I was a happy woman
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | I was a happy woman |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 2017 |
| length | 89 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Martin Enlen |
| script | Edda Leesch |
| production | Carsten Staudt |
| music | Dieter Schleip |
| camera | Philipp Timme |
| cut | Stefan Kraushaar |
| occupation | |
| |
I was a happy woman is a German TV movie from 2017 . Martin Enlen directed the marriage and neighborhood drama produced by Hessischer Rundfunk . A sick woman blossoms in the face of the supposed happiness of her younger neighbors until the illusion collapses.
action
Eva Sanders is recently divorced and has just moved into a new house in Frankfurt with her children. Unexpectedly, she receives a call from her former neighbor Hermann Blok, saying that his wife has died and that he has something important to discuss with Eva. As requested, Eva travels to him. From his house she has a direct view of her old house and the memories are awakened in her. When she moved in, it was actually clear to her husband that the neighborhood was being watched. They got along well with the Bloks from day one. That's why Eva is very sorry that Sylvia Blok died so suddenly. However, her neurological disease had been emerging for several years. The once so active and clever woman had to accept that many things no longer work as they used to. Over time, she couldn't leave the house. During her visit, Hermann Blok reports to Eva that his wife seemed to come to life after they had replanted a beech tree in their garden. But she also learns that from then on Sylvia Blok sat by the window for almost eight hours a day and watched the Sanders. In the evening she told her husband what had happened to her neighbors during the day. Eva is annoyed to hear that they were downright "stalked" without even realizing it. It reassures her that this did not happen out of a lust for sensation, but because the woman of the family felt emotionally connected and just wanted to take part in her life. In addition, the observations gave her new courage to face life and she was delighted with the happiness of her neighbors' family. She educated herself to be part of this family. In her observations, however, she also projected everything into it that she had not achieved in her life.
When Herman Blok reports this so touchingly, Eva has to confess to him that this happiness was deceptive. A family party in the garden, which seemed harmonious and happy to the Bloks, was almost the beginning of the end for the Sanders. While life apparently started all over again for Mrs. Blok when the beech tree was replanted and she now had a clear view of the neighboring property, it was exactly the opposite for the Sanders. The discontent had crept more and more into Eva's and Jan's lives. Jan was driven more and more to change something in his life. At first it was just a tree that had been replanted, a picture hung around the neck, but soon he thought of going on a pilgrimage alone. The argument about it took place in the house and was not seen by the neighbors. Eva realized that her husband was no longer satisfied with anything. The rift was obvious and only a matter of time before their marriage fell apart. When Jan came back from his trip, he was changed. It was clear to Eva that this could only be related to the fact that Jan fell in love with another woman.
Next door, Sylvia Blok had now also recognized that the Sanders were facing misfortune. Since she felt part of this family, she felt that she needed to make a few small corrections. So she persuaded her husband to let the Sanders use their vacation home by the sea because the Bloks could no longer use it themselves. But Jan had already decided for himself to find his own apartment and a break. The day he left his family, Sylvia Blok had a breakdown and became a foster care provider. When she could be contacted again, she immediately asked about her neighbors, and Hermann Blok began to lie to her. Allegedly the Sanders would have reconciled and everything would be fine again. Therefore, he could not bring his wife back to his home as long as the "ideal world" was not the order of the day for his neighbors. The attempt Bloks to persuade Jan to come back to his wonderful wife and children failed. So he shadowed Jan and secretly talked to his new girlfriend that she should let Jan go. But even that was unsuccessful, because under false assumptions he withheld a letter from Jan in which Jan asked his wife for forgiveness.
background
Edda Leesch wrote the screenplay based on the story Ik droom dus by Margriet de Moor . The editor was Liane Jessen . The shooting took place in August and September 2016 mainly in Oberursel and Frankfurt am Main .
The world premiere was on September 9, 2017 at the Festival of German Films in Ludwigshafen am Rhein , where I was a happy woman was nominated for the film art award. The premiere in the first on October 18, 2017 ran parallel to the ZDF broadcast Champions League match of FC Bayern Munich, reaching 4.18 million viewers, representing a market share of 13.7 percent.
Reviews
Tilmann P. Gangloff from Tittelbach.tv draws the following verdict: “Although the film consists almost entirely of dialogues, thanks to Petra Schmidt-Schaller and Rainer Bock, the performances never seem stage-like, on the contrary; In the strongest scenes, director Enlen manages without words. A four-person piece. An exquisitely played parable about appearance and being. An astute, unusually told story rich in readings & subtexts; and the fact that she is not looking for the shoulder-to-shoulder with the crime thriller makes her particularly valuable! "
In Quotenmeter.de Julian evaluated Miller: "The unnecessary, totally incongruous with the rest of the pleasant characteristic style voice-over that some key moments commented of the film and framing it with pseudo-philosophical thought at the beginning and the end, the successful action detracts from this otherwise totally unpretentious film something . But overall he makes a lot out of the interesting, innovative perspective with which he looks at the life of his protagonists, and in the title he holds out the prospect of a double-edged disposition that he knows how to comment skillfully "
Ulrich Feld from the FNP said: “Martin Enlen and screenwriter Edda Leesch tell the story from the end. The gap between reality and appearance in the story of a betrayed wife develops a considerable pull, also through Petra Schmidt-Schaller: Who could embody the fragility of middle-class happiness and life plans better and more engaging than Schmidt-Schaller, if you end up with bare feet goes through a meadow? "
At the FAZ , Axel Weidemann judged: “The film 'I was a happy woman' looks at the collapse of relationships. An apparently intact family holds a dark secret, and the neighbor only sees what she wants to see. The question is what is that supposed to tell us. "
Awards
In 2017, the director Martin Enlen was awarded the audience award for I was a happy woman at the Festival of German Films in Ludwigshafen . Petra Schmidt-Schaller won the Golden Camera 2018 as best German actress for her roles in I was a happy woman and No Second Chances .
Web links
- I was a happy woman in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- I was a happy woman at filmportal.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b I was a happy woman. In: filmportal.de . German Film Institute , accessed on October 19, 2017 .
- ↑ Filming continues. HR in Oberursel. In: Frankfurter Rundschau. August 5, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
- ↑ Champions League wins for young and old, "The Taste" crashes in week 2. In: Meedia . October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
- ^ Tilmann P. Gangloff : Petra Schmidt-Schaller, Rainer Bock, Leesch, Martin Enlen. The happiness of others at Tittelbach.tv , accessed on November 22, 2017.
- ↑ Julian Miller: I was a happy woman at Oddsmeter.de, accessed on November 22, 2017.
- ↑ Ulrich Feld: I was a happy woman: Similar to Eugen Roth at FNP , accessed on November 22, 2017.
- ↑ Axel Weidemann: We strive into the dark, and we know it at FAZ , accessed on November 22, 2017.
- ↑ Ludwigshafen Prize goes to two films . Article dated September 16, 2017, accessed September 16, 2017.