Toni Erdmann (2016)

Genre: Comedy / Drama / Foreign

Directed by: Maren Ade

Cast: Peter Simonischek, Sandra Hüller, Ingrid Bisu

Running time: 162 minutes

Winfried Conradi is a divorced music teacher who, in an attempt to reconnect with his adult daughter, Ines, a young woman consumed by her work in business consulting, creates the character of Toni Erdmann for himself, so he can move around in her universe and hopefully interact a little more closely with her.

When I found out that this German-Austrian film was going to be redone in the States, with my favorite actor (Jack Nicholson) in the lead role, I decided to track down the original.

Toni Erdmann is kind of like the character of Ines, Winfriend’s daughter. It is not easily approachable; it demands effort on the part of the interested party. That being said, it is well worth it. The characters are multi-dimensional and well fleshed-out, and the story is very compelling. It contains multiple moments that are both funny and sweet. Here is a film that deserves the multiple awards it won.

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