Although wildly intriguing this movie is unbalanced. A little more thriller and less drama would have done the plot good. It leaves too much of an open ending. Nothing gets resolved. If you're looking for a woman so blown away by unexpected events that she adopts the most unconventional of grieving mechanisms than this film fits the bill. For some reason the marketing and trailer don't convey this and through out one hopes for a little more about the missing cases. Sous les sabre did this very well. To bad, the cast and characters otherwise are excellent.
7 Reviews
Great acting, poor script
tambourinist30 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I won't summarize the plot here, other reviewers have done it very well, just share a few observations about the film.
First of all, what has to be noticed is the good acting of all the main actors. The dialogues are also OK (I watched it in the original German version).
However, the film is much worse on the script level, which becomes visible especially in the second half of the film, after the main character (Martha) meets her new love interest (Alexander). Exactly... She meets him... But how? The circumstances are not clear given that she is looking for the traces of her husband at the School of Medicine and she runs into a professor of history.
There are more problems like that. Like the fact she discovers she doesn't know her husband's friends only after his death. Or all the strange coincidences like the fact that Alexander just sees her (has he just run into her? or has he been following her?) when she's asking students at the university for some info on her husband.
The film resembles Trois Couleurs: Blue by Kieślowski, but unfortunately doesn't compare to it in terms of quality.
First of all, what has to be noticed is the good acting of all the main actors. The dialogues are also OK (I watched it in the original German version).
However, the film is much worse on the script level, which becomes visible especially in the second half of the film, after the main character (Martha) meets her new love interest (Alexander). Exactly... She meets him... But how? The circumstances are not clear given that she is looking for the traces of her husband at the School of Medicine and she runs into a professor of history.
There are more problems like that. Like the fact she discovers she doesn't know her husband's friends only after his death. Or all the strange coincidences like the fact that Alexander just sees her (has he just run into her? or has he been following her?) when she's asking students at the university for some info on her husband.
The film resembles Trois Couleurs: Blue by Kieślowski, but unfortunately doesn't compare to it in terms of quality.
Hüller and Friedrich carry it nicely
Horst_In_Translation4 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
"Über uns das All" or "Above Us Only Sky" is an 85-minute movie from 2011, so this one is already over 5 years old. The writer and director is Jan Schomburg, a relatively young filmmaker who had his 40th anniversary recently and who is mostly known for his collaborations with Maria Schrader. But in this film here, the main character is played by Sandra Hüller, a young German actress who is making big waves now for her performance as the title character's daughter in the potential Oscar winner "Toni Erdmann" by Maren Ade. But back to this one here. It is the story of a woman who thinks she is in a seemingly good relationship, but things take a turn for the worse totally surprising to her and her world crumbles quickly as a consequence. In her desperation she meets a lecturer who may help her out of her misery or get her even deeper inside. Watch for yourself.
I personally enjoyed the watch here. While I am not always a fan of Hüller's approach, there is no denying she has a certain aura that makes her characters very watchable for sure. And she succeeds for quite a while because of that, also in this film we have here. I think that the story gets a bit worse the longer the film runs, especially when the second half begins and Friedrich enters the picture. But his performance again makes up for the flaws in the script and also the problems I had with his character, which is why the film is a constantly convincing watch from start to finish. At easily under 90 minutes, it is of course also pretty essential and there are hardly no pointless scenes at all. If you like the ending (and how much) will be an entirely subjective perception I'm sure. I thought it was okay, but I did not like it as much as I hoped I would. Another strength about the film is its realism. Of course, with the cast I never had a feeling I was watching actors, but also the story feels pretty authentic because of the writing, but also because the approach the actors gave it. It's a successful outcome and a nice little relationship drama movie carried forward by a strong Sandra Hüller. I think you should check it out.
