Herbert

Covered in tattoos, nicknamed "the Panzer" (the German word for tank), famous as a former East German boxing champion, and earning income based solely upon his muscles and bulk, Herbert is not someone you want to mess with. With few friends beyond the young boxer he is mentoring, a tattoo artist and Olga his angelfish, the Panzer lives a solitary and isolated life in apparent bachelor bliss. Even the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) hardly slows Herbert down. He treats ALS as just another physical adversary.

As Herbert drifts into total paralysis and it becomes clear who the victor in "Panzer versus ALS" is going to be, Herbert tries to make amends with the daughter he abandoned many years ago. This battle, like that with ALS, can't be won with his fists and Herbert finds himself in unfamiliar and unfathomable territory in more ways than one. While slow-paced and dark, the film is poignant and moving as a punch to the gut. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

I thought of HOMEBOY all thru this film, the tale of an aging boxer, his downfall, his struggle to survive, keep his pride and.dignity. It is painful, poignant, disturbing but so great. Yes, Mickey rourke would have been great in such a film, but the German actor is excellent, Oscar winner worth performance. This in the line of FAT CITY or REQUIEM FOR A HEAVY WEIGHT. There is also a Ken Loach touch. But this poor guy is lucky enough to have a gorgeous girl friend, that compensates much, doesn't it? The only bright touch in this gloomy drama.

A very heavy drama, due to the reconstitution of the degradation, however, I only managed to feel empathy towards the end of the film, when the disease almost completely withered him, the final words, recording by Herbert for daughter and granddaughter hurts in the soul, a film beautiful and very representative, especially about the choices we make in our lives, and when we neglect our most precious asset, the family...

This is an excellent movie. Especially Peter Kurth's acting is simply sensational! Decent, i believe, the performances of the others. But, what we have here is a complete universe. And the protagonist is that universe. Without reaching the limits of melodrama, Kurth Peter manages to perform up to the ultimate detail all stages of his terrifying paralysis. This is not easy and we have not seen it many times with such success. The Director adequately unfolds the escalating intensity and the drama and you simply cannot remain unaffected. A movie uneasy but worth to watch!

Do you sometimes wonder what individuals would risk their own body to just collect money for someone else? Maybe that's the only thing they know how to do. The only thing they know they are good at. But in this case, the character who is front and center stage has to reflect on what he has been doing. And the things he missed on doing.

When a life event that is rather big hits him, things fall apart. Then again, maybe this is finally a way for him to see things clearer. Is it too late though? Can he find inner peace? Or outer peace for that matter? It is not so much about where he is heading (inevitable) but the journey there. And how he handles himself being robbed of the one thing he thought made him stand apart ...