My end. Your beginning

Do you believe in love at first sight? For Nora (Saskia Rosendahl) and Aron (Julius Feldmeier) it is clear: It exists. Because the two have experienced it themselves when they meet one day in the subway. For Nora it's a beautiful coincidence, for Aron it's clearly predestination. But in any case it is wonderful. The two experience a brief period of absolute happiness together. Then Aron is killed. And Nora's life is shattered. How can she go on without the love of her life? She walks through the world in a daze and only Natan (Edin Hasanović), whom she meets again and again by chance, manages to free her from this trance. He gives her support and also hope. Hope that everything will be alright again. But she has no idea of the tragic secret that really connects her to Natan.

My End. Your Beginning, the directorial debut of Mariko Minoguchi, tells what is actually a very conventional story about coincidence and fate, but one that is given a special charm by a convoluted narrative. However, a lot more could have been taken out of it - especially on an emotional level. Here, the young filmmaker tries too hard to avoid any form of Hollywood kitsch, which ultimately leads to the fact that the production seems too undercooled at important points. This doesn't only result in some small lengths. It is also made difficult for the viewer to fully engage with the story and its characters on an emotional level.

This brings a dramaturgical weakness more to the fore. Because despite the narrative set on different time levels, it is probably clear to everyone quite quickly what secret Natan is carrying around, which wouldn't be a big deal if you were otherwise fully caught up in the story. But long, sad glances or moments of quiet tragedy just aren't enough to bring out the full potential here.

The actors are terrific, the imagery engaging and the music very atmospheric. Thus, My End. Your Beginning works really well on many levels. But unfortunately it's also true here: Just missed is also missed. Therefore, there is the deserved worth seeing only with some restrictions.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp