In years past I’ve often complained about the lack of lesbian oriented selections at Image + Nation but to my surprise this year’s 37th edition includes a variety of entertaining female oriented cinematic offerings in its schedule. What a Feeling is definitely one such highlight and so far it stands out as my personal favorite of all the features I’ve been fortune enough to enjoy at the fest. Congrats to the festival organizers for the diversity of this edition’s selections.
The new romantic comedy What a Feeling was directed and co-written Kat Rohrer along with Malina Nwabuonwor and Wolfgang Widerhofer. It stars German born Caroline Peters and Iranian actress Proschat Madani. Although the movie is set in Vienna, Austria the it features German, Persian, and English subtitles. This is the kind of movie which I would refer to as a feel-good film. Not only are the characters likeable but viewers will find themselves rooting for these two very different women to find the love, excitement, and emotional and physical connection they’re longing for whether they openly acknowledge it or not.
When the movie begins viewers meet two seemingly very different women with little to nothing in common. Caroline Peters portrays Dr. Marie Theres Wallner, an accomplished doctor whose husband of 20 years suddenly proclaims at their anniversary dinner (with two other couples present) that he wants out of the marriage. In shock and feeling heartbroken Caroline proceeds to get extremely drunk and ultimately stumbles into a lesbian bar. There she encounters Fa who earlier in the day almost hit her in her work van while Caroline was crossing the street. Fa is a middle-aged carpenter who spends a great deal of her time sexually fulfilling her married female clients in order to avoid any type of complicated emotional attachment. While Fa purposefully shuns any type of meaningful or emotionally loving relationship Caroline apparently felt comfortable in her marriage that is, of course until her husband’s sudden revelation at their anniversary celebration.
Anyone who’s a diehard fan of the sitcom Seinfeld is sure to remember the episode in which Elaine showed off her uniquely clumsy dance moves which were characterized by awkward thumbs up motions, knees and elbows akimbo jutting out every which way obvious to the rhythm of the music . Julia Louis- Dreyfuss is not only a brilliant actress but a gifted physical comedian as well. All that being said I honestly never thought I’d ever see anything that even remotely compared to that kind of uncoordinated spectacle again but What a Feeling proved me wrong. While under the influence of one (two, three, or more) strong drinks at the lesbian bar Caroline indulges in what can only be described as an uncoordinated, bumbling sight to behold, an arrhythmic trainwreck, part dance, part drunkenness. Her usually low-key studious personality briefly gives way to getting lost in the music even during an evening steeped with personal heartbreak as her long-term relationship lies in rubble at her feet. Still, you’ve got to admire someone who, even in the midst of the unexpected end of a two-decade long marriage manages to find it within themselves to let go of their inhibitions (with the help of alcohol), enjoy herself in an unfamiliar milieu, and get lost in the music. Caroline might feel lost and is clearly out of her element in the lesbian bar but she’s still able to summon the fun-loving part of her personality, ditch her workplace ice queen persona, weather unchartered territory, and prove that she can let go of her inhibitions and prejudices, laugh, and have a good time…. at least until the hangover hits the next morning.
It’s refreshing to see a romantic comedy starring women in their 50s who despite their obvious differences manage to find love. Caroline is a successful doctor with a seemingly happy family life while Fa is a carpenter who works for her family’s company and along with her siblings helps care for her aging mother. As an Iranian immigrant she longs for her homeland and yearns to live in a society which accepts her homosexuality.
Surprisingly it’s Catherine’s daughter Anna (played by Allegra Tinnefeld) who proves to be the voice of reason in the film. After finding out about her mother’s same sex love affair instead of reacting with shock or revelation she reflects the attitudes of a new generation which has cast aside time worn stereotypes and prejudices. Love is love. Not only is she accepting but seeing how happy and fulfilled her mother is by this new yet unfamiliar relationship she’s not only supportive but encouraging in regards of her mother’s new female lover which is an attitude Caroline was definitely not expecting. From the mouth of babes…
While What a Feeling explores consequential themes such as acceptance, culture, family, and navigating what it means to be a stranger in a strange land this delightful film is essentially a comedic love story centered on the growing relationship between two seemingly very different women who find themselves drawn to one another regardless of stereotypes or superficial factors such as status, sexual identity, or employment status. This is the type of film which inspires audiences to cheer. It leaves us not with an overly sappy or sentimental ending but with the hope that if two such seemingly disparate older women can find happiness together perhaps it’s not too late for the rest of us.
Image + Nation continues until November 30. Information HERE.
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