Fritz is a shy college student who imagines himself as a far bolder person than he actually is. He pictures himself correcting a professor, asking out the girl he has a crush on, and shutting off his roommates’ computer as he is playing a very loud computer game in the middle of the night. But, in reality, Fritz actually does nothing and life continues to pass him by.
Content
Wohlbehagen means “complacency” in German. And for this film, it’s a perfect title. Fritz is stuck in a cycle of complacency that he obviously wishes to escape, but lacks the courage to do so. I do like the subject, as many people will probably be able to identify with it.
The acting was decent, and I liked the fact that there was no script and the actors were allowed to improvise as this seemed to give a better flow to the overall feel.
My one complaint, however, is with the moments in which Fritz imagines himself doing all these bold things. I get the sense that the filmmakers wanted to make the audience think that he actually did these things, then show them that he actually did nothing. (A similar thing was done in Analyze This and its sequel Analyze That where Billy Crystal’s character imagines himself yelling at one of his patients and also going on a rant at his father’s funeral; both of which were very funny.) In this case, however, they began to get a bit repetitive, as a good deal of the movie is made up of Fritz’s “day-dreams.” It might be a good idea to come up with some sort of convention that clearly identifies each one, just so the audience doesn’t get so confused. The white flash, while overdone, is something that an audience will recognize as designating a clear change in setting. But, in order to keep the viewer surprised, the action can continue to flow through the daydream, then the white flash (or some transition other than a cut) could be used to signify the end of the day dream and the return to the “real world.”
Visual Look
There were some interesting shots in this movie. At the beginning there was a shot of Fritz walking to class, and it was framed to show a blooming tree in the foreground. This was a really nice use of setting. In addition, the nighttime shots looked very well-lit; especially considering that the crew used flashlights and lanterns as lighting. Plus there were a couple of nice high-angle shots in the dorm rooms (which seems like a good use of space considering how small dorms usually are.)
However, I did notice some visual issues. In an outdoor scene, there was very bright sunlight casting harsh shadows on the character’s faces. This would’ve been quite easy to correct on the day, either by putting up a sheet of some kind on the sunlit side in order to diffuse the light, or have someone stand on the shadow side with a reflector of some kind (while the real deal will run you a couple hundred bucks, one of those bendable car visors or a sheet of white foam core board will work just as well.) This shot was particularly difficult as it was also a moving shot. Someone could’ve walked alongside the characters holding either of those items or – perhaps the better option – stick with a stationary shot.
