An original look at the meaning of "family" via Bettina Oberli's MY WONDERFUL WANDA

What a strange and interesting film is MY WONDERFUL WANDA (Wanda, mein Wunder) co-written, with Cookie Ziesche, and directed by Bettina Oberli. It appears to begin as one thing, then morphs into another and another until it somehow quite gracefully combines all those 'morphings' to arrive back where it began, with almost all the things we originally thought and felt turned on their head. At least twice.

Ms. Oberli (the filmmaker is pictured below) is dealing with "class" here: the 

wealthy and those who must work (and work and work) to earn their living. And while many of the expected tropes do show up, the movie's richer and more inclusive than you'll expect. Characters expand, and the very change they resist also allows them to grow. 

The plot kicks off with the arrival at the local bus station of the eponymous care-giver, Wanda, a Polish woman who is returning to the lakeside home of a wealthy Swiss family to care for the aging father who has suffered a stroke. Why Wanda left in the first place is never baldly stated  (the care-giver who replaced her did not work out) but once we get a load of the family itself -- elitist father, cheapskate mother, nasty sister and weakling brother -- it's not difficult to imagine myriad reasons for her departure.

The smart and serious Wanda is played by Polish actress Agnieszka Grochowska (above, right, with her charge, played by André Jung), and this character is both active and reactive in terms of setting the plot in motion. What happens involves and is due to the actions of all the characters, so much so that any blame you're ready to portion out soon becomes beside the point.

Marvelous Marthe Keller (above) handles the role of the mother with expected aplomb, and the weak son is given a careful, caring reading by Jacob Matschenz (below, left). The standout performance, however, comes from the actress who plays the sister: Birgit Minichmayr (center left, below), whom you may remember from the terrific film, Everyone Else. Ms Minichmayr runs the gamut here, and she takes us with her all the way home.

By its finale, My Wonderful Wanda might even qualify as a feel-good film, but as my spouse pointed out, there's an awful lot of sadness here, too. It is also the kind of movie that Hollywood -- even American independent cinema – rarely gives us. In so many ways, it's simply more adult, offering an idea of life in all its messiness, rather than pre-digested pablum. Films like this are the reason why TrustMovies began seeking out foreign-language movies back in the 1960s. And why he's still doing that.

From Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber, the movie -- in German with English subtitles and running 111 minutes -- opens in a limited run nationwide in theaters (both virtual and real) this Friday, April 23. Click here then scroll down to see all listed cinemas, along with more information on the film.

Twins in trouble: Stéphanie Chuat/Véronique Reymond's remarkably fluid and alive family drama, MY LITTLE SISTER, hits home video

The death of a sibling is difficult enough, I should imagine (being myself an only child), but the death of a twin at an untimely age must be one of the most difficult losses to endure. That is the tale told in Switzerland's entry into this year's Best International Film "Oscar" race, MY LITTLE SISTER, which opened in virtual cinemas earlier this year and this week hits home video. But if  you are now expecting some dreary slough through pain and distress, relax a bit. Oh, the pain and distress are certainly there, but also present is one of the most lively, dramatic, vital and thoughtful films of this past year.

Written and directed by Stéphanie Chuat (at right, above) and Véronique Reymond (above, left), the movie insists upon liveliness over all, despite its somber theme which is shown us at the outset. This liveliness is certainly due in great part to the family in question being a highly theatrical one. The self-involved and perhaps now slightly demented mom (the wonderful Marthe Keller, below) was a noted actress and her late husband an evidently famous theater director. 

Their son (played by Lars Eidlinger, below, right), now ill with leukemia, is a well-known actor, while his "little" sister (born a couple of minutes after him) is an equally famous writer (played by noted German actress Nina Hoss, below, left) -- who appears to have given up her career to act as her brother's ever more full-time nurse.

Sis, however already has a loving husband (Jens Albinus, below, right) and two children -- all of whom demand her time and energy. In fact, her hubby's own career is currently taking off, and -- as helpful and caring for her brother as he already is -- he needs his wife's attention even more just now.

All this is communicated in near fast-and-furious fashion that somehow never detracts from the imminent pain and sorrow with which these characters are constantly dealing.  The very vigor and energy of the film makes these people and their situation all the more believable and important. Clearly the filmmakers understand how life and its constant, immediate demands vie for attention -- no matter how awful the surrounding circumstances might be. 

Ms.Hoss and Herr Eidlinger could hardly be better (I can't think of an actor who's portrayed the pain of cancer any more convincingly), and supporting performances are aces right down the line. My Little Sister lasts but 100 minutes, yet by its conclusion, you'll have lived through what may seem like a  lifetime or two -- and have been entertained and learned a hell of a lot in the meantime.

From Film Movement, in German and French (and a bit of English) with English subtitles, the movie -- after a theatrical release early this year -- is now available via DVD and streaming. Click here for more details on how and where to view.