"Die Aufnahmeprüfung" is a German television film from 2012, so this one will soon have its tenth anniversary and perhaps it happened already depending on when you read this review of mine. Like most other (ARD) television films from Germany, this one here runs for minimally under 1.5 hours and it is a Degeto production, which also means you should indeed expect the worst because ARD Degeto have come up with hundreds, if not thousands, of horrible films over the years. The good news is that right now the number seems to decrease, but back in the early 2010s there was really a gigantic amount. That's what they used your GEZ money for, folks. Let's not go any further into detail about that though and instead focus on this movie here. The director is Austrian filmmaker Peter Gersina and he launched his career when the new millennium began and this means that by 2012 he was already pretty experienced and prolific. I think there are some pretty amazing Austrian films, also small screen releases, from recent years and filmmakers too, but Gersina is definitely not one of them if you take a look at his body of work. Many really bad projects included there and the best ones are also only mediocre by general standards. The Sams film perhaps, but this also has to do more with the subject than with Gersina's efforts. It probably also would have been better without him. The good news is that Gersina does not write screenplays too often for the films he directs and for this one here this is also the case, so they hired Jens Urban. Bad news is that he is not any better either. But these days he is writing stories for "In aller Freundschaft", which is pretty self-explanatory, so what would you expect. This project here was really doomed from the start.
Before I talk about individual scenes that were really poor and what I disliked most about this film, a few words on the cast: Birge Schade was maybe still the best cast member, but not even she could make this mess work. There are other familiar faces in here. Jan-Gregor Kremp may be an actor that is easy to recognize, but you never really remember the name. Things look different with Herbert Knaup. At least for me, maybe because I like him. But this made it even worse for me that he accepted to appear in this mess of a movie, but also that he really was not good at all. Honestly, he was pretty poor and gimmicky with his character and the fact that the character was also written poorly really made things even worse. About the child actors I really cannot say too much this time. Not familiar with any of those three (or four) and I still wonder if we still see them in films 20 years from now. That's it for the people I guess. Now about the action: Honestly, the very first scene in the elevator was one where I already knew this film would suck a lot. And it became true. I mean look at how she humiliates Knaup's character there. Charming. In front of everybody. If a man did the same, it would be sexist and derogatory. If a woman does that, it is strong-willed and emancipated no? Ridiculous. If Knaup's character is not her boss, then he should talk to her boss and make sure he gives her a little talk on how to behave. Not only towards your superiors, but also towards your colleagues. The action moves away quickly from the hospital. We find out about the relationship between Knaup's and Schade's characters and the scene in which the former injures himself and cannot go on the trip is so cringeworthy to watch. Also Knaup's acting there. Absolutely unauthentic. 100% for the sake of it that we have Schade's character go with the kids and also for Kremp's character to join them. How was she allowed this quickly off work though?
Anyway, things get worse when the trip takes place. Look at all the stuff that happens there. The scene with the girl cramping in the water and Kramp's character's wrongful idea that the boy is to blame. Pseudo drama of the worst kind. Or how the boy throws the girl's phone into the water. Or how Kremp's character has a little accident during climbing. Or how he has another accident on his bike etc. There is much more. This is really so clearly fictitious and in real life a trip would never take place in a similar manner. Of course, not much later the ex-husband (Knaup) shows up and makes things even more complicated. Not only because he is not too happy in general with the new man in his ex-wife's life, but mostly because during one scene he tries to kiss her and wants her back apparently. But she rejects him. Because she is a tough independent woman in love with somebody else. Let's just ignore what happened during New Year's Eve. Lies, cheating etc. Charming how it's always the female characters who get away with stuff like that and when Kremp's character here is about to start something with somebody else potentially, he is also considered heartless, especially compared to Schade's character crying in the light of her potentially broken relationship. The funny thing is that the other woman is so much more attractive, but the idea that it is never really about looks is of course also not a rarity in these films because they also have to please the below-average attractive housewife that usually watches films like this. These Degeto movies are almost always directed at female audiences. Which is why I applaud every single female who sees through this charade and realizes how horrible most of these films are. More examples from this one here: When the girl starts singing the Lena song, I cringed too. Maybe they can still slightly get away with that, but where is Lena's record company to sue the filmmakers here for copyright reasons and keep this film from ever being shown again. Not gonna happen obviously. No surprise either because Lena is talent-wise approximately on the same level as this movie. The rating of exactly 6.0 (before my rating) is way too high here.
The ending is also weak, most of all with Knaup's character who did not know what was going on and is pushed outside, but also in terms of how the son all of a sudden changed his mind. I mean it kinda makes sense because he heard his mother suffer, but still. For me it did not feel realistic with everything that happened before. The core idea of the mother starting something with her son's maths teacher is pathetic enough already. And even if we accept this as fact (and I really hesitate to), then it is maybe even more ridiculous and as insensitive as it gets to not tell the son, but offer this twist to him as a surprise. So no matter where you look here, be it acting, story, attention to detail etc., this movie is a major disappointment. This also becomes clear with the very end when we find out why this film is called the way it is. The English term would be "qualifying examination" or "entrance examination" and the female protagonist tells the (not so) new man in her life that he passed the exam. Yeah right, this poor guy. The only one who should have to pass any exam in here is this rotten family and honestly Kremp's character got it all right the moment he decided to leave them behind and run away. But with that ridiculously forced happily ever after ending (the way you get them so often in Degeto films), all is good again and the easily entertained are satisfied once more. So yeah, one quick note to Ilse Neubauer. I think it is kinda sad that the director at the age of 50 has to make films like this one here, but Neubauer was 70 back then and is still acting today at almost 80 and being in films like this at such an age is maybe even more miserable. I mean what does she do here? Sit around and appear as deep and know-it-all in a likable way. Of course. Because she is a female character. Sigh. I don't even. Especially when she told Knaup's character that the other two grown-ups can now really get along well with some time for themselves. Okay, that's it. There is no need to read between the lines here. I think this is a pretty terrible movie from every perspective and I give it a massive thumbs-down. Highly not recommended.