I personally enjoyed the watch here. While I am not always a fan of Hüller's approach, there is no denying she has a certain aura that makes her characters very watchable for sure. And she succeeds for quite a while because of that, also in this film we have here. I think that the story gets a bit worse the longer the film runs, especially when the second half begins and Friedrich enters the picture. But his performance again makes up for the flaws in the script and also the problems I had with his character, which is why the film is a constantly convincing watch from start to finish. At easily under 90 minutes, it is of course also pretty essential and there are hardly no pointless scenes at all. If you like the ending (and how much) will be an entirely subjective perception I'm sure. I thought it was okay, but I did not like it as much as I hoped I would. Another strength about the film is its realism. Of course, with the cast I never had a feeling I was watching actors, but also the story feels pretty authentic because of the writing, but also because the approach the actors gave it. It's a successful outcome and a nice little relationship drama movie carried forward by a strong Sandra Hüller. I think you should check it out.
All ingredients present for a perfect mystery, augmented with sublime acting. But the net result did not live up to its promises due to faulty logic in the story
JvH4818 November 2011
I saw this film at Noordelijk Filmfestival 2011 (in Leeuwarden, province of Friesland NL). It starts as a Mystery, when Martha's husband commits suicide for unknown reasons and without leaving a note. We accompany Martha on her first days after the shock, while she tries to backtrack his motives. She finds out that everything she thought she knew about him, was untrue. His job, his recent PhD, his new assignment in Marseille that starts the story, all prove to be lied. His professor who was said to have recommended him for his new assignment, only remembers him from an exam three years ago. She even puts posters on bulletin boards around the institute where he was supposed to work, but all tracks run dead. A full mystery remains. So far so good.
During her research she meets Alexander working on the same institute as her late husband. He attracts her attention due to a specific gesture she thought familiar. She invites him home that same day (and in her bed, but he leaves). She follows him around, attends his lectures, and soon treats him as a substitute husband. Understandable, but what happens next defies my logic. It starts when a former friend of Alexander points out a striking likeness between him and Martha's late husband, as appearing on the posters distributed by Martha. A second interruption in my logic happened when Marseille turns up again, this time as a new assignment for Alexander.
All in all, the first half of the film was brilliant, especially due to Martha's acting when put through a broad collection of emotions, while experiencing the change away from a seemingly happy couple, via hearing of his suicide, and later when researching for the truth. Scenes were kept relatively short but long enough to make clear what was going on. This kept the story line streaming, letting us wonder all the time what would happen next.
I love mysteries where the solution is not obvious upfront, and where the development can scatter in any direction. This film seemed to be one in that category, but then the logical flow broke on a few occasions. Maybe I did not pay attention and missed a few clues, but the abrupt ending finished it for me. I could have given a very high score for the plot and the acting, but I have to subtract many points for loosing my grip on the story. When this happens I blame the film makers, and not primarily myself. In my opinion, this could easily be avoided with some relatively minor changes. Pity for all the fine ingredients that were ready to be picked up.
During her research she meets Alexander working on the same institute as her late husband. He attracts her attention due to a specific gesture she thought familiar. She invites him home that same day (and in her bed, but he leaves). She follows him around, attends his lectures, and soon treats him as a substitute husband. Understandable, but what happens next defies my logic. It starts when a former friend of Alexander points out a striking likeness between him and Martha's late husband, as appearing on the posters distributed by Martha. A second interruption in my logic happened when Marseille turns up again, this time as a new assignment for Alexander.
All in all, the first half of the film was brilliant, especially due to Martha's acting when put through a broad collection of emotions, while experiencing the change away from a seemingly happy couple, via hearing of his suicide, and later when researching for the truth. Scenes were kept relatively short but long enough to make clear what was going on. This kept the story line streaming, letting us wonder all the time what would happen next.
I love mysteries where the solution is not obvious upfront, and where the development can scatter in any direction. This film seemed to be one in that category, but then the logical flow broke on a few occasions. Maybe I did not pay attention and missed a few clues, but the abrupt ending finished it for me. I could have given a very high score for the plot and the acting, but I have to subtract many points for loosing my grip on the story. When this happens I blame the film makers, and not primarily myself. In my opinion, this could easily be avoided with some relatively minor changes. Pity for all the fine ingredients that were ready to be picked up.
Genuinely lovely
raimund-berger5 July 2012
not sure though if the movie would appeal to international audiences. So many delicious subtleties might very well depend on original language and cultural context being understood.
