"Die Schäferin" or "The Shepherd" (female form) is a German television film from 2011, so this one will have its 10th anniversary next year, but only if you read this review within the following 5.5 months. It runs for almost 1.5 hours like German small screen releases usually do and the director and writer here is Dagmar Damek. The latter actually started making films (according to imdb) in 1970 already, so slmost 50 years ago and this one we got here was her final career effort before she went into retirement. That is pretty sad and shocking at the same time that, after such a long time in the industry, over 40 years basically, this garbage level is what you are stuck with. Pathetic indeed. How to go out on the lowest note possible. Her co-writer here is Manfred Kosmann, not nearly as prolific as Damek, but he is still active today. Or not? I am not sure really as his most recent filmmaking credit is from 2018. Anyway, I am pretty sure (almost) nobody who reads this review is familiar with these names because even I as a German film buff must say that nothing clicks for me when hearing the name Damek for example, but yeah looking at the quality of this movie, this is not a surprise at all and probably a good thing that I have not seen anything else from her. Or don't remember that I have. Maybe it is a bit harsh, but honestly when one is not just in charge of one area, but in charge of directing and writing this travesty of a movie, then there is no mercy to be expected from my side. I am pretty sure that her bank account would easily have allowed her to bail on this one. The story is also typical ARd afternoon movie schmaltz. We have a successful businesswoman return to the home of her childhood and make a connection again with things and people that she may have partially forgotten about. And while doing so learns where she belongs. But does she really? Actually no. This was a bit surprising because in the end she is still without a man and she realizes that her home is not the countryside, but the city and that she must keep working as a lawyer and not as a shepherd. So at least one surprising thing, but of course she still learnt a bit about herself while on this journey.
The protagonist, i.e. title character, is played by Stefanie Stappenbeck and this is already a bad sign because she has played (the lead) in several of these garbage films in the past and there is no quality to her body of work. If you watch this movie, you will know why. She has at least two or three moments in which she is really bad and over the top in a cringeworthy manner. Her male co-lead here is Hans Werner Meyer. Well, I think he is not as bad as Stappenbeck, but also not good either. Lackluster is maybe the right word to describe his performance, which clearly goes against the idea od his character being really emotional and finding new energy when falling for a childhood love. Bad thing is that his character is married to somebody else already, namely a childhood friend of the protagonist. This is also something different. Normally previous love interests in these movies are shown in a way that they are really mean, spiteful and unlikable. Not so here. The other woman (played by Katja Studt, who has been in more trashy films than Stappenbeck probably, even if she is better than Stappenbeck here) is just powerless and suffers because she realizes her man is falling for another woman. One thing, however, that is not different here is that the guy is the one depicted as the fool. He is ready to cheat on his wife although he has a daughter, he even initiates the actual cheating when he has sex with the protagonist. Twice. He does not realize that the two will not have a future together because they have entirely different backgrounds and preferences, but luckily the main character is there to tell him and as another example of bad writing, he understands and accepts it immediately. His wife is also depicted in a bad light by the way. Considered less attractive than the shepherd and "worth cheating on" because she is not such an amazing woman like Stappenbeck's character she even accepts that her man cheated on her and immediately forgives him. Something that Stappenbeck's character would never do if the same happened to her. She is a powerful independent woman. She says herself she does not want to and will not ruin somebody else's marriage. So she is also empathic of course. And not just when it comes to humans. Also when it comes to animals. She cannot kill them when she is instructed to from an agricultural perspective. And she is tormented by employers who won't give her a job because she may perhaps become a mother in the next five years. Tough stuff. Another cringeworthy example of a really perfect character who is struggling hard because of said perfection and because she has such an amazing charcater. Sigh. What else can I say? Oh yeah, the old fella. Pretty strange how he acts early on if apparently the lawyer is so close to her heart. By the way, the scene when she uses legal pressure on another company/institution is also cringeworthy to watch. Stappenbeck sure does not have what it took to pull this off, so she goes shamefully over the top again. Only positive thing I can say about her is that she is not unattractive and as I am usually not into blondes that means something. Maybe the negative highlight was a goat giving birth towards the end. They could not use the generic plot to create drama with the two sweethearts not ending up together (because it was clear they won't), so they randomly had to come up with another twist and that was completely out of nowhere. There the film goes back to and tries to rely on the countryside component where it is set for the most part and comes short as usual. Really shocking how you can make a movie set in such a beautiful region and the outcome is extremely bland and also nowhere near the visual level that really would not have been difficult to achieve. By the way, the soundtrack is garbage too. Equally over the top as several other production values. In other words, this is a movie that should be skipped at any cost. Typical ARd Degeto stuff that wants you to feel everything while nothing in terms of talent was involved in the production. Highly not recommended. Should never have been made. Should never have been aired, especially not almost a decade after its original releases. Revolting. By the way, Kleinert and Birnbaum are also actors that German film buffs could recognize here, but their roles are surprisingly minor. That's all.
