Oh Hell

Like the struggles of Helene played by Mala Emde in Johannes Boss's German comedy-drama 'Oh Hell' , some of the quirks of this series are quite fun but others take us to rather dark places. Hell's autobiographical telling of events as friends, family, colleagues etc., are drawn into her tragic orbit is similar in bleakness to 'Fleabag' (no imaginary 4th wall though!). It doesn't have the lol comedy of tragic figure David Brent in 'The Office' and something of the writer's wordy artfulness gets lost in the translation for me, but there's enough here to feel sympathy for Helene's troubles and the impending doom that comes from her actions. 'Oh Hell' constantly tugs at our emotions, if you don't laugh you'll cry etc., so surely quite clever? I'm not a psychiatrist/doctor, but recognize Helene's oddball behaviour is likely mental disorder, OCD, Asperger's maybe, but she's also knowing and kind so her friends discuss in the 7th episode how to help somebody so 'special'. The see-saw ending leaves things hanging in the balance, good because I think we still want to fight Helene's corner and help her as she navigates reality, a credit to Emde's sympathetic nuanced performance. After all, Hell's finally found a great job that suits her aptitudes! I hope they continue with the series. The deconstructed music along with commercial songs provide a fitting bumpy road soundtrack, along with the memorable theme tune 'Dilemme' by Belgian-Congolese rapper Lous & The Yakuza. Post-modern, post-feminist bleak comedy drama ...

This is a wacky idiosyncratic show. I didn't know what to make of it at first other than that the cinematography and production design was gorgeous. It tells two parallel stories. Helena as a young girl navigating through her parents loveless marriage, and her as a twenty something struggling to find love and a career calling. Of course these stories are intwined and often the young Helena's story sets up Helena's struggles as a young adult. Did I say struggles? She really doesn't struggle, in fact she skips through life quite joyfully. It's a sort of fairytale of disfunction. I really love this show. I cannot recommend it enough. The young Helena is played by a great actress. Keep an eye on her.

Here's something different. A show about a young woman who lives in a kind of parallel reality which is unsettling not just for her, but for those around her and this viewer. Nothing flash, racey or spectacular, but some chewy food for thought. IMDB has this one down as a comedy and drama and sure, there's some funny moments in every episode, but on the whole drama does this show more justice. Let's call it a quirky drama with humour. The end isn't exactly a cliffhanger (thank goodness - there's too many of those around) but it does leave me wanting more Hell.

I loved it, from the beginning to the end. The simple story telling of a genius person, who wasn't understood by those around her. Not her family, not her friends were able to do so. Only in the last job of hers, she could show her abilities. Her real best friend is a little girl, which seem to be the only person, who enjoys spending time with her. But I loved the most the almost expressionless way the protagonist portrays her character. And the child actor was also brilliant. There is so much to tell about this show I, hopefully I'll have the time for it soon.

Hope there will be more seasons to come.

And I really don't get it, why this show has such a low rate.

Summary:

German dramatic comedy centered on the point of view of its protagonist, with its superimposition of reality and fantasy, in a story that to its creative flashes and a dry and ironic German humor adds a growing melancholy and a certain weirdness.

Review

In this German dramatic comedy, Helene is a rather lost, irresponsible, job-unstable young woman who lies to maintain and strengthen some ties and with a great imagination that at times overlaps fantasy and reality. This translates into the original narrative and temporal structure of the series, where the viewer must be attentive to distinguish one from the other.

In this way, Helene relates to her young father, with a successful influencer friend whom she loves and deeply envy (the scenes of both are among the funniest in the series, with her darts against that youtuber world), a new love interest , his mother and stepfather. Her relationship with her parents and her stepfather is enriched by a series of dryly humorous flashbacks where an imperturbable child Helene is determined to intervene in the face of a marriage in crisis.

As the series progresses with its brief chapters, its dry and ironic German humor and its creative flashes, a growing melancholy and a rarefied narrative takes shape, which nevertheless retains all its coherence and where on several occasions it resorts to classical music. Very effectively.

Mala Emde gives her Helene all the charm necessary to accompany her in her controversial behaviors and decisions, supported by a cast that gives her characters the right tone.