Triumph of the witty

When we think of German cinema, many of us imagine films too dark or strange for mainstream American audiences. From the brilliantly overwrought visuals of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, to the dream-like insanity of Werner Herzog’s films, German directors have staked out territory far from American aesthetics.

The Northwest Film Center, in partnership with Zeitgeist Northwest, opens its new German cinema series Friday with the award-winning 2010 comedic drama Vincent Wants to Sea.

The series will also include the comedy Lila: My Words, My Lies, My Love (2010) and the drama The Poll Diaries (2010) both films will be introduced by Portland State professors of German Sebastian Helduschke and Steven Fuller, respectively.

Vincent Wants to Sea, directed by Ralf Huettner, has more in common with a lighthearted American indie film, along the lines of Little Miss Sunshine, than a film by Werner Herzog or Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Much of the film comes off as quirky rather than grim. Emotionally damaged characters and situations are handled with subtle humor and a light touch.

The film opens with Vincent yelling obscenities at his mother’s funeral. We soon realize he has Tourette syndrome and has no control over his verbal outbursts. The social difficulties imposed by his condition and the disapproval of his overbearing politician father have left him emotionally damaged and unable to make progress in life. At 27, he has no job and has not graduated high school, despite his obvious intelligence.

After his wife’s death, Vincent’s father sends him to an institution for treatment, although he seems more interested in avoiding political embarrassment than actually helping his son.

At the institution Vincent meets his roommate Alex, a prickly germaphobe with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. Alex is not happy to have a roommate and immediately tells Vincent the bathroom is “for washing only.”

Also in the institution is Marie, who seems attracted to Vincent. She is rebellious, but relatively well adjusted (aside from the fact that she refuses to eat). This is no small matter as we soon learn. Aside from the emotional pain her unrealistic body image has caused her, her heart has been damaged.

After a confrontation with the head therapist, Marie steals the keys to her car and convinces Vincent to escape with her. When Alex catches them escaping, he is forced to join them.

At this point, Vincent Wants to Sea joins the road-movie tradition. The journey is a metaphor for each character’s personal journey. As they try to make it from Germany to the Italian coast, they form an unlikely friendship. Each character’s quirks should repel the others, but they battle the odds as a team in their stolen car.

Their therapist and Vincent’s father, who does not want to call the police to avoid political embarrassment, pursue them in a kind of parallel journey.

At times the symbolism is a little trite. I could have done without the corny pop song dictating how we should feel as they stand on a mountain top enjoying their newfound freedom.

Despite the film’s occasional lapses into sentimentality, I found myself rooting for the characters. We know there can be no miraculous cure. Alex will still have OCD, Marie will not suddenly begin eating normally and Vincent will still have Tourette syndrome.

But maybe they will learn something about themselves along the way.