I can't remember any other German-speaking newcomer who has impressed me so much as Jacob Matschenz did. There might be some flaws in the plot, but the topic is highly interesting and the cast is brilliant, e.g. Max Riemelt and Jutta Hoffmann to name those actors who are always grand.
But it's definitely Matschenz who carries the burden of being in almost every scene, but masters his job astonishingly. The transformation of his character is played so sensitively that you can't help but enjoy his performance although the topic is far from pleasant. Close-ups of his face show the enormous talent this young actor has got - his emotions become visible in tiny little changes of his facial expression. Not the big poses we know from most Hollywood films.
Some critics might say the cruelty at the German/German border belongs to history, but I think the exact opposite is true: those people who worked at the border treated the arch fiend (i.e. all the people from the Western world) so badly, they humiliated us travelers and visitors in an arrogant, mean way - and live among us as respected citizens today. They should not be allowed to... Let alone the cruelties they committed against their fellow citizens - which "An die Grenze" just points to!
The film shows the spirit that was behind all this - a good lesson in history for the younger generation.
But it's definitely Matschenz who carries the burden of being in almost every scene, but masters his job astonishingly. The transformation of his character is played so sensitively that you can't help but enjoy his performance although the topic is far from pleasant. Close-ups of his face show the enormous talent this young actor has got - his emotions become visible in tiny little changes of his facial expression. Not the big poses we know from most Hollywood films.
Some critics might say the cruelty at the German/German border belongs to history, but I think the exact opposite is true: those people who worked at the border treated the arch fiend (i.e. all the people from the Western world) so badly, they humiliated us travelers and visitors in an arrogant, mean way - and live among us as respected citizens today. They should not be allowed to... Let alone the cruelties they committed against their fellow citizens - which "An die Grenze" just points to!
The film shows the spirit that was behind all this - a good lesson in history for the younger generation.
