Wetlands (2013 film)
| Wetlands | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | David Wnendt |
| Screenplay by | David Wnendt Claus Falkenberg |
| Based on | Wetlands by Charlotte Roche |
| Produced by | Peter Rommel |
| Starring | Carla Juri Christoph Letkowski Marlen Kruse Meret Becker Axel Milberg Peri Baumeister Edgar Selge Harry Baer |
| Cinematography | Jakub Bejnarowicz |
| Edited by | Andreas Wodraschke |
| Music by | Enis Rotthoff |
Production company | Rommel Film |
| Distributed by | Strand Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Box office | $10,501,000[1] |
Wetlands (German: Feuchtgebiete) is a 2013 German sex comedy drama film directed by David Wnendt. It is based on the 2008 novel of the same name by Charlotte Roche and focuses on feminist issues, sexuality and coming of age.[2][3] The film premiered in International competition at the 2013 Locarno International Film Festival on 11 August 2013.[4][5]
The film later premiered in-competition in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on 18 January 2014.[6][7] After its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Strand Releasing acquired the US distribution rights for the film.[8][9]
Plot
[edit]Helen, an 18-year-old mysophiliac uses vegetables for masturbation and believes that body hygiene is overrated in our society. She provokes others by saying and doing things most people would not even dare to imagine. She is sexually adventurous and visits a brothel to experience being with another woman.
Helen's parents are divorced and she desperately wishes that they get back together. But her mother is depressive, hygiene-obsessed and mentally unstable, and her father is insensitive and seems not to take notice of what people around him think. She also has a quiet, younger brother whom she teases by taking his stuffed bear.
Helen feels alone and unloved in the world. Only her best friend Corinna makes her feel comfortable. Together they break many of society's taboos.
By shaving her anal hair too fast, she cuts herself badly and needs to go to hospital. There she plans to get her parents back together and charms her handsome nurse Robin, who is still suffering from a relationship with another nurse from two years before. That nurse does not get along with Helen and is still infatuated with Robin. She makes Helen's life in the hospital more difficult, but Helen and Robin fall in love during her hospital stay.
Helen's behaviour is revealed to be related to a traumatic experience she had when she was eight years old, when she found her mother trying to kill herself and Helen's little brother using the gas from the oven. At the end of the film, Helen reflects on that trauma by saying that she finally talked to her little brother about that experience and that it was the hardest talk she ever had. In the end, as she is with Robin in his van leaving the hospital, she sees her parents finally meeting in the parking lot, and she asks Robin to continue driving.[10]
Cast
[edit]- Carla Juri as Helen Memel
- Christoph Letkowski as Robin
- Marlen Kruse as Corinna
- Meret Becker as Helen's mother
- Axel Milberg as Helen's father
- Edgar Selge as Dr Notz
- Peri Baumeister as Schwester Valerie
Reception
[edit]Wetlands received mostly positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 91% out of 58 critic reviews with an average score of 7.20/10, with the critical consensus reading “While certainly not for the faint of heart, Wetlands transcends its shock value with sweetness, heart, and subversive wit.“ [11] On metacritic the film has a score of 77% out of 20 critic reviews indicating “generally favourable reviews”.[12] Scott Foundas of Variety said in his review that "Director David Wnendt and breakout star Carla Juri leave no bodily orifice unexplored in this spiky, smartly packaged commercial enterprise."[13] Boyd van Hoeij, in his review for The Hollywood Reporter, called the film "A poppy take on boundary-pushing sexual matters featuring a stellar breakthrough performance."[14] Eric Kohn of Indiewire graded the film B+ and praised the performance of Carla Juri and film by saying that "Juri's energetic performance – coupled with an equally jumpy soundtrack that includes Canned Heat and Peaches – manages to root the endeavor in fairly credible pathos, particularly with relation to her desire to see her parents reunite. If we're stuck with coming-of-age stories as a genre that storytellers must engage time and again, at least in the case of 'Wetlands' the usual formula gets a much-needed jolt, while capably recognizing the aspects of the material that work on autopilot. The shock value only goes so far as a gimmick. 'Wetlands' succeeds because, like Helen, it manages to sincerely embrace its taboos."[5]
Accolades
[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sundance Film Festival | World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic | David Wnendt | Nominated |
| Deutscher Filmpreis | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role | Carla Juri | Nominated[15][16] | |
| Best Editing | Andreas Wodraschke | Nominated[15][16] | ||
| 2013 | Locarno International Film Festival | Golden Leopard | David Wnendt | Nominated[17] |
| Best Actress Leopard | Carla Juri | Nominated[17] | ||
| Bambi Awards | Best Actress - National | Carla Juri | Nominated[18] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Wetlands (2014) - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Wetlands Is Sundance's Crassest, Most Outrageous Movie". 23 January 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "'Wetlands,' About A Bodily Fluid-Obsessed German Teen, Is Sundance's Raunchiest Film". The Daily Beast. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "Locarno Unveils High-Profile Lineup". Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ a b "Locarno Film Festival Review: Is 'Wetlands' the Most Disgusting Coming of Age Movie Of All Time?". 15 August 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "Sundance 2014: World Cinema Dramatic Competition". 10 January 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ^ "Sundance Exclusive: Follow a Bodily Fluid-Obsessed Teenager in the First 3 Minutes of 'Wetlands'". 15 January 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ^ "Wetlands". Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "Indiewire's Guide to Distributors at Sundance 2014". 16 January 2014. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (2014-09-05). "REVIEW: Wetlands: A Schmutzy Comedy With an Adorable New Star". Time. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
- ^ "Wetlands | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ "Wetlands". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2024-05-02.
- ^ "Locarno Film Review: 'Wetlands'". 19 August 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "Wetlands (Feuchtgebiete): Locarno Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 August 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ a b "2014 GERMAN FILM AWARDS NOMINATIONS". Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ a b "GERMAN FILM AWARDS". Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ a b "Albert Serra's Story Of My Death wins Locarno Golden Leopard". Retrieved April 14, 2014.
- ^ "'Wetlands' Star Carla Juri Signs With UTA (Exclusive)". Retrieved April 14, 2014.