Having already successfully adapted his novel "Odette Toulemonde" for the cinema, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt has once again put himself in the director's chair for the film version of his book "Oskar and the Lady in Pink". The result is once again very great emotional cinema close to the kitsch border.
The film tells the story of little Oskar (Amir), who learns that he does not have long to live. The 10-year-old leukemia sufferer has to spend his last days in the hospital where he has been for far too long. The boy doesn't want to talk to his parents, who simply don't want to tell Oskar the truth, and he also remains silent towards the hospital staff. Only the lady in pink, the pizza baker Rose (Michèle Laroque), approaches Oskar with her direct and energetic manner, who from then on only wants to talk to her. His doctor (Max von Sydow) therefore hires Rose as a pizza delivery girl for the hospital, on the condition that she spends some time with the boy every day. And indeed Rose manages the impossible: she gives Oskar back his zest for life and gives him experiences and adventures that not only enrich Oskar's last days tremendously...
No question, with "Oskar and the Lady in Pink" Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt once again presses the tear gland properly. And yes, the way in which this is achieved could well be described as manipulative. But even though the whole thing drifts dangerously close to kitsch territory, especially towards the end, and Schmitt rides some inherently original ideas to death by overusing them (especially the moments when Rose talks about her supposed past as a wrestler), the bottom line is that the film is simply beautiful.
because the story's life-affirming message is so charmingly and poignantly conveyed by the actors that the film is readily forgiven for its obvious flaws. Especially the 11-year-old Amir is guaranteed to conquer the hearts of the cinema audience in no time. Since it is especially the quiet moments between Oskar and Rose that make this film so worth seeing, the success of the cinema adaptation naturally stands and falls with the cast. And here the film can score without any doubt.
"Oskar and the Lady in Pink" is quite simple-minded cinema that bluntly attacks the emotions of the audience and is not satisfied with less than at least two full blown hankies. Fortunately, the production is charming in its own way and the actors simply wonderful, otherwise the whole thing could have easily degenerated into an overdose of screen sweetness. But as it is, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's new film is simply a beautiful film for the heart and soul. And that's what makes this work: absolutely worth seeing!
Ein Artikel von Frankfurt-Tipp
