Longing intrigues because it presents an outwardly decent man falling equally in love with two women but eschews simplistic judgments.
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Longing
Overview
An average, everyday metalworker and volunteer firefighter content in his marriage to his childhood sweetheart finds his emotions unexpectedly stirred when he falls for a pretty waitress from a nearby town.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
[Director] Grisebach makes good use of her low-budget and nonprofessional leads. Just as the story is minimalist, so too is the documentary-like film's look: long static takes and tons of close-ups.
Grisebach's magnificent and moving chamber drama is a roaring mouse that offers ample room for extrapolation though its episodic editing, with Dardenne-style observations so astute that typically inexpressible passions and angst become raw and visible.
It would be wrong to overpraise Longing; it's a modest film, but richly rewarding and full of promise for the future.
A mightily impressive feature debut by German writer-director Valeska Grisebach.
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