Barfuss (Barefoot) (2005)

This is the first time I watched a film completely in German, and I understood about 90%! Admittedly there were German subtitles, which helped a lot, but still: I scored major points with the German language that day. And for the first time, I can review a non-English-language film with full knowledge of the original script. Directed and co-written by Til Schweiger, Barfuss focuses on Nick Keller (also Schwieger), a newly hired janitor at a mental health clinic with various family issues: his brother is about to marry his ex-girlfriend, he hates his smug step-father, and due to the family's wealth, he feels the need to lie about his inability to hold down a job. After being fired from the clinic he spots Leila (Johanna Wokalek), a quiet young woman residing there who never wears shoes or socks, and is about to hang herself. He catches her in time, but is still fired. When he gets back to his apartment he discovers that Leila has escaped and trailed him home, and now refuses to leave. She insists on staying by his side despite his numerous attempts to trick her into returning to the clinic.

She has lived with her now-dead mother in almost complete isolation for her entire life, and her naivete regarding most common place experiences (public transportation, bathroom etiquette, etc) is absolute. Nick, finding it impossible to detach himself from her, decides to take her with him to his brother's wedding, hoping she can pose as his girlfriend. Along the way (mixed with many a musical montage or comic transpiring) he warms up to her, finding her intense loyalty touching and swept up in the genuine thrill she feels for each new experience. She quickly and childishly develops intense feelings for him, and he finds himself surprised as he begins to reciprocate some of that love, despite maintaining his belief that she belongs at the clinic. Meanwhile Leila's caretakers have involved the police in a search, and it's only a matter of time until they find her.

In general I found Barfuss very enjoyable. It was an interesting and quite funny love story, though not without its dramatic moments. There was some excellent use of music and very nice visual moments. I really loved Johanna Wokalek's performance- she wasn't over the top or overly complex, instead spending most of her time being adorable and achieving optimal comedic timing. Though I wouldn't know much about how a person in her situation would act, the portrayal didn't seem exploitative or exaggerated. Til Schweiger was good too, but his character was kind of a jerk and his face a bit too square to take entirely seriously.

On the negative end, the story was a little too "knight in shining armor must save helpless maiden", but also managed to be engaging and touching. The character development was done pretty well, and the emphasis on teaching Leila to do things for herself sort of evened things out. It's not a terribly complicated film, nor is anything shocking or groundbreaking presented; I just really liked it- a well-written, and well-acted idiosyncratic romance. Unfortunately I don't think it's available in the US (not through Netflix, anyway), but keep an eye out for it!

4/5