Zwischen den Jahren

Anyone familiar with Ken Loach's films will see great similarities here. It is the story of a man who made a grievous error and is paying for it, forever. A simple story of perseverance with a small glimmer of hope in a dreary and dismal town.

The film works due to the casting and the way the director can extract a subtle performance from simple material. The cast here is excellent, and like Loach's casts over the years, give a chipped dignity to the less than glorious lives they have. Kurth as the protagonist is a strong presence. His bulk and disheveled plainness is authentic but it's his ability to suggest emotional motive which holds attention.

He couldn't work alone and the cast with him, especially Striebeck, is effective. Overall the writing is quite good, though perfunctory in the style of this genre, but the ending was not quite as well realized as some alternatives might have offered if examined.