Now or Never (2019)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Now or Never |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 2019 |
| length | 89 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Gerd Schneider |
| script | Belo black |
| production |
Rüdiger Heinze , Stefan Sporbert |
| music | Martina Eisenreich |
| camera | Dominik Berg |
| cut | Laura wake up |
| occupation | |
| |
Now or Never (alternative spelling: Now or never ) is a German feature film from 2019 by Gerd Schneider with Michael Pink and Tinka Fürst . Belo Schwarz wrote the screenplay based on an idea by Rüdiger Heinze . The premiere took place on September 3, 2019 at the Festival of German Films in Ludwigshafen . In the first , the tragicomedy was broadcast for the first time on June 24, 2020 as part of the film Wednesday in the first.
action
Rebecca Franz is a young woman who has an incurable brain tumor . She decides to put an end to her life and for this purpose goes to a hospice for euthanasia in Constance . While the preliminary discussions are being held on the German side of the border, dying takes place in Switzerland , where euthanasia is legal. To do this, the bed is moved to the Swiss part of the building.
Henry, who is often in a bad mood and hungover, works for the local association as a death helper. He receives an order from his boss to accompany Rebecca as she dies. Before doing this, he has to find out whether she is really determined to do so. The evening before her planned death, Rebecca would like to party again, Henry has to accompany her. The night in a club ends with a breakdown and convulsion.
When Henry tried to initiate her death the next day, Rebecca changed her mind. Instead, she wants to see a miracle healer in the Swiss Alps, whom she claims to have heard on the radio on the taxi ride from the hotel to the death clinic, and who may be able to save her life. Henry is supposed to bring her to this. Rebecca uses a letter to Henry from Henry's late wife Antje as leverage.
Together, Rebecca and Henry set off for Königstal, where they learn from the shopkeeper that the miracle healer could mean Schocher. The two are being followed by Henry's colleague Benno and Rebecca's husband Daniel, whose existence Rebecca Henry had kept secret. Daniel is a staunch opponent of euthanasia and wants to prevent his wife from parting life. Due to an upcoming Elvis Tribute , several Elvis Presley doubles are on the way, which they meet on the trip.
When Rebecca and Henry meet Benno and Daniel, Henry introduces Benno as the man who killed my wife . Henry's wife Antje died over seven years ago, she was suffering from ALS . Henry was a doctor at the time and had given up his job to take care of his wife entirely. Benno was already a death helper at that time, he got Antje the fatal barbiturate , on the condition that Henry is there when she ingests it, which she had not done. Henry found her suicide note in his dead wife's jacket. After her death, Henry began to drink and work as a death helper.
On the way to Schocher, Rebecca tells Henry at a lonely mountain lake that she only made up the miracle healer because she is afraid. After a night in Schocher's hut, Henry and Daniel bring Rebecca back to the lake, where Henry gives Rebecca the barbiturate and Rebecca dies peacefully. Henry, who initially reacted very soberly and dismissively, was mentally affected by this farewell, because through the time he had to spend with Rebecca, she helped him back into life through her refreshing manner, while he was able to take away her fear of dying.
Production and Background
The shooting took place from October 9th to November 9th 2018, the shooting took place in Konstanz , Tyrol and Switzerland . The film was produced by Zum Goldenen Lamm Filmproduktion on behalf of Südwestrundfunk (SWR). Elisabeth Kesten was responsible for the costume design, Pierre Brayard for the production design and Steffen Graubaum for the sound.
The title is given to the song It's Now or Never by Elvis Presley , which Rebecca finds on a cassette in the glove compartment of Henry's car. Two years before the casting, a friend of the leading actress Tinka Fürst was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
reception
Thomas Gehringer from tittelbach.tv described the film as a "weird road movie full of lovable characters and a festival of black humor". Even if not every saying is super original, Belo Schwarz and Gerd Schneider succeeded in creating a fast-paced, entertaining tragic comedy about existential issues. It's playfully easy about the value of life, the fear of death and also the question of whether you should dissuade loved ones from self-determined death. The quaint Swiss guys like the old shopkeeper couple and the supposed miracle healer Schocher, who point the way to the scene of the sentimental and somewhat heartbreaking finale, are also very funny.
