It's strange how trends tend to migrate regardless of their nature - good or bad. And it's definitely not only the case in modern cinema, but also in day to day life. One might actually notice that some trends are more 'adaptable' than others and it just so happens that it's the lesser trends which have this characteristic.
Yet, talking about trends is like talking about the act of imitation, because that's all there is to do in order to 'adopt' a certain shift in secular thinking. Unfortunately, though, while the act itself - the act of imitating, that is - was once considered the premise for facilitating swifter advancements in a nation's cultural endeavours, the underlying concept seems to have been...misplaced. That is, the concept of adapting, which implies creating shapes that can serve as a basis for foreign 'imports'.
I am so sorry for digressing in such a disgusting manner, but I believe it serves an obvious purpose. It's truly a shame that a culture as vast as the German one is ignored in producing a movie which is so "hollywoodian" it simply implodes. Too much of anything just can't survive.
"Die Wolke" is based on what I heard to be a heart-breaking story about love facing boundaries. A bit atypical, in the sense that the problem isn't of a common nature, such as family or society, but of a more horrendous one: a nuclear meltdown. Given that the starting point is one of such graveness, it would have been important not to overemphasize *some* aspects of the film. Regretfully, this is exactly what happens and the movie slowly turns into a love story that sometimes simply goes beyond the pathetic (in the Oxfordian sense of "causing one to feel pity or sadness").
As the "Wolke" catches up with the main protagonist, a girl named Hannah, she is severely affected by the radiation. Elmar, her boyfriend, defies his father's (who just happens to be as rich as they come) and in a gesture of absolute altruism and complete devotion starts to search for his Hannah. I guess a more pragmatical viewer can imagine what outcome the relationship between a healthy person and a one recently 'radiated' might have.
I hate being overly sarcastic, but sometimes this is all we humble mortals are left with, in the face of a work that tries to be of such an astounding magnitude and, actually, is nowhere near it. There are, however, some things I enjoyed about "Die Wolke". Actually, it's only one thing, but of quite an importance: somehow the film managed to convey the disaster at a fine pace, in all it's urgency and in a rather threatening manner. And this is truly an impressive achievement, as the film does not rely on extensive SFX.
To digress once more, for a bit: this German movie tries to be as American as possible. The thing is, if you're trying to do a disaster movie without massive special effects, then you might as well try to avoid using ALL the clichés you've ever stumbled over. Not being pretentious when playing with art is of the utmost importance.
