Hildes Reise

When a struggling and solitary cabinet maker learns of the death of his former lover, he is forced to reconsider his feelings and all he considers important. Is the dead man still manipulating all around him from beyond the grave?

Bitter-sweet exploration of the stages of grief, as two men, one willing, the other begrudging, accompany the deceased's ashes to scatter them on the French coast. Although the premise is simple, it is expertly handled by all concerned, led by two beautifully placed performances from and Finger and particularly Stokowski, who expertly crafts a man with such repressed and buried emotions that when the barriers are broken, the consequence is very real and very moving.

Perhaps the conclusion is a little too neat, but it's worth the ride

'Hildes Reise' ('Hilde's Journey') is a surprisingly tender film despite the cover art suggesting a harsh and angry young man movie. Director Christof Vorster directs this screenplay he wrote with Gabriele Strohm and gives us a story that deals with difficult issues of AIDS, parental homophobia, relationship challenges met and squandered, and the power of shared love for a departed friend that can overcome almost any barrier.

Steff (Oliver Stokowski) works in an antique shop repairing furniture and longs for a shop of his own. His credit scores are low, he is unable to secure a business loan, and his outlook is bleak. Word reaches him that his ex-lover Martin, the son of a wealthy German family (the mother played by Heidi Maria Gloesser) who continue to deny his sexual preference, has died: the family calls the cause of death cancer, but the true cause is AIDS. Steff attends the funeral and Rex (Michael Finger) a young friend of Martin (who is also affectionately known as 'Hilde') shows up distraught, raging at the family for denying that their son died of AIDS. The will is read and Martin/Hilde left his entire estate to Steff: at last here is a source of money to advance Steff's career.

Martin/Hilde also has requested that he be cremated and his ashes thrown to the sea. The mother refuses this wish, attempting to deny her son's past and ensconce him in the family mausoleum. Steff addresses the family and tells them he will accept only a fraction of the money he has inherited, sacrificing the urn of ashes to carry out Martin/Hilde's wishes. Rex kidnaps the urn and together with Steff the two set out on a journey, initially for different reasons, but ultimately for the respect of Martin/Hilde whom they both loved (Rex also has AIDS, met Martin in the hospital and spent his last year with him as a caregiver). The way in which the potentially conflicting pairing of Steff and Rex is resolved is both touching and a satisfying ending.

The cast is uniformly excellent, the photography of the German and French countryside by Hans Meier is lush and moody, and the music score by Karsten Riedel is minimal but just right for the moods of the film. Yes, this could be categorized as a gay film, but its messages are so universal and the quality of the film-making so fine that it deserves a very wide audience. In German with English subtitles. Grady Harp

The story is about 2 guys who were in a relationship with this guy who died from cancer related to AIDS and a good best girlfriend who just wanted to his last wish to spread his ashes to the Ocean.. An emotive story where real friendship really truly matters and even with the stubborn mother who just wanted to keep his ashes with her willing to give some money to avoid to lose them! Even the landscape, picture, edition and production were not so bad, it was not good enough to make this movie one of my favorites, maybe it was the acting or direction of the acting but in general delivered the message that is the most important goal in a quality movie!