Toni Erdmann

Toni Erdmann is a 2016 Cannes sensation and Oscar nominee that explores the generational tug-of-war about the meaning of life, work, and death. This book is the first in-depth analysis of the film, exploring the many layers of this conflict. It also comments on the precarity of life, the gendering of labor in the new economy, the re-definition of feminism, and reconfigured East-West relations in post-Wall Europe.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 17 August 2021
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

Maren Ade's acclaimed contemporary classic, Toni Erdmann, is a profound exploration of the meaning of life, work, and death. This tragicomedy, a 2016 Cannes sensation and Oscar nominee, has gained international acclaim as a masterpiece of recent German cinema. The film revolves around Winfried, a retired music teacher and prankster, who attempts to reconnect with his daughter, Ines, a high-powered business consultant based in Bucharest. At its core, this unpredictable scenario pits Ines's efforts to conform to the demands of the new economy against Winfried's anarchic role-play, aimed at disrupting the standardization of life. This book, the first in-depth analysis of the film, delves into the intricate layers of this generational tug-of-war, examining the complexities of life's fragility, the gender dynamics of the new economy, the re-imagining of feminism by the children of the 1968 generation, and the reconfiguration of East-West relations in post-Wall Europe. Moreover, in light of Ade's artisanal filmmaking approach, where she frequently takes on the roles of writer, director, and producer, Toni Erdmann becomes a highly self-reflexive commentary on the neoliberal dictates of global art cinema.

Weight: 130g
Dimension: 132 x 190 x 9 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781640141094