Before I talk about individual scenes that were really poor and what I disliked most about this film, a few words on the cast: Birge Schade was maybe still the best cast member, but not even she could make this mess work. There are other familiar faces in here. Jan-Gregor Kremp may be an actor that is easy to recognize, but you never really remember the name. Things look different with Herbert Knaup. At least for me, maybe because I like him. But this made it even worse for me that he accepted to appear in this mess of a movie, but also that he really was not good at all. Honestly, he was pretty poor and gimmicky with his character and the fact that the character was also written poorly really made things even worse. About the child actors I really cannot say too much this time. Not familiar with any of those three (or four) and I still wonder if we still see them in films 20 years from now. That's it for the people I guess. Now about the action: Honestly, the very first scene in the elevator was one where I already knew this film would suck a lot. And it became true. I mean look at how she humiliates Knaup's character there. Charming. In front of everybody. If a man did the same, it would be sexist and derogatory. If a woman does that, it is strong-willed and emancipated no? Ridiculous. If Knaup's character is not her boss, then he should talk to her boss and make sure he gives her a little talk on how to behave. Not only towards your superiors, but also towards your colleagues. The action moves away quickly from the hospital. We find out about the relationship between Knaup's and Schade's characters and the scene in which the former injures himself and cannot go on the trip is so cringeworthy to watch. Also Knaup's acting there. Absolutely unauthentic. 100% for the sake of it that we have Schade's character go with the kids and also for Kremp's character to join them. How was she allowed this quickly off work though?
Anyway, things get worse when the trip takes place. Look at all the stuff that happens there. The scene with the girl cramping in the water and Kramp's character's wrongful idea that the boy is to blame. Pseudo drama of the worst kind. Or how the boy throws the girl's phone into the water. Or how Kremp's character has a little accident during climbing. Or how he has another accident on his bike etc. There is much more. This is really so clearly fictitious and in real life a trip would never take place in a similar manner. Of course, not much later the ex-husband (Knaup) shows up and makes things even more complicated. Not only because he is not too happy in general with the new man in his ex-wife's life, but mostly because during one scene he tries to kiss her and wants her back apparently. But she rejects him. Because she is a tough independent woman in love with somebody else. Let's just ignore what happened during New Year's Eve. Lies, cheating etc. Charming how it's always the female characters who get away with stuff like that and when Kremp's character here is about to start something with somebody else potentially, he is also considered heartless, especially compared to Schade's character crying in the light of her potentially broken relationship. The funny thing is that the other woman is so much more attractive, but the idea that it is never really about looks is of course also not a rarity in these films because they also have to please the below-average attractive housewife that usually watches films like this. These Degeto movies are almost always directed at female audiences. Which is why I applaud every single female who sees through this charade and realizes how horrible most of these films are. More examples from this one here: When the girl starts singing the Lena song, I cringed too. Maybe they can still slightly get away with that, but where is Lena's record company to sue the filmmakers here for copyright reasons and keep this film from ever being shown again. Not gonna happen obviously. No surprise either because Lena is talent-wise approximately on the same level as this movie. The rating of exactly 6.0 (before my rating) is way too high here.
The ending is also weak, most of all with Knaup's character who did not know what was going on and is pushed outside, but also in terms of how the son all of a sudden changed his mind. I mean it kinda makes sense because he heard his mother suffer, but still. For me it did not feel realistic with everything that happened before. The core idea of the mother starting something with her son's maths teacher is pathetic enough already. And even if we accept this as fact (and I really hesitate to), then it is maybe even more ridiculous and as insensitive as it gets to not tell the son, but offer this twist to him as a surprise. So no matter where you look here, be it acting, story, attention to detail etc., this movie is a major disappointment. This also becomes clear with the very end when we find out why this film is called the way it is. The English term would be "qualifying examination" or "entrance examination" and the female protagonist tells the (not so) new man in her life that he passed the exam. Yeah right, this poor guy. The only one who should have to pass any exam in here is this rotten family and honestly Kremp's character got it all right the moment he decided to leave them behind and run away. But with that ridiculously forced happily ever after ending (the way you get them so often in Degeto films), all is good again and the easily entertained are satisfied once more. So yeah, one quick note to Ilse Neubauer. I think it is kinda sad that the director at the age of 50 has to make films like this one here, but Neubauer was 70 back then and is still acting today at almost 80 and being in films like this at such an age is maybe even more miserable. I mean what does she do here? Sit around and appear as deep and know-it-all in a likable way. Of course. Because she is a female character. Sigh. I don't even. Especially when she told Knaup's character that the other two grown-ups can now really get along well with some time for themselves. Okay, that's it. There is no need to read between the lines here. I think this is a pretty terrible movie from every perspective and I give it a massive thumbs-down. Highly not recommended.
