Love Steaks (2014)

the leading man is my tpye

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

It is a very strange dance these two fine young actors do.. you never know quite where it is going.. and you find it hard to take your eyes off them. The audience for such a film will be very small, it is as far from any mainstream film as one can find. But with many such films they can drift off into unwatchable territory, and although this production time and again flirts with going over the edge, each time it returns to keep us involved. And when it's all over, you're not entirely sure what you have witnessed, but feel as though it was worth your time spent.

"Love Steaks" is the last of the five nominees for Best Picture at the 2014 German Film Awards I have seen and probably the weakest one. It is even slightly worse than the very much overpraised "Finsterworld". If "Love Steaks" was actually a good film, you could probably call it a hidden gem. But it is not, despite the awards attention it received. Being indie does not automatically mean being a quality movie.In the center of the film, we have two hotel employees. We get to witness their struggles and their interactions with each other as they slowly fall in love and with their customers and other colleagues. Occasionally, it reminded me of Maren Ade's "Alle Anderen" (not a fan of this movie either), maybe as a prequel to it, with the way the two lead characters interacted with each other, sometimes moody, sometimes powerless, sometimes full of energy, but always full of contradiction. The story is not particularly innovative and while the characters are played and written in a solid manner, there is nothing outstanding about either aspect either.The alcoholism aspect was included in a rather shoddy manner sadly. This could have worked so much better and I am usually a sucker when it comes to addiction (especially alcohol such as James Ponsoldt's "Smashed" starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in movies. However, this never had me at the edge of my seat.This film is not a must-see by any means unless you really try to see every German movie there is. One thumbs-up I am giving it that all the hotel employees were played by actual hotel employees and even if their roles were fairly minor, you never realized that they weren't any pros. The two lead actors, just like writer-director Jakob Lass apart from his work on short films, also did okay taking into consideration that they are fairly new to acting in film. There is room for improvement sure, but it is not a horrible start by any means.

Love Steaks finds the timid and awkward Clemens (Franz Rogowski) starting a new job as a massage therapist and reiki trainee at a luxury hotel in a German-speaking country. While he learns the ropes amid the stringent attitude of the hotel, Lara (Lana Cooper), a blonde host mess who works in the kitchens, takes pulls of the cooking wine with the other cooks and participates in devil-may-care hijinks that earns her several talkings-to from her superior chef. Once the kitchen discovers Clemens and begins to pick on him, Lara begins to crush on him amid her alcoholism, and when he finds her passed out on a beach and massages her gluts, the two initiate a clandestine but reckless romance. Lara's wildfire personality and Clemens' calm yet unsure demeanor culminate in some charming, cutesy scenes ensconced in the depressive atmosphere of the hotel, with polished production that underpins the sterile and authoritarian nature of their work residency. As Clemens pushes Lara to overcome her alcoholism, though, it adds onto the pressure she feels from the hotel authorities and her fellow cooks (who make fun of her and Clemens' cleft palate scars and appearance), fermenting instability. Rogowski exhibits fine acting with a naturally distinctive way of speaking, and drives his character home. Although the film ends in a somewhat unexpected upheaval, Love Steaks relies too heavily on the characterization of the two protagonists in their environment, and the narrative aspect comes to a bit of an unsatisfying standstill, seemingly unfinished. It's not a stinker by any means, but it left me wanting more.

Very nice indie movie with two great leads - featuring the German Joaquin Phoenix ;) - and a cool plot. Cinema in your face. A Boy-meets-Girl-Story in the surrounding of a luxury resort at the Baltic Sea. She has problems with alcohol, he is very shy and reluctant. They meet in the hotel and help each other to overcome their respective shortcomings. I liked the characters and especially the editing. It gives the movie a special look and makes it fun to watch. Lots of apparently unscripted dialogue, fresh and authentic acting. Great music too, German Indie mixed with international stuff. Looks like we are getting - slowly but surely - a veritable scene of young German filmmakers, actors and producers who are able to deliver high-quality work. Recommended for lovers of the German Independent film, such as Axel Ranisch, Tom Lass, Nico Sommer...