THE STORY – Joseph and Sonya share an intimate friendship and their young son, whom they’re raising together. While Joseph, a film director, is doubly preoccupied with a new idea for a film and with the aftermath of a previous relationship, Sonya suffers from depression. When she is hospitalized, Joseph must juggle both his everyday commitments and his artistic ambitions.
THE CAST – Fabian Stumm, Haley Louise Jones, Ulrica Flach & Jonas Dassler
THE TEAM – Fabian Stumm (Director & Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 96 Minutes
“Sad Jokes” follows Joseph (Fabian Stumm), a filmmaker who, after a recent breakup, moves in with his long-time friend Sonya (Haley Louise Jones). Sonya, who’s battling mental health issues, eventually puts Joseph in a position where he becomes the sole caregiver of Sonya’s child, Pino, while she seeks help. Now embracing this new phase of his life, Joseph must balance his evolving artistic endeavors, romantic possibilities, and raising a child with little to no help. On paper, “Sad Jokes” feels like the German equivalent of a prime Judd Apatow film. It’s less of an adult coming-of-age film and more in the vein of dramedies we see so heavily nowadays. Stumm’s sophomore feature sees him again tackling a triple header of responsibility as writer, director, and lead performer. What results is possibly Stumm’s creative abilities being stretched too thin.
As a performer, Stumm is solid but is more of a guiding figure to keep the plot moving forward. At times, he can bring a calming presence to the screen, but we mostly see Stumm reacting passively to the drama unfolding in his life. There are a few moments where Stumm attempts to flex his comedic capabilities, which often leads to mixed results. Overall, you can’t help but feel that he’s more of a passenger in his own story. Every character besides Joseph falls to the wayside as supporting players come in and out consistently throughout the film’s brief runtime. Sonya is easily the only other memorable character in “Sad Jokes,” as Jones is also the film’s standout performance, making the most of her little screen time. That being said, almost every character is so one-dimensional that even if the actors had more time on screen, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
Stumm’s screenplay is frustrating. It starts with a rotating documentary-esque testimonial sequence of people telling sad jokes, and, in a way, that may be where it plateaued in terms of inspired commentary. More so, “Sad Jokes” feels like a half-hearted and fictionalized examination of Stumm’s self, which is why the film feels incredibly disjointed.
Almost every scene is constructed in a vignette-esque structure, held together with the flimsiest of narrative threads. Multiple characters or storylines are introduced throughout the film at various moments and play little to no importance to the overall story other than to insert the character of Joseph into awkward situations. Criticisms aside, there are moments when the script sings, even if only for a few moments. There’s an excellent scene involving a “date” Joseph is having that encapsulates everything Stumm is trying to convey: Every time he keeps getting intimate with his date, another of his children seeks to interrupt it. It wedges a divide between the life and experiences Joseph wants compared to what he now has to prioritize, and in this case, it’s Pino. It’s an incredibly tender and heartfelt scene that escalates as emotions become heightened. It’s a shame the rest of the film couldn’t maintain this sense of momentum.
The biggest issue with “Sad Jokes” is that it’s a dramedy where it only excels in one department. For the most part, the film’s comedy doesn’t land. When it does, it’s dragged beyond its expiration date. There’s a sequence where Joseph gets trapped in a vending machine, and while it leads to some fun banter derived from the situation, it just goes on and on, even into the next scene where he’s in the hospital. “Sad Jokes” isn’t perfect as a drama either, but Stumm’s direction and writing achieve a better harmony. It’s also in the dramatic moments where Stumm and Jones’ performances shine the brightest. Stumm’s direction is pretty concise in terms of his ability to block actors (when they do move). His work alongside Michael Bennett’s cinematography is intentionally quaint. Bennett keeps the camera mostly in static shots where characters move around to inhabit what’s in the frame. It’s simplistic, but it works for what Stumm is trying to emotionally convey to the audience.
After the interesting opening to “Sad Jokes,” it became clear that it would only go downhill from there. It’s a film that’s nowhere near as inspired or original as it wishes to be. Nothing feels resolved when you get to its ending, and you’re only left wondering if anything purposeful transpired throughout the film’s runtime. “Sad Jokes” is a film of fleeting moments, like the brief amusement heard from an actual sad joke itself.
