| MOSTLY MARTHA Rating:   Director: Sandra Nettelbeck Producers: Christoph Friedel, Karl Baumgartner, Writer: Sandra Nettelbeck Director of Photography: Michael Bertl Cast: Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, Ulrich Thomsen, Maxime Foerste Visit the IMDB Page for full cast and crew |
 |
Review by: Dan
Tester
8/12/02
In a summer awash in a sea of forgettable big budget blockbusters, endless car chases, boring love stories, and routine action shoot-outs, there is no doubt in my mind that my favorite film by far will be a small, sweet romantic comedy/drama from Germany called Mostly Martha. It is a somewhat standard film in form, to be sure, but it is told with that European attention to subtle detail and character that is not only lacking in Hollywood these days, but has seemingly going the way of the Great Auk.
Mostly Martha tells the story of Martha (Martina Gedeck), a beautiful but inhibited woman whose only passion in life is provided in her role as Head Chef in a chic restaurant; lovingly preparing gourmet dishes for strangers who revel in its perfection. In this kitchen, she is alive, the spices and sauces providing deliverance from her otherwise dismal existence. Her cuisines are her children, and when an unhappy diner complains that they are undercooked or overspiced, she reacts as a mother whose child has been mistreated. She goes ballistic. To such an extreme, we see in the opening scene, that Martha is in a psychiatrist's office, sensually describing the preparation of a decadent dinner. As the psychiatrist's stomach rumbles from visions of the intricately detailed feast, he asks her why she even bothers coming to the sessions. She responds, matter-of-factly, that her boss told her she had to get therapy, or she would be fired. Good help is hard to find, and Martha is a restaurateur's dream.
Martha's life away from work, however, consists of lonely meals for one, and the meticulous cleaning and arranging of furniture for guests that will never come. She is miserable, but she doesn't seem to know what to do about it. Nothing excites her passions away from the steely confines of the kitchen. Redemption is forced upon her, however, when her sister is in a fatal car accident, leaving Martha's 8-year-old niece Lina (Maxine Foerste) in her care. She takes in the child, but is completely unsure of how to deal with this young girl without the aid of a recipe, and her life appears to be spiraling out of control. But it is, of course, just a blessing in disguise.
Two men also enter her life. One is Sam (Ulrich Thomsen), a single architect who moves in downstairs. In a cute scene that shows Martha's desire for love, but trapped in a cocoon that will not open, she goes down to ask her new neighbor if he would like something to eat. He asks "Are you asking me to dinner?" and she immediately, visibly shuts down, responding nervously, "No! I just made some food and could bring some down." He is disappointed, but intrigued. The other new man in town is Mario (the fantastic Sergio Castellitto), the wacky, fun-loving Italian chef brought in to the restaurant to fill in during Martha's time away with her niece. Martha is immediately threatened by this man, who has invaded "her kitchen." Their relationship is tenuous from their first meeting, but eventually, his warm personality and irresistible charm begin to chip away at the brick wall around her heart. Predictable? Yes. Forced? No, and that is something wonderful to watch. And the way these four central characters interweave and untangle for 107 minutes is remarkable.
I also loved the detail given to the food in the film. The camera follows seductively as grand masterpieces are created before our very eyes. And there are a number of great voice-overs interspersed throughout, as Martha describes the meals she is preparing, and they are as educational as they are entertaining. Did you know, for example, that lobsters, when put in a tank, slowly begin to eat themselves within their shells? Martha therefore informs us to always weigh the lobster before purchasing it, because the biggest may not always be the best. I didn't know that. There are lots of little gems like that in Mostly Martha.
Martina Gedeck is as enchanting as she is believable as the socially-impaired Martha, whose transition from imprisoned lonely-heart to emancipated free-spirit is performed flawlessly, making this one of the very best female performances of the year. Sergio Castellitto (who looks a bit like Jean Reno, with some Roberto Benigni sprinkled in) is amazing as the unlikely suitor Mario, hitting all the rights notes as both a lovable buffoon, and a hopeless romantic. Ulrich Thomsen is very memorable in the ultimately thankless (and strangely abandoned) role of the "nice guy" who lives downstairs, and Maxime Foerste is fine as the young Lina, the orphan, who is never allowed to go over the top with her traumatized young girl. The confrontation scenes are there, but come naturally. And I really liked August Zirner in his small role as the perplexed psychiatrist, who in one scene sternly reminds Martha that it is a violation of their patient/doctor relationship for her to continue preparing sumptuous meals for him, even as he finds himself helplessing gorging on her latest culinary masterpiece.
First time feature film writer/director Sandra Nettelbeck delivers Mostly Martha with the confidence and tender care of a seasoned veteran. Her screenplay is full of things that real people say, in real situations. Never did I feel manipulated, and that is a towering achievement for a film of this kind. And I must point out the soundtrack, full of great, jazzy music (that reminded me of the style of romantic film scoring of the late 70's and early 80's) and interspersed with classics from Dean Martin and Louis Prima; it is perfect.
Mostly Martha has subtitles, of course, which will be a turn off to most people, and that is a shame. I guess it is the price you have to pay to enjoy this quality of film. Take a chance, because it is well worth the trip. And after the film, take your date to a fine restaurant quickly, because you will most assuredly be starving.
But as always, it is only one man's opinion.
Agree? Disagree? Talk about it in our message boards.
|
|
|
|
|