(Der Wald vor lauter Bäumen)
Director: Maren Ade, Germany, 2003, 35mm, 84 min., with Eva Lobau, Daniela Holtz, Jan Neumann. In German with English subtitles.
Winner Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival, 2005
“
An affecting, very intelligent work, done with an eye for realism and a heart for the lonely, insulted and injured.” - Chicago Tribune
Bursting with idealism, Melanie Pröschle, a young teacher from the countryside, starts her first job at a city high school. Desperate to fulfil her hopes and to fit in, Melanie intends to do everything the right way. She politely introduces herself to her neighbours with homemade schnapps and on her first day of school she gives an ambitious speech to her colleagues. She aims to be a "fresh breeze" to the school, but it’s not easy, as Melanie copes with loneliness, set-in-their-ways teachers and ninth grade students.
“
Ade's own script is sharp enough to ensure that nothing is wasted, oozing with that sick pit-of-the-stomach feeling that comes with being truly out of your depth and builds towards an enigmatic conclusion rich in pathos. For a first film, it's accomplished; for a college project, it's astonishing.” - BBC
“
Maren Ade’s fantastic debut feature ... is a compactly-crafted, disarmingly-honest account of an idealistic young teacher drifting comically out of her professional and personal depths.” - The Cinematheque, Vancouver
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