Tobias Schenke Movies
A serial killer dispassionately discusses the nuts and bolts of his grisly avocation, as well as the youthful traumas which helped to mold him into a psychopath, in this disturbing independent drama from Germany, based on a true story. Young Jurgen Bartsch (Sebastian Urzendowsky) was raised in a family where his father (Walter Gontermann) barely acknowledged his existence and his mother (Ulrike Bliefert) displayed an inappropriate degree of affection toward him. When he reached puberty, Bartsch (played as a teenager by Tobias Schenke) was a young man confused and bitter about his growing sexual maturity, and possessing a deep hatred of those around him. Bartsch was a 15-year-old apprentice butcher when he kidnapped and murdered a young boy; he would kill three more boys in a similar fashion before he was captured by police in 1966. After he was found guilty, Bartsch carefully documented his childhood and his crimes in a series of letters and essays, and Ein Leben lang kurze Hosen tragen is drawn from his own words as it dramatizes his life and his crimes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobias Schenke, Sebastian Urzendowsky, (more)
- 2000
The German answer to American Pie (1999), this teen sex comedy explores the complications that arise after a young man's penis begins speaking to him. When Florian (Tobias Schenke) is paired with his gorgeous classmate Leonie (Mina Tander) for a school play, his garrulous organ wakes him up one morning with many vocal opinions on his sex life -- or lack thereof. Determined to lose his virginity, Florian solicits advice from his vulgar friends (his flummoxed parents have already proven to be of little help). As he pursues Leonie, the teen remains oblivious to the advances of tough-girl Lisa (Luise Helm), a classmate carrying a torch for him. Director Marc Rothermund's second feature after the hit Love Scenes from Planet Earth, Ants achieved similar success in its homeland, where it became one of Germany's top-grossing films of 2000. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobias Schenke
- 2000
An arrogant football star gets an unexpected lesson in the mental side of the game from one of his fans in this comedy from Germany. Hans Pollak (Uwe Ochsenknecht) is an unemployed factory worker who drives a cab part time to bring in some money. Hans is also a committed football fan, and he is so loyal to his favorite team, Schalke 04, that he puts up his house as collateral on a bet that Schalke will win their next game -- and that their star player, Pablo (Oscar Ortega Sanchez), will pull out of his losing streak and kick a goal for the team. What Hans and his friends don't know is that Pablo couldn't care less about the team or the game; he's soon to be traded to an Italian franchise who will pay him more money, and he's too wrapped up in his ego and his cocaine habit to bother with anyone else. Hans and his buddies meet Pablo in a bar and are angered by his cavalier attitude; when Pablo stumbles into Hans' taxi later that night, they get into an argument and Hans knocks him out. While Pablo sleeps it off on Hans' couch, Hans and his friends decide to give him a crash course in the importance of teamwork and a winning attitude, to the anger of the hung-over athlete and the puzzlement of Hilde (Marita Marschall), Hans' wife, who doesn't know about her husband's wager. Marita Marschall's performance in Fussball Ist Unser Leben earned her the Best Supporting Actress prize at the 2000 Bavarian Film Awards. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ludger Burmann, Walter Gontermann, (more)
- 1999
A man discovers the difference between lust and love isn't as simple as he thought in this romantic comedy from Germany. Bob (Gregor Torzs) is a self-styled ladies' man in his mid-twenties who is making a concerted effort to settle down by marrying his girlfriend Claudia (Miriam Lahnstein). Claudia loves Bob so much she's getting breast implants in hopes that a more substantial bosom will encourage him to stick around. However, one morning Bob spots Barbara (Martina Gedeck) on the bus and is immediately infatuated; he chats her up and they go so far as to get a motel room before she calls things off. Bob is intrigued, however, and wants to know more about her; he discovers she's a bit older than he expected -- and the slightly insecure mother of three children. But as Bob and Barbara become better acquainted, they discover a real attraction has grown between them, and Bob has to decide just how he feels about Barbara before meeting Claudia at the altar. Alles Bob won enthusiastic reviews for Martina Gedeck's well-nuanced performance as Barbara. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martina Gedeck, Gregor Torzs, (more)
- 1998
A burnt-out Berlin cop investigating his 652nd case slowly loses the ability to discern the differences between the grim realities of the job and a decaying personal life as his mental instability grows progressively worse. His latest case is particularly nasty and puzzling, but Detective Bernie Kominka (Gotz George) finds himself strangely pleased, for it distracts him from his tumultuous home life wherein his wife grows fussy and distant, and his nearly lunatic son proclaims his undying hatred for him. The mystery involves the apparently sexually-motivated mutilation, beating death, and robbery of a young man. During his initial investigation of the crime scene, Kominka notes a yellow umbrella that is surreptitiously picked up by a young woman. While vainly searching for clues, Kominka's marriage finally crumbles, but not before he is suspended by his boss/brother-in-law Hecht (Christian Redl) during a heated argument. With no work and no family, Kominka, who seems to be teetering on the brink of a breakdown without realizing it himself, starts looking for the woman and the missing umbrella. During his search, he learns that the victim's ex-wife has become a suspect and that the deceased had been selling his son to pedophiles. Kominka finds the woman, Anna Weller (Corinna Harfouch) soon enough. A recent divorcée, she is as vulnerable and fragile as he is. Without identifying himself as a cop, Kominka picks Anna up at a singles bar and the two embark upon a decidedly sexual and unhealthy relationship that only worsens the situation. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Götz George, Corinna Harfouch, (more)
- 1998
- NR
The traditional (and not-so-traditional) mating dances of young people in Munich are examined for comic effect in the film Das Merkwuerdige Verhalten Geschlectsreifer Grossstaedter Zur Paarungzeist/Love Scenes From Planet Earth. Charly (Christoph Waltz) is a writer who is lonely and depressed, so one day he "borrows" his publisher's new car and soon attracts the attention of two women, Hilde (Michaela May) and Cornelia (Gudrun Landgrebe). Meanwhile, Charly's former significant other, Manuela (Ann-Kathrin Kramer), is interested in Sven (Heio Von Stetten), whom she met at a mall while he was taking the baby for a stroll. Except that it's not Sven's baby, but Manuela's; while she had given the tyke to her friend Birgit (Isabella Parkinson) to baby-sit for the day, Birgit wanted to spend the day at the gym owned by Jimmy (Oliver Korittke), whom she recently met at a dance party. However, if Birgit is looking for love, Jimmy is the wrong place to look for it; Jimmy is gay, and was at the party mainly because he had his eyes on the host, Peter (Markus Knuefken). This low-key comedy of romantic errors, the feature directorial debut of Marc Rothemund, was a major success in Germany, where it was the second highest grossing domestic release of 1998. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christoph Waltz, Ann-Kathrin Kramer, (more)
