Episode 263 - Toni Erdmann

A sprawling, original screenplay by writer-director Maren Ade provides the backbone for this lively German farce.  Career-driven Ines finds her professional life turned upside down by her practical-joking father.  At first, his stunt to pretend to be a "life coach" seems to function as his irreverent attempt to spend more time with his daughter.  But as the film proceeds down it's idiosyncratic path, deceptively wise dad's ruse seems less selfish, and more a desperate move to help his daughter cope in a ruthless business environment.  Andrew felt the film took too long to build to a boil, but Phil was captivated throughout.  Our two hosts conclude the episode ruminating who will win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. You can download the podcast here by right-clicking on the hypertext link and choosing "save as", or you can use the convenient player attached to this post.