Fashion Victims (2007)

"Reine Geschmacksache" or "Fashion Victims" is a German 95-minute movie from 2007, so it has its 10th anniversary this year. The writer and director is Ingo Rasper and it his certainly his most known work. The cast does not really feature any of Germany's most known actors, but the likes of Slge, Bartholomäi, Krause, Schwarz, Walser and Kobus may at least be known to some. Also Fassbinder regular Irm Hermann plays a very small part. This one we have here is a comedy for the most part. There are several areas elaborated on in here. We have a dad who struggles with a new rising entrepreneur in his company and also with his son, who does not want to follow in his father's footsteps in terms of his career. The mother of the family is not really happy with the relationship and has her own problems. The son struggles with his sexuality and also with his new potential partner, who is actually the father's colleague that I mentioned earlier. So yeah, this is really a huge coincidence and honestly it takes away a lot of the realism here. There are more serious moments in here too, but they are all depicted from a comedy perspective, even when one character has a huge gun and seems to fire at other or when one almost drowns another character. It is pretty odd and these moments towards the end really did not help the film at all because it turns it into something that we call "Klamauk" here in Germany, which basically means spectacular showy stuff that is never authentic but just feels included for the sake of it.This film is (if you look at the lists on the right here on IMDb) sometimes also called a gay(-themed) movie and I really hate that description, not just for this film, but also in general. Yes the homosexual relationship is one essential component, but you can also call this film a father-son movie, a job-related movie or a hetero-themed movie. But nobody does that. So why focus on sexual preference here (especially when the main argument for gays is always equality and they just want to be themselves instead of being seen as different) when there are so many more layers to this film here. Of course, I am not saying that these layers are elaborated on convincingly (many certainly aren't), but they are there and that is enough. The acting in this film is overall not too bad, but the story just lacks real authenticity and depth. Like I already said, "for the sake of it" or "style over substance" is a fitting description here. And the worst thing about it all was maybe Franziska Walser's character and performance. Looks like she got her own (gay-themed?) story in here as well and honestly, I could have done not only without this, but even without her character as a whole and with Selge's simply being a single dad. So yeah, overall, the bad outweighs the good for sure and I don't recommend checking it out. Thumbs down and this film is not half as funny as it tries to be.

In the U.S., it's called Fashion Victims, but in it's native German, its "Reine Geschmacksache". Co-Written and directed by Ingo Rasper, it's the story of a week in the life of the Zenker family. Dad (Edgar Selge) is a salesman in the clothing industry, and needs the help of his gay son Karsten (Florian Bartholomai). Except that Karsten had other plans, which causes even MORE friction between father and son, which was already pretty bad . Mom (Franziska Walser) and Dad are always bickering, which doesn't help the mood. The first 40 minutes are very dark and depressing, as things just get worse and worse. Then Karsten meets up with one of Dad's co-workers, and things start to happen..... This was the fourth project written and directed by Rasper, and it won several awards at European film festivals. I wish they had used a different font for the subtitles, as they are very well done, but a little hard to read. Good story -- an hour and a half long. Too bad none of the other Rasper are available on amazon.

FASHION VICTIMS (Reine Geschmacksache) is an entertaining little film that seems to have its roots in the French farce genre: characters running topsy turvy into situations that include hidden identities, well paced plans that go awry for odd reasons, and in general a healthy look at human foibles. Writers Tom Streuber and Ingo Rasper (who also directs) have dished up this confection with just the right amount of social comment, interpersonal relationship challenges, business antics, and family disasters to keep the comedy moving. And fortunately they have a fine cast of excellent actors to assure its success. Grumpy egocentric Wolfgang Zenker (Edgar Selge) is first a clothing line salesman in the fashion industry and second an abusive husband to Erika (Franziska Walser) and his closeted son Karsten (Florian Bartholomäi), a young lad who yearns to go off to university to study Spanish but is shamed into being a driver for his father when the police reveal that Wolfgang has a suspended license. One of Wolfgang's business competitors Steven Brookmüller (Roman Knizka), a handsome young man with an eye for Karsten, parts company with Wolfgang - a fact that begins a chase of boutique visits and competition that alienates Wolfgang even further from his son and wife. When Wolfgang's true financial picture is as bleak as possible, both Erika (encouraged by her single girlfriend Brigitta (Traute Höss) and Karsten elect to indulge in their own futures, and in a series of hilarious accidents the lives of all the characters collide and change. Fast paced, well photographed, and warmly acted, FASHION VICTIMS is a fun film that though it is listed as a gay movie, there is little in the story other than some momentary suggestions to deserve that label. This is a fun farce that should find a wide audience seeking a little escape from reality! Grady Harp

I was really looking forward to seeing this movie, and I tried to like it, but it's just awful. Maybe I just don't get German humor, but to me this was a frenetic 96-minute barrage of (almost) universally unbelievable, completely obnoxious, cartoonish characters, stupider "comic" situations than you'd ever see on even the very worst TV sit-com, and ridiculous, extremely heavy-handed slapstick. The only even slightly redeeming feature is Florian Bartholomäi in the lead role as Karsten. He's cute, sweet and charming, and he comes light years closer than anybody else to acting something like a real human being. I can't believe he'd ever have looked twice at a shallow jerk like Steven if he hadn't been the first man who ever paid attention to him. I'd like very much to see Bartholomäi in a good movie, but unfortunately this is not it. This is a real lemon.