Winter Sleepers

Rating

Director

Tom Tykwer

Screenplay

Anne-Francoise Pyszora, Tom Tykwer (Novel: Anne-Francoise Pyszora)

Length

2h 2m

Starring

Ulrich Matthes, Marie-Lou Sellem, Heino Ferch, Floriane Daniel, Josef Bierbichler, Agathe Taffertshofer, Sofia Dirscherl

MPAA Rating

Unrated

Review

PREFACE:
In the early 2000s, I was writing reviews for an outfit called Apollo Guide Reviews. That website has since been closed down.

Attempting to reconstruct those reviews has been an exercise in frustration. Having sent them to Apollo Guide via email on a server I no longer have access to (and which probably doesn’t have records going back that far), my only option was to dig through The Wayback Machine to see if I could find them there. Unfortunately, while I found a number of reviews, a handful of them have disappeared into the ether. At this point, almost two decades later, it is rather unlikely that I will find them again.

Luckily, I was able to locate my original review of this particular film. Please note that I was not doing my own editing at the time, Apollo Guide was. As such, there may be more than your standard number of grammatical and spelling errors in this review. In an attempt to preserve what my style had been like back then, I am not re-editing these reviews, which are presented as-is.

REVIEW:
Winter Sleepers is a German film that uses many of the metaphors attached to winter and snow to great effect in showing how five people’s lives are changed forever through a strange series of events.

René (Ulrich Matthes) is a photographer whose passion is rooted more in necessity than in desire. A short-term memory problem forces him to record his own daily actions so he can remember them the next day. Laura (Marie-Lou Sellem) is the woman he’s actively pursuing, and Rebecca (Florin Daniel) is her roommate. She works for an area ski lodge and spends her free time in front of a keyboard or with her boyfriend, Marco ( Heino Ferch). Marco’s a ski instructor as well as a shameless flirt. His relationship with Rebecca is predominantly sexual, despite his claims to want more.

Theo (Josef Bierbichler) is at the centre of the story that brings together all these characters. The ball starts rolling when Theo is in a traffic crash that puts his daughter in a coma and puts him at odds with the other driver. Several threads weave from that point in the story, including the driver of the car, the owner of the car and many other links that bind the five main characters together for the length of the story.

Director Tom Tykwer, whose third film, Run Lola Run gained international attention as a winner of numerous awards, now has the clout to get this, his second film, released in the United States. Thankfully, Winter Sleepers is as much of a treat as “Lola” was. His use of symbolism is only overshadowed by some wonderful form fades.

Admittedly, Tykwer’s constant use of fades can be off-putting, but there’s more to this movie than stylistic filmmaking technique. Another blessing is the outstanding cinematography of long-time Tykwer collaborator Frank Griebe. The film is crisp and clear, never allowing the sight of snow to be overpowering without cause.

Additionally, the performances are all on-target with Bierbichler leading the way. Each character is fully realized and believable without being stuffy or overly transparent.

Winter Sleepers is a metaphorically challenging film. It poses the question of what draws individuals to each other. Is it because of physical or mental attraction or does it delve into the human need to be wanted and loved? Tykwer never forces the issue heavy-handedly, instead allowing the viewer to make up his or her own mind.

While it’s not suitable for all ages, adults will almost certainly find something satisfying in this movie. Whether you prefer the mental pursuits often associated with art films or simply enjoy an interesting story with many emotional variants, Winter Sleepers is a terrific means to those ends.

Review Written

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