So, why exactly did Ines (Sandra Hüller) strip naked near the end of Maren Ade's Toni Erdmann for her birthday party? Was she having a nervous breakdown? Had she finally cracked under the constant pressure of her father Winfried Conradi (Peter Simonische) masquerading as his alter-ego Toni Erdmann? Or was it just something that...happens? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if this last explanation was the real one. Toni Erdmann is a film wherein things happen, but usually with little or no explanation or reason. Over-long, over-wrought, and only funny is spurts, the film is a 3-hour time-sink. I could write an article of nothing but questions concerning what happened in the film:
--Why did Ines allow Winfried to tag along to so many business meetings and site visits despite the fact that she could have just told him to go away?
--What was up with the semen-eating scene? Was it to show how emotionally isolated she had become towards her one-night stands?
--Why did he grate cheese on his head in that one scene?
--Why did Ade feel it was necessary to spend almost five minutes watching Toni in his Bulgarian costume stumble around a city park?
--Why was this film considered to be the front-runner for the Palme d'Or?
--Why has this film been heralded as a masterpiece?
4/10
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