THE STORY – Tim Engels, his wife Milena, their twins Frieda and Jon, and Milena’s other son Dio, are a complex modern family living in a Berlin apartment. Their habits enable them to keep their lives separate even as they move through the shared spaces of their home. It is not until the enigmatic Farrah – recently arrived from Syria – is placed in their home as the new housekeeper, that their world is put to the test and hidden feelings come to light. It is an experience that expands and alters the lives of the family in unexpected ways as Farrah sets a plan in motion that will bring a new dimension to how they experience and understand the human condition.
THE CAST – Lars Eidinger, Tala Al-Deen, Elke Biesendorfer & Julius Gause
THE TEAM – Tom Tykwer (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 162 Minutes
“Who am I?”
It’s not just the refrain of “The Light’s” most surprising and atypical musical number but also the question that lies at the heart of this modern, socially-aware narrative. How do we define identity, and how inseparably is it linked to the people we surround ourselves with? Tom Tykwer’s latest film is a promising offering of rich commentary and vivid character work, and while the final product isn’t quite as refined as the ideas within, it’s still an engaging piece of storytelling that knows precisely how far it can bend the rules before audiences turn their attention elsewhere. Starring Lars Eidinger, Nicolette Krebitz, and Tala Al Deen in three fiercely complex roles, the film is both a mature exploration of familial relationships and a slightly more sporadic commentary on immigration and discrimination in modern society.
At the heart of Tykwer’s “The Light” is Farrah, a Syrian immigrant-turned-cleaner who takes a job working for a German family in Berlin after their previous housekeeper suffered a tragic (but darkly comedic) accident while at work. From there, the film patiently works its way through the daily lives of each member of the Engels family, from socially active parents Tim and Milena to their withdrawn and unpredictable children Jon and Frieda. “The Light” dissects this household in unrelenting detail, breaking down their relationships through plenty of unrushed, dialogue-heavy confrontations that effectively draw the audience into the minds of these individuals. Where the film staggers, however, is through its rash and misguided use of Farrah’s protagonist to detract from the main story and offer some painfully unsubtle commentary on immigration and multiculturalism.
While these undeniably potent themes deserve rich and thoughtful discussion, “The Light” doesn’t always offer that. In a comically ironic twist, given its focus on identity as a key theme, the film seems constantly unsure of its own; it drifts aimlessly between dark comedy, upbeat musical numbers, and melodramatic confrontations that are difficult to take seriously as a result. Instead of enhancing the story through this aesthetic diversity, “The Light” stumbles blindly through its excessive runtime of 160 minutes without fully committing to any of its conflicting styles. The film even dares to include a brief sequence that’s entirely animated – which is undoubtedly eye-catching when it happens. However, in hindsight, Tykwer’s decision to never acknowledge or pay off these formal experiments leaves them feeling awkward.
However, one area where “The Light” really soars is through its central performances. Every member of this ensemble cast is doing something interesting with their character that sets them apart from the others, and while the younger actors’ more rebellious performances don’t always blend with the adults’ tendency for melodrama, they still manage to keep the lengthy runtime feeling brief and entertaining. Over the course of (almost) three hours, Tykwer and his cast make it easy to genuinely connect with the characters without distilling the story and making them too empathetic. They’re all flawed people, but it’s these flaws that build their personalities and prevent “The Light” from feeling too simplistic or predictable as a traditional family drama.
Beyond its polarizing style and penchant for drama, the most significant talking point of “The Light” is the bold and audacious ending that unfortunately leaves audiences unsure of exactly what Tykwer’s film is trying to say. In attempting to pull the rug from underneath the viewer and reveal the “truth” of this story, all the movie does is reveal its first half to be fairly unimportant to the rest of the project. “The Light” ‘s conclusion fully dedicates itself to surrealism. Consequently, it loses some of its bite, essentially shedding the realistic veneer that it bore so effectively and opting for a more ambiguous, less cut-and-dry commentary on immigration in modern-day Germany. Despite the gravity of its subtext, it’s hard to say that this film does enough to warrant such an ambitious switch-up at the end. It’s almost as though several different artistic visions are fighting for space in Tykwer’s film, and they all suffocate under the weight of one another.
On a technical level, there’s very little to criticize about “The Light.” Tykwer is a visibly experienced filmmaker who knows exactly how to frame a scene with maximum engagement in mind. There’s a real dynamism to how his characters move through the shots, the camera hugging them tightly as they navigate the claustrophobic confines of their Berlin apartment. It brings a strong sense of intimacy and personal connection to the whole thing, making its poignant explorations of love and communication even more tangible. The directorial talent is a constant beacon of light in an otherwise scattered project, and it’s for this reason alone that its exhaustive runtime doesn’t feel too overwhelming. Even when the story isn’t quite sure what it’s trying to say, or even when it’s trying too hard with formal experiments and distracting musical numbers, the film’s craft is always something worth admiring.
Ultimately, “The Light” is an exercise in misplaced potential. What begins as a captivating story about life’s uncanny interconnectivity ultimately becomes something much more puzzling and underbaked as Tykwer’s screenplay misjudges which aspects of its story are the most interesting. Its eye-rolling final act reveal could have been something genuinely moving and affecting if the preceding two hours hadn’t committed so fiercely to convincing the audience that it’s a different story altogether. While the performances will deservedly receive praise, and Tom Tykwer remains an extremely competent filmmaker, there’s another version of “The Light” hidden beneath the final product’s surface that’s merely used as a last-minute gimmick when it should’ve been the film’s emotional core throughout. A scattering of progressive ideas and visual delights aren’t quite enough to make a film whole, and Tykwer’s latest project learns that the hard way.
