(Cinema.de) EDITORIAL CRITICISM: The Black Square
THE BLACK SQUARE
On a cruise ship, of all places, Vincent (Bernhard Schütz) and Nils (Jacob Matschenz) are supposed to hand over their booty, the sixty million dollar painting “The Black Square”, to a Russian oligarch and his assistant (Sandra Hüller)
A stolen painting is to be handed over on board a cruise ship. But almost everything goes wrong from the start
On a cruise ship, of all places, Vincent (Bernhard Schütz) and Nils (Jacob Matschenz) are supposed to hand over their booty, the sixty million dollar painting “The Black Square”, to a Russian oligarch and his assistant (Sandra Hüller). After the art thieves have waited in vain for their tickets, they assume the identity of two other passengers - and they unfortunately belong to the show ensemble of the luxury liner. In order not to fall out of the role, the two crooks have to act as Elvis and David Bowie imitators. When they return to their cabin in the evening, the painting has disappeared. Without further ado, Vincent decides to make a more or less faithful copy. The story sounds pretty silly but Peter Meister's feature film debut is anything but a cheap comedy of confusion. And that is not only due to the subtle dialogues, which combine puns and situational comedy in an exemplary manner, but also to the extremely playful ensemble. Even supporting actors like Pheline Roggan as board pianist or Christopher Schärf as “First Gentleman Host” impress with their subtle facial expressions and perfect timing. Only towards the end, when events roll over, does the story gradually run out of breath. That's a shame, but it doesn't change the fact that this turbulent cat-and-mouse game is one of the best German comedies in a long time.