Winner of two Lola awards, the German equivalent of the Academy Awards, VINCENT WANTS TO SEA is an endearing and hilarious film that does the most justice towards reversing the American inhibition towards subtitled films from a foreign country.
Embattled by the symptoms of Tourette’s Syndrome, Vincent Gellner (Florian David Fitz) has just endured the loss his mother. His father (Heino Ferch), an ambitious politician running for office, burdened with the task of caring for Vincent, sends him off to a rehabilitation clinic where he will learn how to manage his twitches, tics, and ill-timed, but unpremeditated verbal outbursts. An unenthusiastic Vincent is given an election ballot to sign and mail, thus securing his father another vote, as a departing gift as he is dropped off at the clinic. Once indoctrinated into the program, Vincent finds solace in Marie (Karoline Herfurth), a feisty anorexic whose partiality for spontaneous adventure happens to coincide with Vincent’s objective of getting to the Mediterranean Sea in Northern Italy to spread his mother’s ashes and fulfill her last wish: to see the water one last time. Also coerced along for the ride happens Vincent’s roommate, Alexander (Johannes Allmayer), an obsessive-compulsive whose only contentment comes in the form of expensive cars, dapper dress, and Johann Sebastian Bach.
What follows is a hilarious road movie with the trio cruising down the autobahn without the slightest concern for the inconveniences they cause the people around them along the way. While Vincent’s father and Dr. Rose (Katherine Muller-Elmau) bumble along in pursuit of the escaped patients, Vincent, Marie, and Alexander enjoy a reprieve from the dolor of the clinic and experience a surrealistic journey that liberates them from their afflictions. The film ends happily for just about everyone, and the newfound friends discover that life is too pettish to let their afflictions interfere with their true individuality.
http://www.corinthreleasing.com/Vincent_Wants_To_Sea/
Berlin and Beyond Film Festival, Goethe-Institut San Francisco, Opening Night Film
German Currents Film Fest, Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, Closing Night Film
Winner, Golden Lola Award for Best Picture and Best Lead Actor - 61st German Film Awards
Winner, Audience Choice Award for Best Feature - Fresno Filmworks Film Festival
Winner, Roxanne T. Mueller Audience Choice Award for Best Film - Cleveland International Film Festival
Winner, Audience Choice Award – Film Neu Film Festival, sponsored by the Goethe-Institut Washington, DC
“…a surprisingly effective portrait of damaged but lovable lost souls on the road…ably directed by Ralf Huettner…kudos go in large part to thesp Florian David Fitz ("Men in the City"), who not only stars but also penned the solid screenplay. After a modest debut, pic has become Germany's second-biggest local title of the year through strong word of mouth.” - Boyd Van Hoeij, Variety
"Huettner strikes the perfect balance between drama and comedy without exploiting the characters’ psychological problems and foibles or veering into maudlin territory." – Don Groves, SBS Film
Landmark’s Lumiere Theatres, 1572 California St, San Francisco (415) 267-4893
Tickets are $10.50 for general admission and $8.00 for seniors, students, and children
Showtimes (Valid 7/8-14): Fri-Sun: 2:30, 4:45, 7:00; Mon-Thurs: 5:45
http://www.landmarktheatres.com
Added by landmark on July 6, 2011
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For those of you who are debating whether to come watch the movie or not -check out this article on SF Chronicle about the film!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/07/NSGB1K4KJS.DTL