Fraulein

Like a handful of others, I chose to watch "Fraulein" in large part due to the excellent reviews it has received here on Amazon. Its short duration was also appealing; regrettably, I do not always have time to watch longer films in one sitting, and I absolutely hate having to pause a movie and come back to it later. Unfortunately, viewing "Fraulein" turned out to be a waste of time.I found this film to be extraordinarily slow. "Fraulein" is a story about one young woman's (Ana) unlikely impact on an older woman (Ruza). It becomes apparent early in the film that Ana is afflicted by a serious illness (which goes unnamed until late in the movie- watch out for spoilers in some of the other reviews), yet she remains a free, joyful spirit in spite of this. By contrast, Ruza is extremely boring and quite obviously content with her uninteresting life. The audience is subjected to long scenes of Ruza executing her daily routine which, as far as I can tell, are only included in the movie to demonstrate just how bland she really is. Mila, an employee at Ruza's restaurant who is equally dull and older still, also appears in a number of lengthy scenes. Far too much time is devoted to showing the audience just how boring these two women are.While the acting is very good in "Fraulein," the characters are not well-developed. Apparently, the audience is supposed to feel sympathy for all three of the main characters, but very little backstory is provided to direct viewers' emotions. While I got the impression I was supposed to pity Ruza, almost nothing she did on-screen motivated me to do so. The audience is shown everything and told very little. In this case, "less" unsuccessfully tries to be "more."Ana is by far the most interesting character in the film, though she also comes across as somewhat contrived. Actress Marija Scaricic is not at fault for this- in fact, her performance is very solid. Instead, it is the result of a painfully average script. The dialogue contains little of the emotion the actresses display; there are more examples of irritating camera-work than interesting ones. Overall, though, I do not have much to critique technically, especially given what I imagine to be a meager budget for "Fraulein."Ultimately, "Fraulein" failed to move me. Although there are a few very good scenes, the film as a whole is uninspiring. The dialogue fails to deliver the intended drama (mostly because of poor writing), and many of the silent scenes just drag on and on. In the end, I cared very little about Ruza, far less about Mila, and was only somewhat sympathetic to Ana, who (I think) was supposed to be a tragic hero of sorts. Regardless, I don't have the desire to slog through "Fraulein" again to try to sort out what I saw. Even an hour and fifteen minutes is too much time to devote to this exceptionally boring film.

This film is a pure joy to watch. The characters all play their individual parts perfectly with exquisite sensitivity and even an understated pathos. The film was directed with a light touch and great finesse by a very talented Director who knew how to bring out the best and most subtle qualities of the participants. As another Reviewer so astutely observed the film radiates the charm of a great Master of the Short Story and one indeed cannot help thinking of the brilliant French author, Guy De Maupassant whose little brief Masterpieces possess the potential to touch us to the core of our heart with such intensity and striking power.And the young Ana is a marvel whose personality instantly causes one to recall the old saying: "The candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long." This is a haunting and memorable film of great emotional power in which we can readily identify with the pains and joys of the chief protagonists as they search for meaning in their lives. It is the Eternal search and Journey that must be made and endured and experienced by all human beings between birth and death.This difference between this little gem and all the Hollywood extravaganzas overflowing with all their blood and gore violence and/or maudlin and stereotypical plots and pathetic solutions requires no explaining by this writer. That difference is really the distance of the rocks lying at the bottom of the ocean to the deepest craters on the dark side of the Moon.Obviously not all films will appeal to all people but many of the negative reviews that appear here were clearly written by people who would likely also not care for a great portrait by Rembrandt, a great story by Guy De Maupassant or a great Concerto by Mozart.It is no surprise that this film has garnered so many prizes and International Awards. It represents and radiates 5 STAR quality from beginning to end.Do not deny yourself the opportunity to experience a truly splendid and memorable film. If films were equated with rare stones, then "FRAULEIN" would easily be an eight carat flawless Diamond. You will never forget this unique Movie. Enjoy !

This film depicts the lives of people from Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia living in modern day Switerland. They work at a cafe managed by a hard-nosed woman determinded to make the business work. The new "frauline" employee is a young woman although suffering from cancer brings a breath of fresh air and good-hearted humanity to their routine lives. Although a bit slow, this film shows the realities of displaced persons living in modern western Europe and gives hope through the kind nature of a youth.

Interesting Movie. I'd watch it again. There doesn't seem to be a plot really, which made it a little hard to wrap my head around at first, but as the movie went on I realized that life doesn't really have a plot. It just is what it is. The movie, essentially, was showing the viewers a particular time/moment in these characters life. No more, no less. Also kind of found the movie description/summary to be misleading.

It's a movie about how three different Bosnia women (age 22, 52,62) adapt/ed to life in Switzerland. Interesting topic, very hard for Americans to relate to I think. Shows a bit the everyday side of urban Switzerland rather than the touristy side. Watch it if you have an interest in the immigrant experience in Europe.

First, I am just trying to refresh my aural German by listening to a bunch of movies. I like movies that start you out in the mid stream and then leave you there at the end. How one person, even in a bad spot, can still find life and have a good effect on others along the way.

I like that there was depth and a great storyline to this movie. There were some aspects that didn't quite fit into the movie, but the overall understanding and story arch was great. Its a story that anyone new to a country in search of themselves can relate to.

In der Schweiz treffen 3 Arbeitsmigrantinnnen aus dem ehemaligen Jugoslawien aufeinander:Eine Serbin, eine Kroatin und eine Bosnierin.Ruza, die serbische Kantinenchefin, ist schon lange in der Schweiz und hat die Trauer über den Verlust der Heimat und der Familie tief in sich verschlossen. In der Schweiz ist sie einsam und oft rüde zu ihren Mitmenschen. Als Ana, die junge Bosnierin, in der Kantine anfängt, fühlt sie sich von der Lebensfreude der jungen Frau angezogen, verwehrt aber am Anfang jede wirkliche Kontakataufnahme.Sehenswerter Film über Probleme von Migranten. Wem die Hauptdarstellerin Mirjana Karanovic hier gefallen hat dem kann ich nur "Esmas Geheimnis" empfehlen, wo sie auch die Hauptrolle spielt!