Heil

So I was bored and I needed to get some more cigarettes and something to eat. Still being bored while eating my Falafel I passed the movie theatre and saw to poster for Heil and thought "Hm, well I don't want to get home right now, why not watch a movie?!" So I smoked a cig and went in.

Long story short, I actually had a few laughs. The theme of right wing extremism and neo Nazis is complex, and to my surprise the movie depicts a lot of different angles: police, state security, antifa, national and international politics, social and news media and of course Nazis.

You get racism, you get negligence, you get stereotypes.

So, the movie isn't great, some of the comedic parts are grotesque, some of them are good. Same with the acting. The plot gets a pass, but that is it.

I do not regret seeing the movie. I might tell some people about it, some of them might enjoy it.

Maybe I'll watch it again at one point.

I guess one should live in Germany for a while to understand how extremely precise and funny all observations made in this comedy are. This is probably one of the best German black comedies ever. Watching this felt like a long, breathtaking rollercoaster from the very first scene to the very end. I haven't laughed so hard since I don't remember when. I haven't laughed so hard ever watching a German comedy.

Herr Brüggemann and whole cast did a tremendous job. So honestly, Deutsche, Bewohner der Städte, der Dörfe and basically anyone else who has a taste for good tough comedies - don't trust low ratings and go watch it. This movie just should not be in the 5 out of 10 stars area.

There are many gems to be found here. And it might actually be funnier, if it weren't so close to the truth. Or maybe that makes this worth more (seems funnier). This goes over the top of course too and some of the things that happen here, will not happen in real life (hopefully). But the intent and some of the suggestions are here already. And you do wonder, where this will lead Germany.

While the country is on the fence (not a literal one-yet) on which direction the people want it to go, there is a lot things brewing. And most of them are not really good. Or funny as they are portrayed in this one. Not to mention that evil pursuers are not always as stupid as they are portrayed in the movie here ...

Oh dear, what can I say... with movies / series that grab me, I have to stop myself from writing too much, but exactly the opposite happens with those that make it difficult for me.

For me, there was so much potential here (when reading the synopsis), and Benno Fürmann could have really been something. Not the big hit, I knew that, but a funny satire with good dialog and a few slapstick interludes would have been enough to make an entertaining film. I don't even want to talk about the look and effects. So many things could have been brought to the point better (there were one or two gags that worked). But it was dragged out so long that it loses itself in itself and that is a mixture of cheese, tedium, superficiality and dull humor. Too bad, too bad.

-------------- Bottom line: Weak.