Love Thing

Marvin Bosch (Elyas M'Barek) actually has everything you could wish for: As Germany's biggest movie star, fans are at his feet, and he has fame and money in abundance. But Marvin is not really happy - especially when an interview with tabloid journalist Bettina Bamberger (Alexandra Maria Lara) goes thoroughly awry and confronts the star with his not-so-happy past. Now Marvin has no desire for the upcoming premiere of his new film, spotlights and annoying reporters. And so he wanders the streets of Berlin and ends up in Frieda's (Lucie Heinze) feminist off-theatre "3000" of all places. For Marvin, it is a veritable parallel world that opens up to him here. But maybe it is Frieda and her friends who can help Marvin out of his crisis - and maybe they also manage to save their little theater from the final end?

There are few films that really annoy me. With some I think it's a shame when obvious potential isn't exploited, and some are just so bad that it's not worth getting upset about. But every now and then a film comes along that is just plain annoying - and "Liebesdings" is just such a film. The characters in the "comedy" would now surely claim that I, as a white cis male, simply feel threatened by the fact that this is primarily about issues such as feminism, gender issues and queerness. I can deny that with a clear conscience. For me, it's not about these topics, but about the way they are transported - nay, beaten into the audience. Director Anika Decker writes in a statement in the press booklet that she wants to bring these topics into German mainstream cinema, "without being instructive" and with a lot of humor. Both, unfortunately, she did not succeed at all.

If the humorous highlight is when someone digs in vomit, then that already says a lot about the level of the gags. And when an already very thin story is then interrupted for several minutes so that everyone on stage in the theater can give a sample of their programs, which of course deal with said topics, without that contributing anything to the story, then that is anything but "non-teaching". As good and important as it is to deal with these in mainstream films, it should happen a little less clumsily and better integrated into the actual story. Instead, the sledgehammer method is really used here every minute, which is not yet the worst thing about the film.

Much heavier is the fact that a sign against prejudice is supposed to be set here and for this every cliché, no matter how embarrassing, is used - presented by characters who are almost all annoying stereotypes. It's easy to see that Decker is primarily concerned with getting a message across. As important as this may be, it is of no use if the story and its characters are forgotten. "Liebesdings" is simply not funny, it is not romantic and it is simply not good. Given the inherently great ensemble in front of the camera and the good intention, this is not only a pity, but a real shame. Absolutely not worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp