The 75th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival opens today and, following the rather unceremonious end of its previous two directors’ respective tenure, all eyes are on new Berlinale head Tricia Tuttle and whether she can help the wintry film fest level up vis-à-vis competitors in Cannes and Venice. While we have ten days to reach a verdict, the opening-night selection isn’t the surprise some might have hoped for. Screening out of competition, The Light is a wannabe urban fairytale that finds German filmmaker Tom Tykwer succumbing to his worst maximalist impulses. Bombastic and nearly charm-free, this misfire may have its heart in the right place but is so deeply inarticulate one can’t even be sure of such.
Its story revolves around a bourgeois family in Berlin: Tim (Lars Eidinger) is a successful advertising executive who no longer has the coolest ideas; Milena (Nicolette Krebitz) works on government-funded cultural projects in Africa and constantly stresses over budget cuts. Both are disconnected from their teenage kids Jon (Julius Gause), who spends all day gaming in VR, and Frieda (Elke Biesendorfer), who spends all night partying with her activist friends. Although the Engels (in German: “Angels”) lead a pretty privileged existence, each is unhappy or resentful in some way, their cohabitation seeming more habitual than familial. Things begin changing with the arrival of their new cleaning lady Farrah (Tala Al-Deen), a Syrian refugee with a tragic hidden past.
Though Tykwer’s screenplay has many things to say, it’s debatable whether any of those things are conveyed in an effective, organic way or even worth saying at all. For a large part of the film we see characters being miserable in a huge bohemian apartment sheltered from the world outside. Tim can’t face any real conversation with those around him, Milena has trouble connecting with her husband and children on a meaningful level, Frieda thinks no one understands her, and Jon prefers to stay in an alternate reality altogether. Of course rich people can (most likely do) feel lonely, angry, and misunderstood. But in this case they come off as incredibly self-centered, their grievances superficial and simplistic. It doesn’t help that actual attempts at communication often end in shouting matches so densely yet flatly written they only underscore a lack of depth to these characters. And yes: it could all very well be satire––a portrait of the oblivious, white middle class seen through the eyes of an outsider––but when so much of your film is dedicated to such a painstaking portrayal, it kind of becomes the thing it’s secretly trying to mock.
Bottom line is: none of the protagonists or their troubles are interesting enough for a nearly three-hour film. This remains true even when Farrah gradually takes center stage in the final act. Instead of merely looking on, she begins offering solace to the family members by means of a flashing LED light that triggers mythical neurological responses. Yet the fantastical turn this story takes doesn’t yield much payoff––it’s never actually clear what the lamp does. Besides informing us what Farrah had to go through to be where she is now, this plot device doesn’t provide new insights into the Engels, explain why Farrah is bent on saving this family, or make an over-the-top ending remotely emotional.
Tykwer has made some great films. His international breakthrough Run Lola Run was built on such a simple concept but realized with an edgy, irresistible energy that electrified throughout. 3 from 2010 offered a razor-sharp dissection of romantic relationships that somehow felt sexy, funny, and poignant all at once. As a Cloud Atlas apologist, I’d also throw that insanely ambitious epic co-authored with the Wachowskis on the list. The sisters might be partially responsible for stylistic overdrive evident in The Light, though––for a film that sorely lacks compelling narrative, it has way too many emptily extravagant set pieces. Almost every main character gets a musical number where they whine some more about their non-issues in choreographed song-and-dance. Jon, for no apparent reason, leaps into an extended balletic wire-fu over the Spree river with his crush from VR. Even a completely throwaway plot point like the death of the cleaning lady before Farrah is elaborately staged and synchronized with a concurrent traffic accident––again for reasons unknown. These fantasy / action sequences can be fun to watch but quickly turn exhausting, distracting. As directorial choices they add little to the storytelling, mostly emphasizing a bloated runtime.
Nevertheless, The Light is quite striking to look at and listen to. Tykwer knows how to frame a shot and DP Christian Almesberger delivers many gorgeous images of a rain-soaked Berlin from every angle. (Still, as a Berlin-resident of over 17 years, I do have to say the biblical amount of rain pouring down the city is probably the most dramatic angle of this film.) The musical theme composed by Tykwer and Johnny Klimek resists going overboard, providing beautiful, serene notes of respite here and there. The ensemble is well-cast, each of those playing the Engel family (and especially Al-Deen in the role of Farrah) bringing a magnetic quality to their parts. Unfortunately none of them have the chance to shine, their impassioned performances stymied by unappealing material.
The ultimate sin of The Light (and choice to have it open Berlinale) may be the fact that, though the German capital is featured in almost every shot, it just never feels Berlin. As hard as it tries to capture the essence of this notoriously wild city (as Tykwer has managed to do in the past), that sense of cool, freedom, and danger is notably lacking. Here’s hoping this festival-opener is but a loud bang of the drum––that subtler, more incisive looks at Berlin and the world are still to come.
The Light opened the 2025 Berlinale.