Laura (2019)

Directed by: Jan-Ole Gerster | 98 minutes | drama, music | Actors: Corinna Harfouch, Tom Schilling, Rainer Bock, Edin Hasanovic, Maria Dragus, Mala Emde, Gudrun Ritter, Mark Filatov, Johann von Bülow, Friederike Kempter, Volkmar Kleinert, Hildegard Schroedter, Birge Schade, Alexander Khuon, André Jung, Hendrik von Bültzingslöwen, Susanne Bredehöft, Barbara Philipp, Annika Meier

In ‘Lara’ we follow Lara Jenkins (Corinna Harfouch), a frustrated and clumsy woman who tries to contact her estranged son Viktor (Tom Schilling) on ​​the day of her 60th birthday. On the same day, Viktor, who has been pushed by Lara since childhood to become a successful pianist, plays his first composition at a major concert in Berlin. The mother-son relationship is clearly complex, contact is often avoided. Unlike her ex-husband Paul (Rainer Bock), Lara is not invited to her son’s concert. Lara won’t stop there, though. She loots her account and uses her money to buy the 22 remaining concert tickets, which she then starts handing out to anyone who has the slightest interest in the performance. She will show up herself, much to the frustration of everyone around her. It promises to be an unforgettable evening, full of deep-seated emotions and old family ills.

German director Jan-Ole Gester, who made a name for himself with his feature debut ‘Oh Boy’ (2012), presents another film set in one day in the heart of Berlin. Where ‘Oh Boy’ mainly relied on comedy, Gerster chose to focus mainly on drama with ‘Lara’. The style of his successor is also different. Instead of black-and-white photography, he has filmed in color, the jazz soundtrack has been replaced by classical music and Woody Allen seems to have been exchanged for Ingmar Bergman in terms of influence. With ‘Lara’ Gerster seems to have matured a bit as a director. It only benefits his second feature. ‘Lara’ is an improvement compared to his debut in almost every respect.

Corinna Harfouch, a well-known actress in Germany but little known to the public beyond, is amazing in the title role as Lara. Much of the playing time is spent developing Lara’s character. This is done calmly and it takes a long time before the viewer realizes what lies behind her personality. Gester could very well be wrong here, but luckily this never happens. Lara’s slow development works very well as the character may not be as deep at first glance as you’ll find out later. Gradually, more and more hidden aspects of Lara emerge. Corinna Harfouch performs the complicated role at all times with great courage and great precision. Throughout the film, she regularly switches between the nervous, confident and taciturn. That makes Lara a bit chilly at first glance, but at the same time unreachable to the point of immense curiosity. The rest of the cast is also good. Tom Schilling and Rainer Bock deliver excellent supporting roles. Volkmar Kleinert has some very strong scenes with Harfouch. But no matter how hard they try, they are all in her shadow in the end.

‘Lara’ could easily have become a clichéd movie. After all, the overambitious mother who tries to realize her own unfulfilled dreams through the success of her child is not an original given. But although Gester occasionally comes close to this cliché, ‘Lara’ always remains surprising. Especially after the concert, which would have been the climax of a standard drama film, but here is used for the addition of more dialogue, ‘Lara’ surprises again with a bending of expectations. Instead of a grand finale, there’s a moving and intimate ending that works much better than the denouement of a more traditional narration.

With his second film, Jan-Ole Gerster has proven that he is a talent to look forward to. One can criticize that ‘Lara’ asks a bit too much of the audience, but those who surrender to the calm story and the complicated title character, experience a smart, mature and intriguing character study.