Heartwarming tale relives magic moments from the past.
The German word ‘naturlich’ when translated into the English language means ‘naturally’. Like the comparable big-budget dramatized sports orientated films such as Universal’s Seabiscuit, this beautifully filmed German production with plenty of heart applies the game of twenty-two men kicking a ball as a background piece and pushes the confines of the father and son bond to the forefront. Soenke Wortmann’s Das Wunder von Bern won hearts at the Locarno’s film festival winning the Audience prize with a pint-sized budget film and simple story, naturally, you won’t need to understand the complicated German language to be enjoy this number. In one instant it’s the tale of a blond boy’s passion for the game who leaves vicariously through his hometown hero, a relationship that reminds of the Joe Namath coke commercial (actually replace the cola, by a German beer). While the tale bounces from a lead up to a world cup final where the results are just as predictable as a Disney film’s ending the rest of the picture contemplates the life of another man, a father played by Peter Lohmeyer with a soldier’s story who lost his way in the war fields of Russia. As a whole, it with resound past the 90 minute mark, using touchingly real events of war aftermath and the European’s favorite sports as the backdrop to the story of underdogs mixed in with a father wanting to make things right again with his son is perhaps a little on the sappy side, but this doesn’t mean that it not an enjoyable watch. What is more impressive is how Wortmann gets the picture look for the 50’s with a set décor down to fine detail, nice colorful images of the Swiss sequences and the gloomy small-town post war Germany where even a shredded up soccer ball looks authentic. Not only does the film look good with its cinematography and nice CGI, but it feels good and will become an easy crowd pleaser. Das Wunder von Bern easily matches the production value of an Hollywood heavyweights but yet again offers nothing new in the formula of triumph over tribulation, In the end, this is a good family film which places winning images and uplifting instrumental music to the great father and son moments and a dramatic soccer championship ending.
Viewed in German language with English subtitles.
