Always forward!
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Always forward! |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 2017 |
| length | 94 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Francis Meletzky |
| script | Markus Thebe |
| production |
Günter Knarr Philipp Weinges |
| music |
Moritz Denis Eike Hosenfeld |
| camera | Bella halves |
| cut | Zaz Montana |
| occupation | |
| |
Always forward! is a German feature film directed by Francis Meletzky from 2017 with Jörg Schüttauf in the leading role. The film has nothing to do with the book of the same name Vorwärts Immer by Karl Heinz Waschke.
action
During the upheaval in 1989, a theater company rehearsed a political play in Berlin, in which the actor Otto Wolf is supposed to portray the head of state and party leader Erich Honecker . As often as he rehearses, he always considers his text to be implausible. He is also afraid of performing the piece at all, because as socially critical as that is, he fears that he will end up locked up for it. But that's not all, his daughter has decided to secretly go to West Berlin, where her mother lives. During a break from rehearsals, Anne says goodbye to him very heartily, which is seen and also photographed by two Stasi officers . Since Otto is still wearing his Honecker outfit, they consider him the real head of state and don't really know how to assess the situation.
Otto in turn suspects that Anne wants to move in with her mother and now learns from her that she is pregnant and has therefore got herself a "West" passport, which she proudly shows him. But to her horror, her father tears up the valuable document with the intention of protecting her from herself. So she has no choice but to get a new one. But August, your contact, has to go to Leipzig to film the next Monday demonstration for the West German news. Without further ado Anna accompanies him and her boyfriend Matti joins them. But they do not know that the army and police are preparing to break up this new demonstration by force on the evening of October 9th. When Otto finds out about this, he thinks about how he can protect his daughter. He comes up with the insane plan to withdraw the shooting order in Leipzig as a Honecker double. The problem, however, is that this can only be done by telephone via the internal service line. Therefore, Otto has to be able to get into Honecker's office in the Central Committee . Since the real head of state is currently hunting in Wandlitz , the company does not seem to be difficult. Otto is very tense, but he's on his way. After minor problems, he is able to find the right office, but he cannot find the right phone. While looking for the important service, he happened to witness a conspiracy, because Egon Krenz and Stasi chief Mielke are currently planning to take power themselves. You are therefore very surprised to meet Honecker in the Central Committee and not on the hunt. Otto wants to retreat, but slips on the freshly polished stairs and is taken to his home in an ambulance , where his personal doctor examines him and gives Margot Honecker rules of conduct for her sick husband. Otto pretends to be asleep and wants to leave the house as soon as possible. This is also urgently needed because the real Honecker has just returned from the hunt. Otto's fellow actors are also there to help him escape from the forest settlement. Since Otto and Honecker suddenly face each other in the house, Otto has to use all his acting talent to save the situation. This succeeds with great effort, because he also has to convince Margot of his authenticity, who was informed by the attentive guards that there is a doppelganger of her husband. Margot Honecker of course notices the difference, but plays the comedy because Otto is very convincing. Since there is a second internal service in the house, he can prevent the military operation in Leipzig from here just in time.
Subplot
While Otto makes every effort in Berlin to protect his daughter Anne from state violence, she and August are arrested by the Stasi in Leipzig. Thanks to the timely phone call from her father, both of them are released again and after August, who is himself a FRG citizen, has given her a new ID, her decision to leave East Berlin remains. Anne's friend Matti wants to hold her back, but since she doesn't want her child to grow up in the GDR, she sticks to her decision. When she crosses the border, she secretly takes with her the film footage of August, whom she got very close on her Leipzig adventure. After giving birth to her child, however, she still cannot decide between Matti and August.
background
The shooting took place from November 10, 2015 to January 29, 2016. The film was produced by Crazy Film GmbH in cooperation with ARD Degeto Film and Roxy Film .
reception
Audience rating
Vorwärts was always on in German cinemas ! from October 12, 2017. The first broadcast on German television took place on January 14, 2019 on Sky Cinema and on August 26, 2019 on free TV and was seen by 2.81 million viewers and achieved a market share of 10.6 percent for the first .
