The Strange Little Cat

2013
6.6| 1h12m| en| More Info
Released: 01 May 2013 Released
Producted By: Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB)
Country:
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

It is a Saturday in autumn, and Karin and Simon are visiting their parents and youngest sister Clara. This family gathering provides the occasion for a dinner together, at which other relatives appear over the course of the day. While the family members animate the apartment’s space with their conversations, everyday activities and cooking preparations, the cat and dog range through the various rooms. they too become a central element in this quotidian familial dance that repeatedly manifests stylized elements, disrupting any naturalistic mode of presentation. In this way, adjoining spaces open up between family drama, fairy tale and the psychological study of a mother.

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Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB)

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Reviews

NipPierce Wow, this is a REALLY bad movie!
Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen
MusicChat It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.
Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Das merkwürdige Kätzchen" or "The Strange Little Cat" is a German movie from three years ago written and directed by Swiss filmmaker Ramon Zürcher. Its indie status is confirmed by the fact that there are really no famous actors in the cast. I know very many semi-famous German actors, but I have never heard of any of the cast members here, which is very rarely the case when I watch a German film. And it's also not the case that Zürcher cast only Swiss actors for this one, the main roles at least are played by Germans. But maybe this is what caused many awards bodies to appreciate this work. I personally cannot agree with the awards attention though. I found this a very mediocre work. I know the filmmaker's intention probably goes against my title for this review. There was nothing crucial supposed to happen here for the most part. It was all about depicting life as it happens. But the bad thing is, this is not true either. Maybe it is somewhat true for the most part in terms of what the characters do, but not in terms of how they talk. The dialogues felt really pretentious and not like something anybody would say. It felt extremely scripted at times. One example would be the woman who talks about how she always wears a scarf in a cinema to avoid being stabbed to the neck from behind? That was weird. That also was not artistic, that was just awkward. All in all, i don't think this is anywhere near the best the year 2013 had to offer in terms of (German) film. A disappointing watch and I am glad that it was so short. This film does not even reach the 75-minute mark. And it is a good thing because it was not an interesting or compelling watch by any means. I give it a thumbs-down. Not recommended.
poikkeus With THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT, it's not a matter of reducing your expectations; it's more trying to change your expectations.Over the course of a day in a cramped Berlin apartment, a busy family deals with the usual mundane details: eating breakfast, fixing a washing machine, watching unwashed plates pile up, watching a hacky-sack fly through the window. Some characters tell in-jokes that almost seem surreal at times. And there's also a dog and cat, who watch the activity with curiosity. THE STRANGE LITTLE CAT not a documentary, but an almost verite family comedy. The whole film is shot at about kitchen counter level - the level where the film's "strange" cat wanders through the rooms. Once you get into the rhythm of the film, it's engrossing and frequently funny; it suggests that everyday life, as trivial as it might seem, has great value and interest, even when you might be tempted to think otherwise.
mikyb21 Watched this after reading all the praise and adulation from assorted critics. Was expecting to be blown away. Sadly, I was not. While this film intrigued me to certain point, and I was curious about some of the characters, ultimately I was let down. As many have stated, it may as well have a been a documentary. There is no obvious plot to speak of. No obvious goal or obstacle to overcome. No obvious big reveal or "A HA!" moment.It pretty much felt like only a potion of a film. A film where they left out all the important details that tell a cohesive story. Instead we just got to watch banality and scratch our heads.There were things I did appreciate about the film. Some interesting shot selections and odd framing choices were cool. The way they captured the pets was well done. The "realness" of some of the characters was refreshing.But to my sensibility, this came off like an art-house experiment where script & plot writing was not a requirement. But with visuals not nearly compelling enough to carry the story on its own.meh.
TheCinemaMan Perhaps lost in translation but this film is basically a documenting of a day in the life of a family. The closest we get to any impact of the somewhat illustrated stress of that living (and what's unique about that?) is when mom looks like she might, just might, lose it. A plus though is the "feeling European" that comes through in mannerism and relationship. I grabbed it because it was my understanding that Bela Tarr was involved; turns out, he was, but in a relatively minor way (workshop, not class)that this film cannot be considered being done by one of his students. So count me among those who saw the film to the end but in the end, came away unimpressed. Unfortunately, the extras were a big disappointment shedding light only on the "source basis" for the film