Ich und Earl und das Mädchen

A great dramedy that is likeable not only because of the characters and the plot, but also because of the execution, which includes a whole number of ideas and tricks that turn the movie into an absolutely unique experience. While watching the movie, I was actually telling myself that I was watching something the likes of which I may not see ever again. It’s been a really long time since I saw so many ideas in a single movie. What’s also nice is that this movie pays respect to a whole number of other movies, so movie buffs will undoubtedly find a lot of hidden and inconspicuous jokes and allusions in this film. It’s a pity though that the main plot line of the movie is actually really sad and I must say that the ending totally killed me and that’s something that hadn’t happened to me in a long time. A story from real life that will make you laugh out loud as well as cry over the entire 105 minutes it takes. (27.10.2016)

I don't know what it is, but those sick teenagers have been dying pretty entertainingly lately. No doubt if anyone wants to take shots at the movie, they'll definitely get ammunition. The protagonist is a high school introverted weirdo, the sick girl is kind of a dying pixie girl, hanging out with someone terminally ill one basically suits the character because it accentuates her uniqueness, the film breaks the fourth wall, uses alternate intertextual devices, is hyped up on Werner Herzog, and the protagonist is a terrible dick. Once you kill that first impression, you may start to miss the awesome staging of many scenes, thanks in large part to the cinematographer from OldBoy, but also to Gomez-Rejon's enthusiastic direction, which doesn't consider any of the scenes less important than the others and, for example, places the film's most crucial and darkest dialogue out in a single static shot, let the youngsters memorize it. It's actually often a fairly decent bit of mannerism, but I'm not angry about it because the film has the ability to evoke emotion beyond just the dying girl and tries not to rely solely on that rewarding plot. (06.11.2015)

If it wasn't so long in the end - although there are still absolutely great scenes here - I would probably go even higher, maybe even to the maximum. But towards the end, it lost something for me. This is one of those movies that beautifully shows that death is a part of our life, and there's simply nothing we can do about it. It is presented with love for humanity and relationships, which are portrayed quite originally here. The creators deserve applause for this. (30.09.2015)