TONI ERDMANN

Germany, 2015, 162 minutes, Colour.
Peter Simonischek, Sandra Huller.
Directed by Maran Ade.

Toni Erdmann turned out to be a very popular comedy drama in its native Germany as well is at festivals and overseas release.

Toni Erdmann is made up name by the central character, a man who is growing older, lives by himself, is prone to practical jokes which immediately emerge when a postal deliverer arrives at his door with a parcel and Toni Erdmann pretends to have a dialogue with a made up brother, talks about his expertise in explosives, scaring the deliverer. He then makes up his face with bizarre, somewhat clown-like make up, puts in a set of upper false teeth which recur often during the film and then goes to visit his ex-wife and her husband as well as his mother, then going to a school performance for which he had put on the make up and very quickly we get some idea of who he is.

But the other principal character of the film is his daughter, Ines, a very successful business woman, a driven woman who acts as a consultant, going to Shanghai, living in Bucharest, giving advice to business heads for restructuring (which runs the risk of a lot of retrenchment of jobs). She has a very limited relationship with her father who unexpectedly turns up in Bucharest and starts to change her life.

While the film shows the tongue-in-cheek humorous side of the story, it also focuses on the very serious side, the life of the young woman, her playing up shrewdly to authority figures, going to socials to smooth the course, running the risk of clashing with bosses even though she wants to please them.

Much of the comedy of the film is in the dialogue from Toni as well as his constant turning up, surprising everyone, including the audience. The serious side comes from Ines and her trying to deal with her father, farewelling him but his unexpectedly turning up and having to keep up the charade that he was a visiting coaching expert. This leads to encounters with a group of her women friends, his suggesting that he was the German ambassador to a woman who runs a charity and whom he later encounters, accompanying his daughter on a difficult diplomatic mission to consult with an oil company manager.

It is not always clear where the story is going – the audiences probably have hopes that the father will transform his daughter. There are two special sequences where something of this happens, his taking his daughter to the charity where children paint eggs and then urging her to do a Whitney Houston, and her belting out the song, The Greatest Love of All, brings some kind of release. And when she has a birthday party, she decides that it will be a naked party which has very different effects on her guests – and then her father turns up disguised as a giant mammoth.

Peter Simonischek is thoroughly persuasive as the father and Sandra Huller is convincing as the driven business woman. Though, there is quite a moral message about authenticity and life and not being crushed by being driven in the business world, it is communicated with a great deal of humour.

1. The popularity of the film? Public? Festivals? Critics?

2. German production, German sensibility? Perspective on older people? Younger, the world business? Life and style?

3. The German town, ordinary?

4. The contrast with Bucharest, the city, the views, the open spaces, the affluent world, work, offices, socials? The musical score?

5. Introduction, the parcel to be delivered, Tony at the door, pretending to be a brother, the prank about the bombs, the signal for his blood pressure? His jokes, pranks, visit to his mother, pacemaker, the teeth, going to the school, the performance for the teacher? His character?

6. Visiting his ex-wife, friends with her husband? Jokes? Ines and her visit? Her being away, his comment about a substitute daughter?

7. Ines, working in Bucharest, in Shanghai? Her relationship with her mother and stepfather? With her father, with her grandmother? Boss, plans, consultations, responsibilities? Reforming businesses, redundancies? The socials, the philosophy responding in agreement with people? The socials with her boss and his wife? Her relationship with Tim? Anca as her assistant?

8. The father, going to Bucharest, waiting for Ines, her finding him? His old clothes? The invitation to the social, meeting the boss, talk, the substitute daughter, going for drinks, Ines’ reaction, some embarrassment, going into the apartment? His offer to make spaghetti? The boss’s wife, Ines has going shopping with, the father waiting for them? The birthday gift, the cheese grater, the offer of money? Ines wanting him to go, the farewell, looking out the window and waving?

9. The preparation for the board meeting, her presentation? The role of the boss, Tim, the tensions? Initiatives?

10. Ines, her friendship with the group of women, talk, socials, Ines talking about a terrible weekend – and her father listening?

11. The father, his wig, the teeth, his anonymity, talking with the other women? The boss, the discussions about coaching? The socials?

12. Toni and his identity, the pretend name, dealing with people, humour, poses, people’s reactions?

13. The visit to the boss, talking, father going to the toilet, the friendship with the locals? The issue of closure? His talking to the man with the oil, the boss firing him? The gift of the apples?

14. The visit, the woman he met at the at the social, pretending to be the German ambassador, the children of the painting the eggs? Ines and his urging her to sing the Whitney Houston song, The Greatest Love of All, liberating for Ines, but her rushing away?

15. Ines, relationship with Tim, sexuality, seduction, behaviour, with the cake?

16. The party, Ines and decision about nakedness, the different guests arriving, comfortable or uncomfortable? Her father arriving at the party as a mammoth?

17. Following her father, and the park, a reconciliation? His going to hospital, getting his head off? His leaving?

18. The death of his mother, Ines present, information about the future, going to Singapore? A change of life?

19. The future for Ines, final glimpse of the face, reflecting? And her father bustling off to his future?