisely plays Winifried as genteel and guileless.

Toni Erdmann builds to a moment of great catharsis: the best hug in cinematic history. For all Ade has to say about being a woman in the world, she also wants everyone to remember that things are never as dour as they seem. Critics often talk about “the film we need right now,” and Toni Erdmann certainly fits that bill on a feel good level. There’s also a timelessness to it. It’s the kind of story that could take place anywhere in the world, but never among even slightly different characters. It’s a tale of humanity at its best and worst, but mostly at its best.

Toni Erdmann opens at in Toronto and Vancouver on Friday, January 27, 2017, in Ottawa on February 3, and Montreal on February 17. It will also expand to other select markets throughout the winter.

Check out the trailer for Toni Erdmann: