Class reunion (2019)

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Movie
Original title Class reunion
Country of production Germany
original language German
Publishing year 2019
length 90 minutes
Rod
Director Jan Georg Schütte
script Jan Georg Schütte
production Sophia Aldenhoven ,
Dieter Ulrich Aselmann
music Patrick Reising ,
Francesco Wilking
camera Oliver Schwabe
cut Benjamin Ikes
occupation

Class reunion is an improvised German comedy film by Jan Georg Schütte from 2019. The 130-hour long material recorded by 24 cameras was viewed and evaluated and condensed into a 90-minute television film, which will be shown for the first time on March 6, 2019 on ARD Das Erste was broadcast. A talent for improvisation was required for the ensemble film with almost 18 prominent main actors who had only been given a roughly outlined role profile that they had to fill with life.

action

After 25 years there is a class reunion initiated by Gesa and Thorsten in the restaurant “Treffpunkt Paula”, in the hall of which the people who gathered celebrated their Abitur 25 years ago. The now over 40-year-olds are now facing their former classmates for the first time, with whom they had jointly developed plans for their future. You hug each other and first exchange memories, but also assess the others. It is inevitable that vanities will be exchanged and hurts will arise. Most of them are about their own ego.

Gesa has been married to her classmate Thorsten for 17 years. After the wish to have a child of their own did not work out, the couple adopted a little girl from Indonesia. Gesa sincerely hopes that the evening will be smooth and harmonious. Later that evening, however, Astrid confronts her with the fact that she did a striptease in front of classmates, during which the last item of clothing fell. This opening Gesa is not pleasant. And then there is the rumor that Thorsten has not only had a relationship with Marion for years, but even a child. Most of the boys at school were in love with Marion at the time. Her behavior on this evening, however, is puzzling as always, she seems to live not only in the now, but also in a parallel world. Thorsten is a teacher, as is Gesa. Although he loves his wife, he has some difficulties with some things without clearly addressing his backside. Katharina, now a social pedagogue, was still friends with Gesa and Thorsten after leaving school, but she came across the fact that they both tried hard to have a child at the time.

Stefanie, who has been married to a significantly older man for 20 years with whom she also has two children, reacts guiltily to "Krischi's" accusation of never having contacted her again. Krischi was her best friend and special buddy at school. Although there was never more between them, Stefanie already knew then that this was Kristian's greatest wish and probably still is. Kristian is now a successful shoe manufacturer, married and has four children. He stands by his conservative approach to life and is even proud to defend old values. When he told Ali Nasser, who was his best friend when he was at school, that it would have been better if his family hadn't come to Germany at the time, he was stunned and hurt. Ali earns his living as an animal surgeon, he performs cosmetic interventions on animals and earns himself a golden nose. That he has other shortcomings becomes clear as the evening progresses. For example, he grants the less than successful musician Hergen, who, as he himself describes it, works with a taxi company, various certificates, but also admits how much he wants children and how lonely he is often. Hergen has separated from his partner with whom he has three children, for whom he has to pay maintenance, so that he has little left.

Harald is a real estate agent and just wants to have fun, so his former classmate Nina, who has just been left by her husband and is looking for a connection, comes in handy. Sven wasn't actually invited to the class reunion, but still shows up, straight from the USA, as he announces. He seems to be the professionally most successful of the group, studied in Constance, doctorate in Bordeaux, his own law firm and now lives with his family in the USA, in a very large house, as he emphasizes. He tries to apologize for his provocative behavior at school, but that bounces off most of them. Astrid wasn't exactly prudish even when she was at school, which is why she was nicknamed "Titti". She likes to emphasize her curves with her clothes and has a particularly good relationship with Gesa.

Sandra, in turn, looks happy. She is pregnant and obviously comfortable in her own skin. She says she has a great marriage, great sex, a great man and great children. She is also a millionaire. There is no way she lacks self-confidence. It is also she who brings up the subject of “Thorsten and Marion”. And then there is Andi, who strangely enough most people thought was dead, for whatever reason. He still suffers from the fact that his German teacher, Mr Rebentisch, only gave him eleven points instead of twelve, which, in his opinion, meant that he failed his Abitur and was unable to study. Later he also failed the exam to become a nurse and is now a temporary nurse. He lives separated from his wife, with whom he has a daughter. He has loved Marion for as long as he can remember, he only came to the meeting because of her. Nicole had actually been looking forward to a sociable evening and can now hardly believe how often the mood changes. When she starts talking to Stefanie, she makes her an offer that she cannot and does not want to refuse.

Ulli Hamisch is married, has three children and is nicknamed "H-Milch". He is a farmer and is always indignant about suspicion of being homosexual. Stefan, a chemist by profession, is an outsider, which also contributes to the fact that he does not have a brilliant appearance and corresponding charisma. He was once in love with Marion, too, and even named his daughter after her. The only teacher at the class reunion is the German teacher Rebentisch, now retired and now and then a guest lecturer at the adult education center. He observes his former students carefully and comes to the conclusion that they have not changed that much.

production

Production notes, background

The film was made, without a script, within two days. The film was shot on November 25th and 26th, 2017 in an empty inn in Hürth in the Cologne administrative district . The actors only received rough role profiles in one-on-one interviews, which they then had to fill with life themselves. A talent for improvisation was required. So they only knew the life path of the other characters until the point in time when they parted ways after graduating from high school. They didn't know what had happened in the meantime, so they had to react spontaneously to situations. As with the award-winning experimental films Alterglow - Speed ​​Dating for Seniors (2014) and Wellness for Couples (2016), director Jan Georg Schütte also has a cameo here , this time as a pub host.

In the interview, Jan Georg Schütte said that he had fun “sitting around and fantasizing with the actors”. Since he already knew some of them, he could have assessed what they liked and how they would create their role. With others, however, there was a basic idea, everything else then developed in conversation. The biggest challenge in this project was the mass of material. There were more characters in this film than in his other two films. When it comes to editing, then having to decide on whom the “main focus” will be placed was an “extreme challenge”. That had to do not only with who was best, but where the story was going. They had a huge control room with twenty monitors because they were playing in up to five rooms at the same time. The viewing of the material, which ran for 130 hours, took almost a quarter of a year. Some of what didn't fit into the film could then be used for the series, for which six characters were selected, including Hergen, played by Marek Harloff and Ali, played by Kida Khodr Ramadan. Both would have been very clever to put together "their own little story". What he then got to see in the editing room was again "a great celebration". The technical challenges, such as coordinating 30 cameras and making the sound of 18 wired actors available in all rooms, were enormous.

Soundtrack

Statements of the participating actors

Almost all of the actors involved were thrilled to be part of such a film and agreed that they would do it again at any time.

Annette Frier, the actress in Gesa, said the film was "a real highlight". After the end of shooting, she was so “flashed” as if she had “got to know her job all over again” and was very “excited about the result”. Oliver Wnuk, who played Gesa's husband Thorsten, was of the opinion: “Superlatives are definitely appropriate here: by far the most exciting and thrilling filming experience I've had so far. With the queen of improvisation, the warm, ultra-fast, incredibly versatile and always listening Annette Frier at my side; with these wonderful and so different colleagues around you, it was like a birthday and Christmas together. ”The freedom given to the actors made everyone feel as though they had played the leading role.

Anja Kling, the actress who played Stefanie, said that she had already seen Schütte's two previous improvisation films "with great enthusiasm". The request for possible participation in 'class reunions' triggered "great joy mixed with excitement, a thirst for adventure and a little fear". Such a project is “a special journey” in the work of an actor and “anything but everyday”. She will be "grateful" for the rest of her life that she was allowed to be part of this experiment "alongside all the other wonderful actors." The "shooting time without interruption, without directing instructions and in total improvisation" was for her "an unbelievable experience of true and honest experience of the most varied of emotions", "a real intoxication that remains unique". Charly Hübner, the performer of Krischi, was amazed: “What a risk, what an ensemble.” It didn't feel like a shoot, but like a class reunion. “What fun, what a modern approach, what fear of the result.” Something like this was “strongly recommended to be copied”, he would “do it again and again”. Kida Khodr Ramadan, who was Ali Nasser in the film, praised: “24 cameras, great colleagues, an improfilm where you are really free - that was an experiment that I have been missing as an actor!” Marek Harloff, the actor at Hergen , expressed meaningfully: "Thought shortly before shooting: Oh God, what did I get involved with (cold sweat on forehead, racing heart, escape reflex) ... Thought myself a few hours later after shooting closed: Oh God, I never want to work any other way!"

Jeanette Hain, who embodied Marion, was also enthusiastic: “If a fairy came around the corner, I would wish to do nothing other than surrender to the moment every moment, with skin and hair, off my head to feet, with heart and brain. No ghosts of thought, no story case, the now is magic enough, we don't need more, it holds all the wonders of this world. The fairy flew around the corner, or rather, a whole swarm, a fireworks display! Jan Georg Schütte, the 'die film', the team, the colleagues, the location. The heartbeat of the evening, a class reunion. ”Aurel Manthei was occupied as Andi. This was once "a special task", he said. He has "never seen so many professionals peeing their pants before kick-off!"

Christian Kahrmann, who played Harald, was also enthusiastic and said: "Something so great and extraordinary doesn't come every day!" The work was "a really crazy experience between good fear and complete freedom from play", so "actually that", what you constantly need as an actor - "the ride on the blade between uncertainty", what happens and the question of how to let yourself fall into it. He has never been "so excited about the result". Nicole Kersten, who can be seen in the film as Nina, said before you know it, you are "in the middle of a love story that you couldn't have imagined". It is “a real pleasure and honor to be part of this adventure. Gladly more of it! ”Fabian Hinrichs, who embodied Sven, who came from the USA, said that there were filming that felt like“ like doing a four-week internship at the consumer advice center ”. With Schütte it is "completely different". Much of the film is "like in life".

For Anna Schudt, the actress in Astrid, shooting at the class reunion was also “an absolute experience”, she would say it was “a four-hour trip”. “Not knowing anything, just abandoning yourself to your intuition, seeing 17 actors 'thinking', surfing through the rooms and indulging in improvisation”, that was “a unique experience”. You loved improvisation at drama school and were a fan of Jan Georg Schuette's film ideas from the very beginning. Nina Kunzendorf, who can be seen as Katharina, also spoke of an "extraordinary experience". Elena Uhlig, who appeared as Sandra, said with a laugh that she herself had not yet been to a class reunion, "but that is how bad" she imagines it to be. The shoot was "a completely new experience" that she "had a lot of fun". “Something so extraordinary” is only possible “with top-class colleagues” who know what they are doing and a director like Jan Georg Schütte. "In order to shoot a film in real time without a script", "every character - despite improvisation - must have a complete life beforehand", and that is "the difficulty". She would make a film like that with Schütte again at any time.

Nadja Zwanziger gave the Nicole and explained: “The fact that we all had a whimper and respect for the unknown made us both allies and victims for one day. It was extremely exciting work! ”Guido Renner could be seen as Ulli. He said that for him, working in this troupe was “like the Champions League final 90 minutes on the pitch”: “a party”. This class reunion was the best of his career. Björn Jung, who embodied Stefan, praised: “A beautiful, crazy, extraordinary shoot. Developed the role together with Jan and then improvised everything with great colleagues. Played through for four hours in a row! hot! Last time I did so long as a child. "Burghart Klaußner, the actor of the teacher Rebentisch, said:" A splendid, furious place to experiment for imagination and joy in playing. These 12 hours passed with great pleasure and sophisticated technical effort, with an end that surprised me. I'm really looking forward to the result! "

reception

Audience rating

When it was first broadcast, the film was watched by a total of 5.44 million viewers, the market share was 17.2 percent, among 14–49 year old viewers it was 1.08 million viewers with a market share of 11 percent.

criticism

The film service praised: “Improvised tragicomedy, in which entertaining and surprising moments arise again and again within the clear boundaries of place and period thanks to an impressive cast of actors.” It was noted that the problem complexes mentioned are hardly deepened and ultimately only dealt with superficially. - From 14. "

Oliver Junge from the Frankfurter Allgemeine was very impressed and wrote: “'Class reunion' is a deeply authentic film about the stumbling of the carefree generation. And all without a script. ”Junge continued:“ Whatever the actors who improvise happily on the basis of role profiles and their own experiences have such a movingly real impression and a joke that comes so deeply from within that one can become addicted to it . "[...] Above all, it shows" how outstanding our top actors really are "if you let them:" Encounters on television rarely seem so close, funny and tragic ".

Blickpunkt Film said: “A great moment!” The television magazine rtv also thanked it with a positive review: “Wonderfully played by an ensemble that visibly enjoys its freedom. We would like to thank each and every one for these entertaining 90 minutes. ”And the Weserkurier was also enthusiastic:“ To condense all animprovised storylines at the end [...] into a drama that not only ends in alcohol excess, but also a few sad ones holds comforting truths ready - that is really great art. "and the star said:" Experiment succeeded. "

Aurelie von Blazekovic from the Süddeutsche Zeitung also found words of praise: “A fine film about the crises of people in their mid-40s. Without a script and with a grandiose ensemble.” […] A class reunion could “turn into a terrible catastrophe”. The film is "fortunately not".

Markus Ehrenberg from Tagesspiegel was also enthusiastic and spoke of a “terrific film”: “Lost illusions, appearances and being. A later adjustment. That's what makes all these class reunions so attractive. In the end, the director Schütte releases his characters into the night. And his audience with a perplexed, oppressive feeling. Is that a comedy? Tragedy? A nightmare? In any case, big television. "

TV Spielfilm gave a thumbs up, gave one of three possible points for demand and tension and two for humor, spoke of a "show of the stars" with a brilliant Charly Hübner and drew the conclusion: "Sobering and comforting at the same time." “Dramaturgically and technically” this film is “even more demanding than its two predecessors”. How Anja Kling designed her role, "full of pain and disappointment", was "great acting". You can feel "who likes this kind of spontaneous game and who doesn't". A "great actor like Burghart Klaußner dives, while the pregnant Elena Uhlig turns out to be a mood cannon and Aurel Manthei shows touchingly how a school grade can destroy a life".

Rainer Tittelbach gave the film 5.5 out of 6 possible stars on his page tittelbach.tv and praised it: “With his third impro-comedy 'Klassentreffen', Jan Georg Schütte tackled the phenomenon of the same name, which is more connectable and even closer to everyday life than that Topics from 'Glowing Age - Speed ​​Dating for Seniors' and 'Wellness for Couples'. The requirements: 18 actors, no script, only role profiles, a real inn with several sub-locations, which was recorded for over four hours without interruption, plus 32 cameras and 24 cameramen. And it's like in real life: Everyone is slipping back into the roles (games) from back then. There are those who quarrel with their fate, those who are absolutely at peace with themselves, and those whose happy facade is beginning to crumble a little. The characters and the actors are at the heart of the film. They tell of the past, of feelings, of the undigested, of the repressed. Schütte condenses the flow of speech into small, sometimes very truthful stories with realistic conflict potential. The 130 hours turned into 90 unconventional, humorous, insightful and melancholy minutes of film. "

Miniseries

The shooting yielded so much material that it was used to produce a six-part series Class Reunions - The series of 30 minutes per episode, which was broadcast on TV channel One . In each of the individual episodes, a figure is at the center and scenes are shown that are not or only hinted at in the film.

  • Episode 1: Gesa / 2: Ali & Hergen / 3: Marion /
  • Episode 4: Sandra / 5. "Krischi" / 6. Thorsten

Web links

Commons : Premiere television film “Class Reunion”  - collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b class reunion see page 3sat.de, November 23, 2019. Accessed on May 28, 2020.
  2. ↑ a b Rainer Unruh: class reunion: shooting without a book see page tvspielfilm.de
  3. ↑ a b c class reunion 100% improvised. see PDF document on diefilmgmbh.de
  4. ↑ a b c d e f For the actors and their roles see page daserste.de
  5. ↑ Quotas / TV ratings “Class reunion ” see page diefilmgmbh.de
  6. ↑ class reunion. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed May 28, 2020 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  7. ↑ Oliver Junge: What has become of us In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , March 6, 2019. Accessed on May 28, 2020.
  8. ↑ For class reunions, see page diefilmgmbh.de. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  9. ↑ Aurelie of Blazekovic: All of mendacious In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , March 6, 2019. Accessed May 28, 2020th
  10. ↑ Markus Ehrenberg: Lost Illusions: Nightmare “Class Reunion” In: Der Tagesspiegel , March 5, 2019. Accessed on May 28, 2020.
  11. ↑ For class reunions, see page tvspielfilm.de. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  12. ^ Rainer Tittelbach : TV film "Class Meeting". Hübner, Frier, Ramadan, Hain, Wnuk, Kling, Hinrichs, Schütte. Class list see page tittelbach.tv. Retrieved May 20, 2020.