The protagonist, i.e. title character, is played by Stefanie Stappenbeck and this is already a bad sign because she has played (the lead) in several of these garbage films in the past and there is no quality to her body of work. If you watch this movie, you will know why. She has at least two or three moments in which she is really bad and over the top in a cringeworthy manner. Her male co-lead here is Hans Werner Meyer. Well, I think he is not as bad as Stappenbeck, but also not good either. Lackluster is maybe the right word to describe his performance, which clearly goes against the idea od his character being really emotional and finding new energy when falling for a childhood love. Bad thing is that his character is married to somebody else already, namely a childhood friend of the protagonist. This is also something different. Normally previous love interests in these movies are shown in a way that they are really mean, spiteful and unlikable. Not so here. The other woman (played by Katja Studt, who has been in more trashy films than Stappenbeck probably, even if she is better than Stappenbeck here) is just powerless and suffers because she realizes her man is falling for another woman. One thing, however, that is not different here is that the guy is the one depicted as the fool. He is ready to cheat on his wife although he has a daughter, he even initiates the actual cheating when he has sex with the protagonist. Twice. He does not realize that the two will not have a future together because they have entirely different backgrounds and preferences, but luckily the main character is there to tell him and as another example of bad writing, he understands and accepts it immediately. His wife is also depicted in a bad light by the way. Considered less attractive than the shepherd and "worth cheating on" because she is not such an amazing woman like Stappenbeck's character she even accepts that her man cheated on her and immediately forgives him. Something that Stappenbeck's character would never do if the same happened to her. She is a powerful independent woman. She says herself she does not want to and will not ruin somebody else's marriage. So she is also empathic of course. And not just when it comes to humans. Also when it comes to animals. She cannot kill them when she is instructed to from an agricultural perspective. And she is tormented by employers who won't give her a job because she may perhaps become a mother in the next five years. Tough stuff. Another cringeworthy example of a really perfect character who is struggling hard because of said perfection and because she has such an amazing charcater. Sigh. What else can I say? Oh yeah, the old fella. Pretty strange how he acts early on if apparently the lawyer is so close to her heart. By the way, the scene when she uses legal pressure on another company/institution is also cringeworthy to watch. Stappenbeck sure does not have what it took to pull this off, so she goes shamefully over the top again. Only positive thing I can say about her is that she is not unattractive and as I am usually not into blondes that means something. Maybe the negative highlight was a goat giving birth towards the end. They could not use the generic plot to create drama with the two sweethearts not ending up together (because it was clear they won't), so they randomly had to come up with another twist and that was completely out of nowhere. There the film goes back to and tries to rely on the countryside component where it is set for the most part and comes short as usual. Really shocking how you can make a movie set in such a beautiful region and the outcome is extremely bland and also nowhere near the visual level that really would not have been difficult to achieve. By the way, the soundtrack is garbage too. Equally over the top as several other production values. In other words, this is a movie that should be skipped at any cost. Typical ARd Degeto stuff that wants you to feel everything while nothing in terms of talent was involved in the production. Highly not recommended. Should never have been made. Should never have been aired, especially not almost a decade after its original releases. Revolting. By the way, Kleinert and Birnbaum are also actors that German film buffs could recognize here, but their roles are surprisingly minor. That's all.
