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ACTOR
Jan Henrik StahlbergFritz RothWanda PerdelwitzMarkus von Lingen
DIRECTOR
Marcus Mittermeier
SYNOPSICS
Muxmäuschenstill (2004) is a German,English movie. Marcus Mittermeier has directed this movie. Jan Henrik Stahlberg,Fritz Roth,Wanda Perdelwitz,Markus von Lingen are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2004. Muxmäuschenstill (2004) is considered one of the best Comedy,Drama movie in India and around the world.
A pseudo documentary study of an archetypal German who tries to model his world according to his ideas of law and (sexual) order.
Muxmäuschenstill (2004) Trailers
Muxmäuschenstill (2004) Reviews
Cynical social commentary of contemporary Germany
QUIET AS A MOUSE (Marcus Mittermeier - Germany 2004) This low-budget film from director Marcus Mittermeier and writer Henrik-Jan Stahlberg was one of the biggest surprises in German cinema of 2004. Recently I saw it again (after seeing it in the cinema for the first time) and it still holds up beautifully. The main character Mux, played by Henrik Jan Stahlberg, is on a personal vendetta against small crime, like vandalism, shoplifting and pornography. He tries to educate people in behaving like good citizens again, but at the same time forcefully imposing his own view of the world on them in order to educate them. Shot as a pseudo-documentary, the usage of the hand-held camera is perfectly integrated in the story as the main character is patrolling the streets of Berlin with his assistant Gerd, who is operating the camera in order to film their actions. Mux is cultured, intelligent and well mannered, but his major flaw is his incapability imagining other people may not share his world-view. His lack of trust in other people also affects his love life, or the fact that he hasn't got one. He soon estranges the one girl he likes, because he thinks he's got to protect her from... what? He doesn't really seem to know himself. Off course his actions on the streets of Berlin are wrong and most of the time he is annoying, but somehow it's hard to dislike him. Henrik Jan Stahlberg carries the movie almost single handedly with a fascinating performance. One of the few examples of a writer who can make a good performance out of his own material and in this case Stahlberg fits the role of Mux perfectly. Although the makers clearly are trying to incorporate a message in the film, it never becomes heavy handed. Together with a very dark sense of humor, that seems to come completely natural in most of the scenes, the film is never forced or straining for effect. Many of the confrontations between Mux and his "victims" come out as quite touching as well, especially the scene with the elderly man being caught whilst buying ch*ld p*rnography and the one where Mux starts singing in a poor folks café. A beautiful and very touching scene. The soundtrack is another asset. According to the mood of the scene, the same composition is used in different ways, from up-tempo house to classical music. The love of Berlin is also apparent, throughout the film there are shots of the city. A beautifully sharply written commentary of contemporary Germany. Cynical, but with a refreshing sense of humor. Considering the modest means the makers had at their disposal during the making of this film, it's one of the best German films in years. Camera Obsura --- 10/10
Shocking and instructive at the same time
"Muxmäuschenstill" is a caricatural opus. This film can be judged witty, very violent and shocking as well -many people didn't like it. The truth is that the film of Marcus Mittermeier is very sarcastic, that's why I think it can be instructive -because it makes you think a lot. In the Germany of our days an ex philosophy student wants the others to respect all the social rules -being kind, respectful, fighting against each form of crime-. The result is that he punishes every person who's wrong, he wants to give a new moral order but he becomes a sort of dictator. He will pay a very high price. This film is deliberately shot as if it was a homemade documentary, with a DV-camera. It gives you the feeling of something very stressful and neurotic. We can say it follows the way of filming typical of the Scandinavian Dogma... I don't think it's a moralist movie, it's only a portrait of what some people in the society can become. Every spectator can have his own opinion. A film which is worth to see. Avoid it if you only look for something relaxing or mainstream.
Do you know "Faust"?
It seems that nowadays a lot of people believe they know all the answers, and they do not bother to be modest about it: Who is right, who is wrong, what is morally and politically correct, what is not. It is a common flaw, one that we know from ourselves, our neighbors, our families, even our governments. In "Muxmäuschenstill", we follow the "works" of one man, who takes his self-righteousness one step further. Mux invents himself as the people's hero, a one-man-army against all kinds of crimes and misdemeanors, be it parking in handicapped spaces or rape and murder. He even founds a private police organization with the fines he collects from the perpetrators. All neatly booked and organized - here's your receipt! What starts out as a quite cynical, but nonetheless very entertaining satire, soon turns out to be a brutally realistic (I am not a big fan of that jerky Dogma-style camera, but it actually works very well here), deeply German version of "Fight Club" - minus the fights and the schizophrenia. But while David Fincher turns to the surreal, Mittermeier does not. Mux, his views, his attitude, even his looks and words are chillingly familiar. In fact, he is probably one of your friends, too! And while we watch him taking step by step down a road we instantly know to be a dead end, we cannot help but ask ourselves, if it isn't already happening. Somewhere. Next door? Down the hall? This is a special film. A brutally honest one. And most importantly: it makes you think.
The German soul today
This movie might only work for German speaking people. Although it is visually interesting , with a lot of hand-held camera and video opticts, its story digs deep into the state of German society and ethics. Like Kracauer once interpreted the films of the Weimar republic as symbolizations of the German soul and as the dawn of Hitler and the Third Reich, one is tempted so see "Muxmäuschenstill" as a Portrait of Germany today. Summary: Mux is a kind of lawyer, who has an exaggerated feeling of justice and of individual responsibility for common welfare. He walks around the streets of Berlin and the area around, equipped with a digital camcorder for proof and a gun for self-protection, chasing people who ignore the law. It starts with fare dodgers, speed merchants, Graffiti sprayers, people who let their dog s*** on the street or students urinating in a public swimming pool. All of them have to pay money to avoid an indictment or get punished by Mux. Soon Mux spreads his activities on more serial crimes like sexual abuse, shop lifting, armed robbery, concealment of stolen goods and so on. He also employs a personal assistant (Gerd) and builds the "Gesellschaft für Gemeinsinnpflege" (society for nurture of common welfare), founding settlements in all big cities. Sure we get to know his true motivation. Behaving like a blimpish and also romantic idealist towards women, he is unable to develop a healthy sexual life. He represses his desire with his "work" and falls into a platonic relationship with a young waitress from the country. When she dismisses him in favour of a young and cool guy and he secretly watches them in a blow job scene, things fall completely apart. Mux looses his grip over his life completely and everything ends up in disaster. In the beginning the movie is a true satire and in a way remains it, but the further the story goes on, it turn into a drama forbidding any laughter. This movie brings up a discourse on morality, the responsibility for the society, the German "culture" of denunciation and the thin line between crime and justice. I can only hope that Marcus Mittermeier gets the international attention he deserves for this movie. A must see and therefor 10 points.
A very rough view on a man trying to improve "his" world.
Once you've totally accepted that Mux is a madman you can watch this movie with a broad smile (before that I was frozen in my chair). Like the previous commenter mentioned this movie really ought to make you think. The film starts in a way that most of the viewers can experience some sort of "bond" between them and the sympathetic character of Mux. It really takes about an hour or more into the film to realize the full weirdness that is founding Mux's motifs. I caught myself thinking about recent events in my life and why my reaction is so close to that of the crazy armed Mux. You will see them tiny sins from a whole new point of view. This movie is made by a cynic, it's highly sarcastic and alas it carries the saddest message I've heard being adapted from reality so far. Don't forget to watch the deleted scenes. Some parts of the film lost their sense during the editing process. I especially recommend "Pornomonolog".