User Reviews

Nadja and Rainer are having an argument in a small flat when Rainer takes a gun out of the bedside table and shoots her dead. As he stands over her body he tries to put together what has just happened in his head. As she bleeds to death he recalls the events that had led him to shoot her and the reasons why he justifies himself by blaming her for his actions.

When I saw Lola Rennt I was critical of it being all style and no substance and was amazed by how it managed to be so highly regarded. When I came to watch this short film from the same director I wasn't quite sure what to expect having only that one film of his to base my opinion of him on. From the opening scene it was clear that this was going to be film that showed off what Tykwer could do as a director. As such the plot is quite secondary and indeed the static phone conversation slows the short down too much, although ironically it is the heart of the narrative. Despite this the ending is quite good (although totally out of the blue and false) and the film moves forward well.

The main reason for this is not the material but the direction. It may only confirm my opinion that Tykwer is style first and substance further down the list but no matter – this is a short film and such indulgences can be forgiven here. The camera moves around really well, from ariel shots spinning down to facial close ups right through to the way the furniture glides round (for some reason). Alas the substance is not there to match it but the style more than makes up for it. Accordingly, without the material, the two actors are left as mere puppets as part of Tykwer's showcase but they do alright and give reasonable performances despite the material.

Overall this is style over substance but I can live with that in a 10 minute short film. The story isn't involving (or interesting after the initial start) but the camera moves so well that it is hard not to be drawn along to a good (if false) ending that will please those taken in by Lola's excesses.

Given the gushing praise for that film I'm surprised that more viewers have not seen this – perhaps one German film is enough for these fickle 'different is cool' student types?

These 13 minutes are the third effort of German Tom Tykwer as a writer and director. Here, we get to watch the bloody ending of a relationship when the women decides to end it and tells her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend. The man is not willing to take the humiliation, grabs the gun and shoots her. The action switches back to before the man returns home. We see how she talks to her new lover on the phones. Her boyfriend returns the very same time. She does not recognize him and he hears the entire conversation. The situation escalates and we see again what we saw first in the movie. only difference. This time the woman got the gun before her husband and shoots him. His comment that somehow something's wrong is a bit funny. But still, it's a drama at the core. I doubt this short film would be any famous if it had been made by some unknown filmmaker and not Tykwer. Anyway, it gives us his take on how he loves to change stories even if they already happened and he took that approach very successfully on "Lola rennt". I see the two actors in here have worked in several other productions and at least the woman worked with Tyker before. Yet I am not familiar with either and this short film here is not memorable enough for me to keep them in mind, especially the female. Not recommended.