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A
German high-school student, Sonja, enters an essay-writing
contest on the subject of her town's history during the Third
Reich. During her research, what she finds to her surprise
and dismay is that the Catholic Clergy and the businessmen
who she was raised to respect and admire, and who she fervently
believed defied the Nazis, did just the opposite...
Based
on a true story, The Nasty Girl (Das Schreckliche
Mädchen) is an amusing, cheeky and thoroughly engrossing
film, its appeal all the more enhanced by the charming Lena
Stolze as Sonja. Her ability to portray a naïve schoolgirl
as easily as busy mother and wife, keeps the viewer entertained
and focused, and is one of the major strengths of the film.
The supporting actors are also impressive, particularly Robert
Giggenbach as Martin and Hans-Reinhard Müller as Professor
Juckenack. Müller plays Juckenack with an air of cool control
that is the perfect foil to Sonja's passionate determination.
The director Michael Verhoeven uses a variety of creative
devices to tell the story, the result being part documentary,
part stage play and part regular film. Depending on the viewer,
this can be either confusing and irritating or interesting
and clever. Sequences that begin filmed on location and end
on stage with a representative back projection jar the most,
but again, some viewers may enjoy the stylisation. Thankfully,
none of these devices interfere with the clarity of the plot.
One
of the film's early shots depicts a wall upon which graffiti
reads "Wo wart ihr zwischen 39-45. Wo seid ihr jetzt." (Where
were you between '39 and '45. Where are you now?) and is the
very crux of Verhoeven's intentions. However, there are no
flashbacks to the time of Nazi Germany, as the director is
more concerned with the modern state of his homeland. To some,
this may be disappointing, but it does create the proper air
of mystery and secrecy, as the audience only ever knows what
Sonja discovers.
For those who enjoy European films, The Nasty Girl will
not disappoint, and would also serve as an excellent introduction
for anyone interested in expanding their experience of movies
beyond typical Hollywood material.
Jeff
Watson
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