Wilfried Geldner wrote in the Weser Kurier that the film turned the phenomenon of euthanasia into a tragic comedy that did not want to offer solutions in the form of moral judgments and instead sparked rousing sparks from the clash of two people in anticipation of death. Geldner described the film as a road movie, which is already known in a modified form from other death films, for example Knockin 'on Heaven's Door and And I'll be dead tomorrow noon .
TV Spielfilm described the film as a perfect balance between wit and tragedy and, over long periods, a fast-paced road movie with wonderfully absurd moments and deep black humor. Nevertheless, there would be time for in-depth reflections. Because the film avoids kitsch, the end will have a long lasting effect.
Katharina Zeckau found on NWZonline.de that the film started out a bit wooden and even now and then a little clumsy, but that it became more and more organic the more it literally got going. The film develops increasingly beautiful, true and touching moments. Occasionally, however, the film would remain a bit too schematic in the middle passage. The tragicomedy only comes to terms with itself when all four finally end up with the grandiose ludicrous figure of the miracle healer Schocher. The film skilfully balances especially in its last third on the fine line between black humor and real sympathy. What the film lacks is a real discussion on the controversial issue of euthanasia.
Tilmann P. Gangloff wrote on Evangelisch.de that although the ending was depressing, Schneider had made an extremely life-affirming film. Despite various surprisingly funny ideas, the film is ultimately a drama. The appearance alone leaves no doubt about this: the equipment and costume design are emphatically achromatic, bright moments are very rare. The mountain pictures were also depressing. Martina Eisenreich's music is also interesting, as it often only consists of drums. Especially with the scenes at the beginning, some supporting actors would clearly reach their limits. However, that could not diminish the good overall impression of the film.
Oliver Junge said in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that the film had many touching moments. The fact that none of this seems disrespectful is due to the fact that the director and screenwriter aimed at the opposite of black humor, pale as death, so to speak, but which is carried by a flow of heat. Even the lush, colorful landscape of Switzerland appears discolored. After a slightly bumpy start, the film soon turns into a surreal road movie with a dry joke that leads, kitsch-free, into a tearful, conciliatory, almost epiphany finale.
- Quota
The first broadcast on ARD on June 24, 2020 was followed by 2.7 million viewers, the market share was 10.5 percent.
Web links
- Now or Never at crew united
- Now or Never in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Now or Never at filmportal.de
- Now or never on daserste.de
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b "Now or never" on June 24th in the first. In: festival-des-deutschen-films.de. Retrieved June 19, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c Now or Never. In: filmportal.de . German Film Institute , accessed on June 19, 2020 .
- ↑ a b c Now or Never at crew united . Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- ^ Now or Never - Festival of German Films. In: festival-des-deutschen-films.de. Retrieved June 19, 2020 .
- ^ Now or never - FilmWednesday on the first - ARD. In: daserste.de. Retrieved June 19, 2020 .
- ^ A b c Thomas Gehringer: Cinema co-production "Now or Never". In: tittelbach.tv . May 2, 2020, accessed June 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Tinka Fürst in an interview about "Now or Never": "Do we have more than just this moment?" In: goldenekamera.de. Retrieved June 24, 2020 .
- ↑ Thomas Gehringer: TV film "Now or never": So close to heaven. In: Tagesspiegel.de . June 23, 2020, accessed June 24, 2020 .
- ↑ Wilfried Geldner: Elvis lives, Rebecca dies. In: Weser Courier . May 2, 2020, accessed June 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Now or never - film review - film - TV SPIELFILM. In: TV feature film . Retrieved June 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Katharina Zeckau: On this road trip, the journey is the goal. In: NWZonline.de . June 23, 2020, accessed June 23, 2020 .
- ^ Tilmann P. Gangloff : TV tip: "Now or never" (ARD). In: Evangelisch.de . June 24, 2020, accessed June 24, 2020 .
- ↑ Oliver Junge: Maybe there is still life before death. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . June 24, 2020, accessed June 25, 2020 .