Reviews
cinema.de judged: “Jörg Schüttauf is celebrating a wild Köpenickiade as Erich Honecker's doppelganger. 'Always forwards, never backwards' was the political credo of the GDR head of state Erich Honecker. The satirical comedy by Franziska Meletzky makes ironic reference to the motto of the socialist petty dictator, who is portrayed in the film surprisingly convincingly by [...] Jörg Schüttauf. "" 'Forward always!' is a mischievous Köpenickiade with the courage to exaggerate, but also incorporates serious undertones in the right places. And Jörg Schüttauf is a stunner as a replacement for Honi! "
For welt.de , Michael Pilz criticized: “Forward always!” “Is the first film in which the East appears as the East thinks it remembers the East.” “Anyone who was there back then becomes something of a cinema again feel the fear, defiance and triumph. The armored personnel carriers are rolling, the riot police are marching, the Stasi are filming. The power apparatus makes you mobile. "
Bert Rebhandl from the FAZ said: “An absurd plot in the midst of the events surrounding the peaceful revolution in the GDR: 'Forward always!', With Jörg Schüttauf as (false) Honecker, is a different kind of comedy.” About this film “zu To laugh does not mean to laugh at the GDR. In 'Always Forward!' the united Federal Republic could learn once again that the revolution of 1989 was such a heroic event that it is better remembered with as little pathos as possible. But with the deeper meaning of this film, which is edifying in the best sense of the word, and with the daring comedy of Jörg Schüttauf, who makes the world spirit mumble in a great way. "
fbw-filmbwertung.com called the film "An amusing comedy with a political background [...] that convinces with a good sense of timing and a suitably chosen ensemble."
Britta Schmeis from epd-film.de wrote: Forward always! “It all sounds like slapstick, and in parts it is. Nonetheless, Meletzky manages a thoroughly amusing political comedy with a sophisticated joke and a dose of retro charm, including Trabi, Creme 21 and Udo Lindenberg record, which such a film needs. Very lightly, but not too succinctly, she weaves in depressing aspects of the GDR dictatorship: Even in Wolf's ensemble, the actors are not safe from spying colleagues, actually nobody can trust anyone. "
In the Tagesspiegel , Martin Schwickert said: “The plot develops a grotesque charm on the screen.” “Meletzky understands her screwball comedy craft, which includes slapstick inserts as well as over-turning the plot of confusion. Comedies live not least of all from the detail, from the Udo Lindenberg motorcycle jacket in Honecker's wardrobe to the artificial teeth that the Krenz impersonator (Alexander Schubert) constantly has to adjust. The self-discovery dialogue when the real and the false general secretary meet is also brilliantly silly. Compared to this carefully orchestrated chaos, the interwoven triangular love story about pregnant Anne clearly falls away. 'Forward always!' is a late, successful exception of the GDR comedy genre, which takes a place next to 'Good Bye, Lenin!' earned."
Web links
- Always forward! in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Always forward! at Fernsehserien.de
- Always forward! at crew united
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for forward always! Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 166376 / K).
- ↑ Forward always! at crew united
- ↑ TV premiere accessed at quotenmeter.de, accessed on April 6, 2020.
- ↑ A disrespectful, extremely enjoyable GDR slapstick with a Jörg Schüttauf, who proves first-class comedy talent as a substitute Honi at cinema.de, accessed on April 6, 2020.
- ↑ Michael Pilz: Film review on welt.de, accessed on April 6, 2020.
- ↑ Bert Rebhandl: “You almost screwed up the funny turn” at faz.net , accessed on April 6, 2020.
- ↑ Critique of the film beifbw-filmbeval.com, accessed on April 6, 2020.
- ↑ Britta Schmeis: film review at epd-film.de, accessed on April 6, 2020.
- ↑ Martin Schwickert: Der doppelte Honecker at tagesspiegel.de , accessed on April 6, 2020.