Stretching to nearly three hours long, featuring a sex scene of sorts that ends up with ejaculation on a French pastry, a climatic moment involving a rousing rendition of a Whitney Houston song, and a plot that revolves both around globalization and a quirky father/daughter tale, “Toni Erdmann” is exactly the kind of movie Hollywood doesn’t make. But what usually happens is the industry sees something succeed elsewhere, and then tries to put their own (watered down) stamp on it, and surprisingly, “Toni Erdmann” director Maren Ade would be just fine with someone else remaking her film.
Speaking with Total Film (via Bild), Ade says that another version of her movie wouldn’t diminish her award-winning effort.
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“This would not affect the original, you can shorten the film and make a pure comedy out of [it]. But I would not be the one to do it. I am so happy that I finished the film. It took me five and a half years to write and to write,” she stated.
Sure, a shortened, Americanized version certainly could be made, but I would imagine a simple father/daughter comedy would sort of miss the point entirely, and certainly strip the personality that made Ade’s movie so winning (and deceptively observant about identity and much more). Anyway, right now it’s all an idea, but who knows, maybe it’ll become real. It’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility.
“Toni Erdmann” is now playing in limited release. Check out a conversation with Maren Add below courtesy of “The Close Up” podcast.