2019 · Feature Film · Germany
Der Geburtstag
Direction · Screenplay
Drama · Film Noir · 80 min · Black & White · German A.k.a. Many Happy Returns · El Cumple
A birthday party goes wrong when a child is not picked up by his parents. Matthias — chronically absent, professionally distracted — finds himself navigating the rain-soaked streets of Halle in search of the boy's family. A Kafkaesque odyssey that becomes a journey into his own failure as a father. Structured in three chapters: Menschen, Katzen, Elefanten.
Film details
Trailer
Der Geburtstag
Images
An unusual work that sets itself apart from conventional family drama. What makes Morelli's approach so compelling is the level of abstraction with which he tackles the material.
Morelli crosses family drama with film noir — wonderful black-and-white photography and a mournful jazz trumpet. As mad as it may sound: it works.
More press
He stages the domestic conflict not as a grey-toned social drama but as film noir, in razor-sharp, polished images that explore the full richness of black and white contrast.
A furious, almost kafkaesque odyssey through a night full of adventure, strangeness, and absurd turns — where the borders between tragedy and black-humoured surrealism dissolve.
Der Geburtstag is a small masterpiece — a fascinating journey not only through old Halle and a children's birthday party, but into the depths of a battered and then reborn soul.
An aesthetically interesting film. The combination of black-and-white cinematography and cool jazz creates an atmosphere in which the characters' actions read as metaphor.