Berlinale: Feierabendbier (After-Work Beer)
Feierabendbier (After-Work Beer)
Directed by Ben Brummer
Starring Tilman Strauß, Julia Dietze, Johann Jürgens, Christian Tramitz, Jonathan Berlin, Sophia Schober, James Newton, Korinna Krauss, Manuel Rubey and Levi Schäfer
by Marko Domazet
Magnus has a bar. And an apartment. And a car. Magnus doesn’t have an illness, he has a few loyal friends and a son. Magnus is in his mid 30s. Magnus seems utterly miserable and obsessed with his car. In fact, he’s so obsessed that when the car is stolen, he starts an obsessive hunt that quickly gets out of hand. During this hunt, Magnus has an episode in a swingers’ club, he meets a girl, loses the girl, stages a heist, almost loses custody of his son.
Basically, Magnus is a mess. And in his 30s. And selfish. This is a film that could be so much fun, but ends up being a poor man’s Run Lola Run. Instead of creating interesting characters with redeeming features, everyone in the film seems broken. Magnus is a shell of a man, his love interest spends her days attempting to paint, his best friend is obsessed with sex. Child custody storyline aside, no one actually seems to have any substantial problems.
Sure, the search for the car is a metaphorical Odyssey during which our main character learns to form relationships, suffers and grows; but the man is just so unlikeable. A couple of funny one-liners aside and a few banging tunes, this film has very little to offer.
