Spieler

  • 105'
  • Germany
  • 1990
Jojo and Tom are gamblers - adrenaline junkies who make the best of their perennial losing streak. That said, if they won, where would the rush come from? Accompanied by Jojo's cousin Kathrin, they embark on a trip towards the big time they'll never see. Thank God there's a benign narrator up in the clouds who sees to it that the glass always looks half-full.
The craziest of Graf's creations and his sole attempt at comedy that really works, Spieler doesn't exactly offer nonstop laughs - it's more like a serene, 111-minute state of suspension and wonder. At its best, Spieler plays like Nouvelle Vague Relaunched - it has the goofiness of Chabrol circa Marie-Chantal contre le Docteur Kha (1965); the perplexing lightness of the Swiss' Une femme est une femme (1961) and the sardonic aspects of Rohmer around the time of Le signe du lion (1959). Woaaaaaa! Does this explain the histrionics-prone acting, shrill dialogues and generally campy look? You bet! (And yes, Spieler is also corny.)

  • 105'
  • Germany
  • 1990
Director
Dominik Graf
Country of production
Germany
Year
1990
Festival Edition
IFFR 2013
Length
105'
Medium
35mm
International title
The Gamblers
Language
German
Production Company
Bavaria Film International
Sales
Global Screen GmbH
Screenplay
Christoph Fromm
Cinematography
Klaus Eichhammer
Editor
Christel Suckow
Production Design
Sherry Hormann
Sound Design
Günther Stadelmann
Music
Andreas Köbner
Cast
Peter Lohmeyer, Anica Dobra
Director
Dominik Graf
Country of production
Germany
Year
1990
Festival Edition
IFFR 2013
Length
105'
Medium
35mm
International title
The Gamblers
Language
German
Production Company
Bavaria Film International
Sales
Global Screen GmbH
Screenplay
Christoph Fromm
Cinematography
Klaus Eichhammer
Editor
Christel Suckow
Production Design
Sherry Hormann
Sound Design
Günther Stadelmann
Music
Andreas Köbner
Cast
Peter Lohmeyer, Anica Dobra