Completed - GERMAN - Drama, Family
Mostly Martha set mainly in the kitchen of a chic restaurant, Sandra Nettelbeck's impressively-directed feature concerns the initial animosity/rivalry and then love between a severe, humourless female chef and a charismatic, fun-loving Italian cook. Now available in HD!
Year of production : 2001 Director(s) : Sandra NETTELBECK Writer(s) : Sandra NETTELBECK Cast : Martina GEDECK, Sergio CASTELLITO
Martha, in her own slightly obsessive but charming way, creates sublime masterpieces in the art of cooking as a chef of a small gourmet restaurant in Hamburg. And yet, her everyday existence is rather monotonous. She is introverted, has hardly any private life, and exists only for her work. All of that changes when her sister, a single mother, dies in an accident and Martha takes care of Lina, her eight-year-old daughter. The little girl suffers badly from the loss of her mother. It is only the presence of Mario, Martha's merry Italian colleague who brings light and pasta into the lives of the two outsiders. He turns from a rival to a loving friend. But one day Lina's father, whom everybody thought was missing, shows up on their doorstep. He wants to take Lina back with him to Italy. And Martha? Martha has to make a decision. With "Mostly Martha", Sandra Nettelbeck ("Mammamia") manages the rare feat of merging melancholy with joie de vivre, and this without slipping into lacrymose kitsch or cool psychodrama. Martina Gedeck and the little Maxime Foerste in the main roles, together with the inimitable Sergio Castellito are excellent actors whose at times quiet presence lasts well beyond the final credits. In "Mostly Martha", Sandra Nettelbeck finds a unique blend of melancholy and zest for life. This film is a sensuous description of everyday sorrows and those small pleasures which do not always originate from an exquisite meal, but may also come in the shape of a child's happy smile.
Country(ies) : GERMANY
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