This film is about defense mechanisms kicking in after a blow, namely a fraudulent husband killing himself and his wife subsequently trying to recreate the life she's been hoping to live, by means of ignorance. Or maybe not ...
Deeply human, original, wonderfully told and supremely cast. Haven't felt that well entertained in years. Really mean it.
Big round of applause, to writers, actors and production. Loved it!
This film is about defense mechanisms kicking in after a blow, namely a fraudulent husband killing himself and his wife subsequently trying to recreate the life she's been hoping to live, by means of ignorance. Or maybe not ...
Deeply human, original, wonderfully told and supremely cast. Haven't felt that well entertained in years. Really mean it.
Big round of applause, to writers, actors and production. Loved it!
Great movie with a mesmerizing actress
katarzynakordys29 January 2019
Shakespeare and love in the Sonnets
anthonydavis2623 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
This review was written for Cambridge Film Festival (UK) - 15 to 25 September 2011
* Contains spoilers *
A rather faltering reading of Shakespeare in class (which did not, as I recall, include the closing couplet) starts Above us Only Sky. The poem was still unmistakable, and highly relevant: 'Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds'. We end with shots, the last with the credits rolling, of the place where Sandra Hüller, as Martha, had expected to be, but on a different basis.
In-between, she finds plenty of alteration, together with confusion, mistrust and loss, and a mystery for which she seems (doomed) to find no answer (and we no answer as to how it could financially have been maintained so that she did not know). Her courage in all this is immense, her denial is evidence of great hope, and she carries and conducts herself with a real knowledge of her worth, and of not wanting inconsequential formalities and pleasantries that do no more than irritate her by their emptiness.
Yet, as we would, we do doubt her mental state, whether, if not actually dissociating and trying to project one person's identity onto another, then perhaps seeking solace where time should heal (as the sonnet again says, 'Love alters not with his (time's) brief hours and weeks, / But bears it out even to the edge of doom'): such concern is at its closest in one scene, where she barks out orders, and forces what she insists should be done in a humiliating and damaging way. But not a way that reckons with love, not a way that remembers being told that it is actually easier to make an apology weeks afterwards, although it seems awkward, because it has already been accepted in that time.
The warmth of the joking, the bantering, links this to the most positive parts in the short film Philipp that was shown before: there is a shared life that cuts through trite sentiments such as 'it feels as though we've always known each other', and appears, even with seeming 'impediments', to be 'the marriage of true minds'. (Lovely, also, to see all this against the background of Köln (Cologne), which has had a special resonance for me since a long time ago.)
* Contains spoilers *
A rather faltering reading of Shakespeare in class (which did not, as I recall, include the closing couplet) starts Above us Only Sky. The poem was still unmistakable, and highly relevant: 'Love is not love / Which alters when it alteration finds'. We end with shots, the last with the credits rolling, of the place where Sandra Hüller, as Martha, had expected to be, but on a different basis.
In-between, she finds plenty of alteration, together with confusion, mistrust and loss, and a mystery for which she seems (doomed) to find no answer (and we no answer as to how it could financially have been maintained so that she did not know). Her courage in all this is immense, her denial is evidence of great hope, and she carries and conducts herself with a real knowledge of her worth, and of not wanting inconsequential formalities and pleasantries that do no more than irritate her by their emptiness.
Yet, as we would, we do doubt her mental state, whether, if not actually dissociating and trying to project one person's identity onto another, then perhaps seeking solace where time should heal (as the sonnet again says, 'Love alters not with his (time's) brief hours and weeks, / But bears it out even to the edge of doom'): such concern is at its closest in one scene, where she barks out orders, and forces what she insists should be done in a humiliating and damaging way. But not a way that reckons with love, not a way that remembers being told that it is actually easier to make an apology weeks afterwards, although it seems awkward, because it has already been accepted in that time.
The warmth of the joking, the bantering, links this to the most positive parts in the short film Philipp that was shown before: there is a shared life that cuts through trite sentiments such as 'it feels as though we've always known each other', and appears, even with seeming 'impediments', to be 'the marriage of true minds'. (Lovely, also, to see all this against the background of Köln (Cologne), which has had a special resonance for me since a long time ago.)
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