When I went to a screening of this movie, I asked myself why there's a need to re-shoot a short film that was already well done as a feature-length movie. Well, I was wrong. Not only did director Peter Thorwarth manage to keep up a continuous flow of interesting events, he also blew up the film on its triple length (or even more) without recognizable thinning of the plot. In addition, new events were added that enriched the whole experience.
I'm writing this so exuberant, because this way of working is not common usage in Germany. Usually, feature films lack a certain amount of content, and they could in most cases easily be told in 30 minutes. Peter Thorwarth has shown that he is more than capable in handling more than one strang of plot.
This movie is - in its own way - hilarious to watch. In its own way, because in Germany, many different definitions of humor exist. The Ruhrpott (where this film takes place) is completely different in their understanding of what's funny than for example Bavaria, Berlin, Hamburg or even neighboring nations like Austria, Switzerland or France. This is the reason why there can't be a "German comedy". You'd have to reduce all jokes and events onto a level that is the least common denominator, and that reduces the effort to something most intelligent people won't enjoy. Peter Thorwarth managed the dangerous tightrope walk between "funny for all of us" and "only funny for people from the area" and managed to produce a good, enjoyable movie. It won't be a milestone of European Entertainment, but it is a good finger exercise for future projects. I, for my part, wish good luck to Peter Thorwarth and his promising talent.
