In the case of the source, noun is omen. As his last name suggests, little Maximilian (Lucas Herzog) is on the ball – but he also acts so hastily that he regularly throws those around him into chaos. Wherever “Maxe” goes, in the end there is no stone left standing or the courtyard of his cute parents’ house under water. And that’s already out of line, as with its red bricks and pointed gable it is the only residence that escapes the unimaginative uniformity of the rest of the shoebox settlement.
Conformity and overcoming it creatively are the defining theme of this film. Nowhere is this more visible than in Maxe’s school, which not only has a barracks tone, but also apparently used the site of a disused barracks as a filming location. The learners stand and sit in rows in their little brown uniforms. Gray on gray, everything here follows the strictest symmetry and school principal Schnittlich’s (Max Giermann) sacred regulations, which prohibit any fun. Eating, laughing and even stumbling are forbidden in this school, which in Maxe’s eyes makes it the most boring in the world. Worse still: If Schnittlich managed to convince Mr. Motzkowski (Marco Hofschneider) from the high school office of his thick set of rules, it would be transferred to all other schools in the country.
Such a snore alarm brings Rasputin Rumpus (Serkan Kaya), the inspector for combating boredom, into action. Smoking and rumbling, he speeds along in a racing car on rails and throws Schnittlich’s routine into disarray. Because under false pretenses and under caretaker Traufe’s (Oliver Korittke) skeptical look, he sends Maxe and his fellow sufferers on a school trip. Teacher Penne (Felicitas Woll) is overwhelmed and so are Maxe, the overly correct class representative Karl (German von Beug), the clever and courageous Frieda (Erna Westphal), the shy Pascal (Giorgio Perone), the strong Elinur (Nasya Azra Bozna), the anxious Suse (Leni Kramer) and Anton (Otto Emil Koch), who always keeps perspective, are soon on their own. In order to survive the school trip and save the school world from Schnittlich’s rules, they have to combine all their skills in the end.
The least boring school in the world is not only told in an imaginative and varied way, the film also conjures up a lot visually. When Rasputin Rumpus inspects his regulations alongside school principal Schnittlich, this thick book stands in an archival storage room, which is reminiscent of Kafkaesque comedies such as Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985) in its impending messiness. An oversized authority figure like Schnittlich naturally delivers his school speeches from a dizzyingly high lectern. And Rasputin Rumpus’ little delivery truck, with which he sends Maxe’s class on a long journey, reveals unexpectedly large dimensions inside. All the trades here, especially the costume designer Ramona Petersen, production designer Thomas Stammer, make-up designer Heidi Wick and designer Lea Walloschke, did a fantastic job.
Ergün and his team prove that a little more courage to step out of line stylistically pays off in the end. (The fact that in this adventure you never know which extraordinary view will turn around the corner next also consoles the few narrative slacks.) Without a convincing ensemble, all the attention to detail would be wasted effort. Luckily, the director can rely not only on his young actors, but also on the adults.
Felicitas Woll adds a teacher-like severity to her comedic side. Compared to his role in another literary adaptation, Isabel Bogdan’s The Peacock (2023), Serkan Kaya seems completely different as an inspector for combating boredom and shows his full range. And Max Giermann, who is known on television and especially for his congenial celebrity parodies, shows that he also has an actor in him. His school principal, Schnittlich, is a prime role for Giermann in his pedantry.
Thanks to the courageous intervention of Rasputin Rumpus, color is gradually coming into the gray everyday school life. Ultimately, however, it is Maxe & Co. who overcome the paralyzing boredom with their own ideas. The adults in the cinema audience, most of whom probably had to endure deadly boring lectures, can then also latch on to this. As much imagination as shown in this film would be good for some schools, but also some films for an adult audience.
#Boring #School #World
