out of
“What do you want?” A simple question, but once asked, one that permeates virtually every second of Tom Tykwer’s The Princess and the Warrior. Our “princess”, Sissi (Franka Potente), is sent on a life-altering quest of self-discovery after a near-fatal accident threatens her existence. “What do you want?” asks a seemingly sad Bodo (Benno Fürmann). The question is so important to the film, it is asked a second time for emphasis, “Yes, what do you want?” “I wanted to see you again,” Sissi responds.
From the opening shot of a woman writing a letter to the final shot of the same woman at a beachside house overlooking a vast ocean, Tykwer’s The Princess and the Warrior takes us on a journey so simple and yet so elegant, many might dismiss it as trivial. After his career-making film Run Lola Run brought the name Tykwer to American audiences, many anticipated his next film eagerly. He delivered with this film, so very different from Lola and yet very much alike. Thematically, Tykwer treads similar water, delving into Kieslowski’s favorites: chance, fate and coincidence. He also uses most of the same cast, including Potente, who displays here that she is not just a one-note actress, but quite possibly one of the most gifted actresses working today.
There is still running involved. There is still Tykwer’s impressive visual stylization (helped immensely by cinematographer Frank Griebe). There is still Tykwer’s pulsating musical score underlining almost every scene (he goes for a more minimalist approach versus the in-your-face heartbeat sensations of Lola). And yet, with all the similarities, the only time Run Lola Run comes to mind is during a chase scene. It is during this scene, appropriately, that our two main characters meet for the first time. In non-traditional Hollywood style, a truck runs a red light and slams into Sissi (it is a credit to the film for a quick glimpse of Sissi shoving a patient out of harm’s way). A fleeing Bodo ducks underneath the truck to avoid capture, only to discover Sissi unable to breathe. Thanks to military training, he whips out his pocket knife and performs an emergency tracheotomy with a straw (sensitive viewers be warned: this is fairly unsettling).
To reveal any more would be a disservice to the uninitiated viewer. It must be said that even knowing the entire plot does not hinder the impact of the film. No words can adequately describe the experience. What we are awarded with is one of the most romantic films ever made, but told in an entirely unique fashion. What other romance film can you recall that involves not only a tracheotomy, but a psychiatric hospital and a bank robbery? However, this is not simply a romantic drama—it is philosophy, it is a turbulent character study, and it is a surrealistic fairy tale (as the title hints to). There are very few films I can recall where the characters seem to have existed prior to the start of the movie. Bodo and Sissi are both haunted by emotional problems, and these troubles result in a magnetic chemistry between them. We see that their inner turmoils can help each other, perhaps even heal each other. As is true of all great romantic dramas, we desperately want these two together.
Sissi, who has spent her whole life inside the walls of the hospital (her mother was a nurse), walks through life as in a daze. She’s stuck, bored of the routine, yet unable (or unwilling) to escape. When asked to cover a late shift, she accepts almost haphazardly, as if it doesn’t matter. And it doesn’t matter. Tykwer’s film is a fairy tale for all those people stuck in their lives; it’s a fairy tale for all those who meet someone for a minute and never see them again. We’ve seen this before, but Tykwer takes it a step further, recreating the emotional emptiness one experiences with the realization that you might have missed your destiny. That draining, heart-breaking, lonely feeling is put forth with every inch of celluloid. With every passing scene, the possibility of breaking into tears is imminent.
Bodo, on the other hand, has lived, having joined and left the army, married a woman he loves only to lose her in a disastrous accident. Stuck forever in a state of disbelief and sorrow, he wanders from job to job, uncontrollable tears streaming from his eyes every time he experiences an emotion. To prevent them, he seems to avoid all emotion. At night, he sleepwalks to the furnace and burns himself as he dreams of his dead wife. Awake, he spends his time robbing gas stations, while his brother Walter (Joachim Król) plans to rob the bank he works for and escape to Australia.
Sissi and Bodo do come together on many occasions, as she sets out to thank her savior. Nothing has changed after two months of recovery, and much like "Sleeping Beauty," she seems to have awaken from her lifelong stupor. As it often occurs in real life, her idea and the reality of her warrior is vastly different. She finds in Bodo a sad, angry person who wants nothing to do with her. “I wanted to see you again,” her answer cries with anguish. “I don’t,” he replies coldly.
Everything culminates, as fate brings these two together at her hospital, where Bodo is mistaken for one of the patients. The pieces are set for the climax, which is quite possibly the most suspenseful scene in the film. Characters reveal their true selves, and what occurs is one of the most heart-stopping moments ever to grace the silver screen. You may find yourself so invested in these characters that the climax may come as a shock—as it did for me. Tears streamed down my face, and it became clear to me: I cared about these two characters more than any recent film character.
Franka Potente and Benno Fürmann deserve most of the credit for this. Potente was praised for her performance in Run Lola Run, but she goes even further here, giving an Oscar-worthy performance that was largely ignored. She walks with a stiffness that echoes her inner loneliness, and when she runs, it’s hard to imagine that this is Lola herself. Benno Fürmann doesn’t get enough credit, but he more than equals Potente’s star power. Armed with one of the most beautiful faces I’ve ever seen, Fürmann’s eyes express more sadness than ten actors in Hollywood could ever manage. His silence is more powerful than his words, and it’s a compliment that he creates such a well-rounded character without saying a lot. His steel façade hints at his warrior underneath, ready to burst out in violence—or tears. Together, Fürmann and Potente create some of the most realistic examples of romance in cinema history.
Tom Tykwer handles everything with a steady hand, showing a maturity and growth from his last feature. Instead of going for a hurried pace, he allows everything to move at a languid pace. As a result, his themes are given ample time to sink in, and the audience gets to linger and think without being forced into another plot twist. Whereas Run Lola Run was more an exercise in style, Tykwer focuses more on substance this time around, and the result is a brave success. Nobody will confuse Tykwer’s brand of filmmaking with Kieslowski’s, but he does create an emotional undercurrent that far surpasses most films made these days. The rhythmic, recurring music is virtually an ever-present entity, and Tykwer’s crew of composers (including himself) create, as they did with Lola, a perfect companion to the images. The camerawork by Frank Griebe is not a static piece of equipment, but a moving eye that pulls us into the world and makes us experience everything as the characters do. There’s a beautiful shot of Sissi walking down a green hill in the rain when it suddenly stops. It’s surreal without being surreal.
The Princess and the Warrior is rated R for some disturbing imagery, language, and some sexual situations (Sissi crosses professional boundaries with a patient—though it doesn’t feel inappropriate). Tykwer has crafted a beautiful adult fairy tale for our modern day times. In a day of cynicism and cold-heartedness, it’s refreshing to see a story so focused on real problems and real solutions. Free from irony and self-referentialism, Tykwer’s film creates an emotionally cathartic experience, and anyone who identifies with the characters (which should be most people) will find it rewarding. Personally, this film touched deep in my soul, and I will remember it for the rest of my life. And that is perhaps the highest compliment I can offer.
| Rating: out of
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© 2003 Boyd Petrie |