Me and Kaminski

Actually, art journalist Sebastian Zöllner (Daniel Brühl) is not really interested in art. Basically, he's not interested in anything at all, except himself. Writing a successful book, that would stroke his oversized ego pleasantly. And what could attract more attention in the art scene than a revealing biography about the painter Manuel Kaminski. Although he has been forgotten by many, the student of Matisse and friend of Picasso is considered one of the last great representatives of Classical Modernism. Zöllner wants to visit the old man in his remote home in the Alps and find out why he hides from the public and whether he is actually blind. If he could expose him as a charlatan, he would be sure of a bestseller. But getting to Kaminski proves extremely difficult. And everything he does succeed in doing with bribery and cunning, he has to realize that the old man is up to all kinds of tricks and even a Sebastian Zöllner is not really a match for him...

Twelve years after the great success of Good Bye, Lenin! director Wolfgang Becker and leading actor Daniel Brühl have teamed up again. In this film adaptation of Daniel Kehlmann's novel Ich und Kaminski, they prove after just a few minutes that they are still a real dream team. A visually wonderful production, enriched with a lot of ironic humour and biting dialogues, in combination with Daniel Brühl's wonderfully self-indulgent play, makes for a really good mood right from the start. When the world of fine arts is deconstructed with extreme satirical side blows, the fun is perfect. It's always nice when laughs and intellect are equally engaged - and that's definitely the case here.

In the second half, the film turns into a classic road movie, with Brühl and the great Jesper Christensen skillfully passing the balls to each other. Becker directs the two with absolute precision through the mutual manipulations that lead to a surprising outcome. What is truth, what is lies, what is art and what is blinding, what is blindness and what is repression? Even though there are some somewhat tough moments especially in the last third of the movie, the story with its different facets is strong enough to keep the viewer entertained at all times. The fact that the bite, which makes especially the character of Sebastian Zöllner so wonderfully disgusting at the beginning, decreases a bit towards the end, is on the one hand a pity, but on the other hand also consistent.

You are inclined to be a little disappointed at the end because of the extremely strong beginning. But on reflection, the ending is absolutely fitting for the story. The dramaturgical arc, the development of the characters and the relationship between the cynical art critic and the deceitful artist make for an absolutely coherent overall picture that quickly makes you forget minor weaknesses. All in all, Wolfgang Becker has succeeded in creating a very subtle comedy that, thanks to its light-footed but also profound staging, the good-humoured actors and the great visual realisation, can be warmly recommended to lovers of German-language arthouse comedies in particular - but not exclusively. Absolutely worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp