Life is too long

It is always a difficult balancing act when directors try to mix their art with reality. When one's own work becomes the target of the action, when self-mockery determines the story, then this can mature to the point of genius, but it can also just seem self-indulgent. What Woody Allen has successfully achieved, Dani Levy tries in his latest film "Das Leben ist zu lang" - but not quite as convincingly as the role model from America.

Alfi Seliger (Markus Hering), a Jewish filmmaker in the deep crisis of his work and his life, sits on a script that could finally give him the long-overdue comeback. But selling the explosive story is proving extremely difficult. And that's not all: his frustrated wife, pubescent children, a love-struck producer's wife, a seductive soap star and a moody actor of world fame make life even more difficult for the hypochondriac. And eventually Alfi comes to the realization: "Life is too long"!

The idea of "Life is too long" is certainly a good one. The beginning, with Alfi addressing the audience directly, then promises a really funny and bitterly wicked look at the entertainment industry. But the end result disappoints. Not only that some comically intended aspects of the film simply don't work (such as Veronica Ferres as a love-struck Russian) and are more likely to make you embarrassed than laugh. Granted: Levy has assembled an impressive ensemble in front of the camera. And the performances of Kurt Krömer, Heino Ferch or Udo Kier are quite amusing. But even in the successful moments, the whole thing seems too forced, too artificial to actually be the comic satire that the film would so obviously like to be.

When Dani Levy is then chased by his film character himself, it finally becomes clear for whom the filmmaker has made this film: for himself and perhaps for his colleagues from the film industry. For anyone who is interested in the making of films - and that doesn't mean the shooting, but all the processes that precede it - will be able to laugh heartily at many a moment. "Life is too long" is a very personal film about Levy's experiences and work in the film business. But the question here is who outside the film industry this self-deprecating look behind the scenes should appeal to.

A good leading actor, a nice idea, a prominent ensemble - actually the best prerequisites for a successful successor to "Alles auf Zucker" and "Mein Führer". The result, however, is a cramped mix of inside gags and intentional - but not skillful - biting satire with many wasted opportunities. Too bad

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp