“What Marielle Knows” (“Was Marielle weiss”)
(Germany)
Screened at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival (5/5)
Letterboxd (4.5/5), Imdb.com (9/10), TMDB.com (9/10); Imdb.com critics review
#BrentMarchant #WhatMarielleKnows #ChiFilmFest #Germany #telepathy #honesty #darkdryhumor #comedydrama
Honesty is a subject on seemingly everyone’s mind these days, for a variety of reasons. It’s widely regarded as something inviolable and sanctimonious, not to be questioned or minimized. But can there be such a thing as too much honesty, situations in which revealing more than what one realistically needs to know can be detrimental? And what if the truths that surface in those scenarios are impacted by a phenomenon like telepathy, where purposely containing the unrestricted and unfiltered flow of information can be challenging, if not impossible? Such are the circumstances set out in writer-director Frédéric Hambalek’s second feature. This contemplative dark comedy-drama tells the story of Marielle (Laeni Geiseler), an adolescent who develops the ability to see and hear what others are seeing, doing and thinking (even when they’re not present) after she was slapped across the face in an altercation with an acquaintance. Needless to say, she’s mystified by this unexpected development and consults her parents (Julia Jentsch, Felix Kramer) for advice on how to explain and handle it. But mom and dad dismiss their daughter’s assertions out of hand – that is, until she recites a detailed litany of what happened to each of them that day. Suddenly, they’re not so sure of themselves, especially when Marielle brings up potentially sensitive (and embarrassing) revelations involving the truthfulness of their thoughts and the events transpiring in their respective personal and professional lives. And, the longer Marielle’s ability persists, the more complications it causes for all concerned – some of them hilarious and others not so funny. So how is the family supposed to resolve this situation before matters get completely out of control, especially when excessive honesty flows so readily that it becomes weaponized as a tool of manipulation and blackmail? This superbly written comic morality play examines these issues from an array of angles, including the potential (and actual) permutations that arise from these conditions, frequently complemented with hefty helpings of wryly droll humor and a stark but fittingly appropriate classical soundtrack featuring the works of Beethoven and Schubert. But, as the story progresses, the narrative grows increasingly more palpable, raising the thorny question of whether a solution is even attainable, especially when only difficult options hold out the only hope available. In many respects, this release calls to mind issues like those raised in such films as “You Hurt My Feelings” (2023) but with a greater degree of depth and intensity, conditions we must all be prepared to address when circumstances like this arise, regardless of whether telepathy plays a role in the scenario. And that’s no laughing matter.
Laeni Geiseler stars as an adolescent who develops unexpected telepathic powers in the dark comedy-drama, “What Marielle Knows” (“Was Marielle weiss“). Photo © by Alexander Griesser/Walker Worm Film, courtesy of Chicago International Film Festival.