User Reviews

"Lina Braake" (short title) is a German live action film from 1975, so it had its 40th anniversary last year. It is probably the career-defining film for actress Lina Carstens, who won a German Film Award for her performance here, which is quite ironic as she already won a German Film Award for her career and long contributions to German cinema. She is in her 80s already here and same goes for her co-lead Fritz Rasp, who was one of the most important silent film actors half a century earlier and he appeared in classics such as "Metropolis". He is even older than Carstens. Writer and director Bernhard Sinkel, however, was only in his mid-40s back then and he is still alive today.

This is the story of an old woman who loses her home to the bank when her landlord dies. She has to go to a home for senior citizens where she meets a companion in crime and starts her revenge against the bank that did this to her. Well.. it's probably rather the man helping her who is the most motivated. That's why, despite the title, I even felt that Fritz Rasp was by far the best aspect of these 85 minutes here and a scene-stealer. Shame to see he did not get any awards attention for his portrayal here. Oh well.. at least he has a German Film Award for his career too. I must say I did not really care for the financial or legal aspects that the film touches occasionally, but it's also not really necessary to pay big attention to these in order to appreciate this work by Sinkel. It's rather the likable (and unlikable) characters that make it easy to cheer for/against the people you see in here. It is not a great watch, but the heart and charm in here makes it worth watching. Oh yeah, there has been another version by Leander Haußmann recently, which you may want to check out too if you love "Lina Braake". I recommend the watch, but I am also glad it stayed under 90 minutes because there was a scene here and there when it dragged already.