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WINTER SLEEPERS Send This Review to a Friend
Tom Tykwer's "Run Lola Run," which demonstrated his talent, was no fluke. "Winter Sleepers," which he made before Lola started running, and which he co-wrote with Francoise Pyszora, is packed with atmosphere, strong characterization and drama. Paths cross in unexpected ways that affect various lives.
It is winter and the setting is a skiing village located in the mountains of Germany. An accident on an icy road leaves a farmer (Josef Bierbichler) angry and bitter. Nobody believes that another driver caused the crash of his car and the trailer in which his ill-fated daughter was hiding. There is no trace of the other auto, or the driver, but the farmer is determined to prove he's right to the point of crazed obsession.
Other characters include a ski instructor (Heino Ferch), a nurse who wants to be an actress (Marie-Lou Sellem), a translator (Floriane Daniel) and a movie projectionist plagued by memory problems (Ulrich Matthes). The screenplay smoothly flits among them and the film, alive with Tykwer's strong sense of what makes good visuals, commands steady interest. Tragedy is never far from the surface, and although the director is fascinated by the ironies of life, his approach is never pedantic. A Winstar Cinema release.
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