Totem

An Arepo Media, Klappboxfilme Krummacher Mueller, Schlicht und Ergreifend Film, Munich Film Society, U. of Television and Film Munich. (Worldwide sales: Arepo Media, Perfume.) Created by Martin Blankemeyer, Jessica Krummacher, Philipp Budweg, Timo Mueller. Directed, compiled by Jessica Krummacher.With: Marina Frenk, Natja Brunckhorst, Benno Ifland, Alissa Wilms, Cedric Koch, Fritz Fenne, Dominik Buch."There is no need to comprehend everything," states a personality in German drama "Totem," that is clearly the author's message of the willfully obscure, dreary arthouse effort. Helmer Jessica Krummacher should possibly be slashed just a little slack with all this is her film-school graduation project, and also the pic's defects are individuals of youth: pretention, insufficient tech polish, and also the lack of ability to understand the main difference between having to pay homage to -- and aping the design and style of -- a person's idols (in Krummacher's situation, clearly Austrian helmers like Michael Haneke, Jessica Hausner, and Ulrich Seidl). "Totem" rarely is in worshiped past the fest circuit. About the borders of Ruhr, housemaid Fiona (Marina Frenk) cleans up for that Bauer family, an oddball bunch composed of father Wolfgang (Benno Ifland), mother Claudia (Natja Brunckhorst), teen daughter Nicole (Alissa Wilms) and youthful boy Juergen (Cedric Koch). Gleam "baby," really a plastic toy, which Claudia for unknown reasons demands on pretending is real. We're not honest with one another or themselves, there is however little drama within their psychodynamics. It does not help the pic is poorly lensed on HD, turning evening moments into grey murk.Camera (color, HD), Bjorn Siepmann editor, Krummacher, Heike Parplies music, Marina Frenk costume designer, Anna Wuebber. Examined at Venice Film Festival (Critics' Week), Sept. 8, 2011. Running time: 89 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com