Maren Ade’s German relationship comedy Toni Erdmann portrays the connection between lonely father Winfried (Peter Simonischek) and disconnected daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller).
After a devastating loss in Winfried’s life, he comes to the realisation that he must reconnect with his daughter Ines. Winfried decides to take a month off from working as a music teacher at a primary school in Germany. In Winfried’s quest to get to know his daughter he unleashes his alter ego Toni Erdmann. Toni’s character has wacky teeth, a distasteful suit, a dishevelled brunette wig and childlike humour.
As father and daughter, Ines was never close to Winfried, throughout the film their interactions were often awkward and forced. However, when Toni enters Ines’ corporate world will their relationship change for the better?
Ines offers an obligatory invite for Winfried to live in her apartment in Bucharest, Romania as she tries to extend a contract with an oil company. At an event held by the American Embassy, Ines reluctantly brings her father as a guest. Upon introducing Winfried to her colleagues, she is taken back by the fact that Winfried has stronger social skills than she does. There is a sense of male favouritism and sexism against Ines. This is expressed when her advice as a consultant is ignored and her opinions are cast aside. Ines’s icy demeanour, poor social skills and a focus on her stressful corporate life express the idea that she is playing a character, and is not true to herself. This is a reflection of a facet of Winfried’s personality as he too, plays a character – Toni Erdmann. This is where the personalities of the perceivably distant dynamic of father and daughter collide.
The motive of Winfried’s mission is to teach his daughter an important lesson about life. Winfred and Toni share the same philosophy. Winfred believes that life is about emotive expression and should not be taken too seriously. Among Winfried’s practical jokes and Toni’s fake teeth, both characters express their love for Ines through actions rather than words. This could be the reason why Ines never understood her father.
I really loved that the characters were multi-faceted and portrayed beautifully by Sandra Hüller and Peter Simonischek. This 2-and-3-quater hour film allowed for the characters to evolve and grow. This unusual length enabled room for Ines and Winfried’s relationship to be restored emotionally. It also afforded time for the audience to understand the personalities of the characters on a deeper level.
Toni Erdmann is a unique relationship comedy about the importance of having fun in life and not taking yourself too seriously. Although Toni Erdmann’s teeth were fake, real heart shone through to deliver an emotionally dense film.
Amy Leydman
