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MOVIE: 25kmh

| 21 May 2019 | Reply

MOVIE: 25kmh
Directed by Markus Goller
Starring Lars Eidinger, Bjarne Mädel, Franka Potente
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
78%

Workaholic lawyer Christian and sullen carpenter Georg are an odd couple with thirty years of bitterness between them in this family reunion film with loads of heart.

They’ve been estranged for three decades but are reunited awkwardly when Christian returns – late – for their abusive father’s funeral. Georg, who has stayed in their Black Forest village caring for Dad and living a boring and humble life devoid of surprises, immediately falls into a graveside tussle with Christian, who has been working in Singapore for a year without so much as a single day off.

Returning, disgruntled, to the family home, they immediately begin to bond – and have issues – over their teenage love of ping pong and a LOT of alcohol and bratwurst. Before you can say “apfelstrudel” the bickering but sentimental duo rediscover their unfulfilled teenage challenge for a cross-country moped road trip to the Baltic Sea, complete with a myriad of sex and drugs and sheer stupidity challenged thrown in for good measure.

A lot of schnapps makes the decision pretty simple, and drunk as skunks, they embark on their trip at 25 kmh, and this is where the fun really starts.

25kmh is a charming and at times hilarious and moving film full of heart about not only a physical journey, but also an emotional one as the brothers reconnect and fall out and reconnect again. Both have to discover their true selves, correct old wrongs, air grievances, make amends, and a series of encounters with some quirky characters such as Franka Potente’s bored and lonely housewife Ute, Jella Hasse’s young hippie Willie, and Wotan Wilke Möhring’s psycho ping pong hustler Hantel add to the fun and adventures.

The gorgeous forested countryside is beautifully filmed with a keen artist’s eye, providing a counterpoint to the mayhem and emotional turmoil, and writer Oliver Ziegenbalg and director Markus Goller imbue their film with important nuance and detail to add to the charm.

25kmh is screening as part of the German Film Festival.

Category: Movie & Theatre Reviews

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