Everyone Else

A brilliant, innovative young architect is on holiday at his parent’s Italian vacation villa. With him is his girl friend Gitti, Bridget Minichmayr (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) who works in the music business. Chris, Lars Eidinger (Wanna Be) is up for an architectural award and he is anxiously awaiting the announcement. On the island they run into a fellow architect and Chris has invited them to dinner. On their last meeting, Gitti embarrassed him by speaking her mind and becoming confrontational. Tonight she has promised to be on her best behavior. She has even volunteered to cook.

Chris is an idealist, and so far he has been uncompromising with his vision, but as he continues to lose one project after another because people don’t understand his intricate design concepts, he is beginning to lose his confidence. Gitti fell in love with the artistic side of Chris. For her, success is staying true to your self.

Because this film is in German, I may have missed a lot of small details. In a movie about relationships, every facial muscle gives you a clue, so it was hard to read the subtitles and still watch faces. But for me the most telling scene is when Chris is waiting for his guests to arrive. As a statement, or a joke, Chris has set the table with all his mother’s vegetable dish ware. A pitcher that looks like a giant stalk of asparagus, humongous cabbage serving bowls, plates that look like lettuce leaves, dishes that look like peppers and tomatoes. The table appears like Thanksgiving after a nuclear event. But as he stares at his display, waiting for his guests to arrive, he starts to second-guess himself. He begins to doubt whether they will appreciate the humor. Suddenly, he gets up and proceeds to remove the ridiculous items. Gitti protests, she thinks it’s funny and she likes it. But he pushes her away. This is the beginning of the end.

Everyone Else (Alle Anderen) is a film about relationships and how couples may masquerade for long periods of time before finally reveling their true selves. It explores the ideas of compatibility, honesty, and compromise. It is a difficult film to watch, especially if you don’t speak German, so much is lost in translation. But the film is thought provoking and intriguing. It would be an interesting film to discuss with a mate. But be careful, leave a little mystery. Never admit to too much. This film teaches us to be an onion not a walnut. Reveal yourself a little at a time.

Rating: Second Run An interesting study of relationships.