★★★★☆
26 March 2017
A movie review of WILD MOUSE. |
“I’m an institution,” Georg (Josef Hader)
KLOWN, TONI ERDMANN, MY GREAT NIGHT, European comedies have been knocking it out of the park lately. WILD MOUSE joins them. Writer-director-lead Josef Hader sets out to impress immediately with the initial tracking shot. As Georg and his colleague Redakteurin (Nora von Waldstätten) converse about Jack White, we get a glimpse of the film’s droll humour. At the end of the shot is a cut to Georg being let go and a hilariously bitter exchange with his newspaper editor boss, Waller (Jörg Hartmann). That triggers, one might suppose, the main plot thread: Georg’s revenge on Waller. One might suppose, because the film attempts to reflect life and all its messiness. We do not live a single narrative, instead we careen off each other as we pass through. The chaos of a fairground setting is perhaps not coincidence? Georg’s frustrations are both chucklesome and poignant.
KLOWN, TONI ERDMANN, MY GREAT NIGHT, European comedies have been knocking it out of the park lately. WILD MOUSE joins them. Writer-director-lead Josef Hader sets out to impress immediately with the initial tracking shot. As Georg and his colleague Redakteurin (Nora von Waldstätten) converse about Jack White, we get a glimpse of the film’s droll humour. At the end of the shot is a cut to Georg being let go and a hilariously bitter exchange with his newspaper editor boss, Waller (Jörg Hartmann). That triggers, one might suppose, the main plot thread: Georg’s revenge on Waller. One might suppose, because the film attempts to reflect life and all its messiness. We do not live a single narrative, instead we careen off each other as we pass through. The chaos of a fairground setting is perhaps not coincidence? Georg’s frustrations are both chucklesome and poignant.
The writer-director has clearly learnt from LADY IN THE WATER: Don’t make your douchey protagonist a film critic, which is perhaps a red rag to the thin-skinned of the profession. Georg has been a music critic at his newspaper for 25 years, and his bile is a brand, which in turn has spilled over into his dealings with people. Acerbic retorts are funny for us to observe, but dealing with the self-important and self-obsessed is not so entertaining in the real world. Whether he will learn any lessons is in doubt, showing how European cinema can winningly eschew the mawkish character arc of redemption.
While simultaneously engaging and unsympathetic, combined traits still feeling fresh in a sea of try-to-please leads, his redundancy is commentary on modern cost cutting and the race to the bottom. Concomitantly, it can be equally suggested that this is a technological brave new world – in terms of the consumption of news and culture – and therefore resting on laurels is not an option. Be like the proverbial shark and never stop moving with the times, or die. Beyond being a character-driven comedy, WILD MOUSE is an analysis of a merciless business world.
TOKYO SONATA has a suddenly unemployed man saving face to his family by pretending to go to work. Georg does the same to his younger therapist wife, Johanna (Pia Hierzegger), keeping her in the dark. Part of the cringeworthy dread of the story is waiting for her to find out. Johanna is 43, at least 10 years younger, and really wants a child, but only decided at 40. She doesn’t hesitate to cuss him. He reciprocates. Georg’s lack of enthusiasm at being a father is clear (to us). The desire/pressure to have children is another element thrown into the mix. Johanna, like all the players, has a personality blind spot.
While hanging out in a park, Georg bumps into former school bully, Erich (Georg Friedrich – is it just me, or does he always seems to play a weasel?). They actually become friends. Themes of karma and forgiveness winsomely begin. Erich has his own demons. Jealousy and thin-skinned masculinity are his crosses to bear. With Romanian girlfriend, Nicoletta (Crina Semciuc), Erich can’t communicate literally and metaphorically. Like the oeuvre of director Hong Sang-soo, we are in the zone of male relationship incompetence.
WILD MOUSE hilariously skewers the fragility of ego.
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