Movie Friday

This week's movie pick is German. I recently saw it and was enchanted. Mostly Martha tells the story of Martha Klein, an eccentric and talented chef of a fine dining restaurant. She excels at cooking, but that consumes her life and she is obsessive about it to an unhealthy degree.

Unexpectedly, her 8 year old niece comes to live with her. Martha's life is turned completely upside down. She suddenly has no control over things she previously had time to obsess over. At the same time, the owner of the restaurant hires a sous chef to replace one going on maternity leave. Martha does not take to this well. The fact that her new sous chef is open to collaboration irritates her even more. In the end, Martha must either agree to give up some control of her life or loose everything.

Martina Gedeck, in the title role, gives a fine performance. Even though she's a complete control freak, I was a huge fan of Martha's throughout the film. (I'm sure I saw some of myself in her.) Sergio Castellitto is a wonderful balance to Martha's button up character in his role as Mario, the Italian sous chef. He has a sweet and endearing energy that would make anyone want to be around him. Maxime Foerste as Lina gives a credible and heartfelt performance as a young girl who comes to live with her aunt unexpectedly.

There's something about this film that works. There have been many other films along the same story line as this that have felt contrived and not realistic, but Mostly Martha rises above expectations. It's a charming and enjoyable film and I highly recommend it.

Have a great weekend all... Cuidate.