What Marielle Knows
Introduction
There was a scene involving the character of Cole, the young boy in The Sixth Sense (1999) wherein he states that he can see dead people. The German film What Marielle Knows takes this very concept by treating it as a superpower for its little teen protagonist Marielle (Laeni Geiseler) who starts developing telepathy abilities. In an early scene, you see her getting slapped right across the face (for calling her friend a sl*t) only to trigger this ambiguity as a superpower, even as her parents seemingly lead secretive lives themselves. But unfortunately for the family, all of it is about to change. When you are introduced to Marielle’s mother Julia (Julia Jentsch), you see her having flirtatious exchanges with her co-worker Max (Mehmet Atesci), something that is a given of keeping it a secret from her husband Tobias (Felix Kramer). On the other hand when you are introduced to Tobias, you see him heading a marketing agency while being extremely unpopular with his own team. In a scene, you see Tobias being countered by his more ‘popular’ colleague about his thoughts on the design of a book cover, even while Tobias reluctantly has to agree to the changes. And such are the secretive lives of Marielle’s parents who collectively seem like a happy family but have a lot to hide with each other.
Story & Screenplay
The runtime of 86 minutes allows the makers to directly deep dive into its core concept within the first 10 minutes of What Marielle Knows. The superpower of Marielle is unleashed in a dinner table conversation with her parents in which she exactly narrates the incidents of her parents’ day to them – of Tobias being humiliated in a meeting, and Julia being on the cusp of a potential affair. The tone of the drama remains that of a black comedy even while initially lacing the conversations with a hint of denial, something that is evident in the responses of Julia and Tobias. The undercurrent of the conversations remains that both Julia and Tobias are heavily buried within a layer of lies that they invariably have started to believe that to be their truth. And hence this concept comes as a rude wake up call for both the individuals that have been leading lives of lies, up until that point. Also as a part of this anti-writing spree, the concept of parents being aware of their children’s actions is flipped on its head, with a diabolically reverse scenario here!
The writing offers a searing commentary on parenting also. Through a series of conversations and incidents, you do understand that Marielle as a child has been significantly neglected. Her mopey attitude is enough to suggest that Marielle hasn’t fully being paid attention to, even while both her parents lead discreet lives of their own. In a scene, there also comes a revelation that Tobias wanted Julia to abort their child (Marielle) when the latter was pregnant. In another scene, you witness Julia asking her mother to take care of Marielle, who hardly reacts and remains unflinched by the revelation of Marielle’s superpowers. The implied message is that Julia would be turning to her mother to take care of Marielle even when the latter boasted of no superpowers. Hence, it hardly comes as a surprise when the frustration of Marielle takes the form of a rebellion with her friend, something that ambiguously gains her a superpower too.
The drama can best be described as a tragicomedy of a dysfunctional family who seem to be a normal functional family to the world. But the writing allows the drama to unfold like a black comedy. For instance in a scene, you see the couple interacting with each other in French (they are actually German), just so that the conversations aren’t understood through telepathy by Marielle. And this is where the stakes in the drama are raised further, with an element of distrust creeping in. You see Tobias striking a deal with Marielle to spy on her mother, suspecting Julia to indeed have an affair with her colleague. On its discovery, Julia also has a devil-may-care attitude, literally going ahead and having a s*xual encounter with her colleague, terming ‘s*x’ to be a ‘natural need’. Clearly, the family is shown to disintegrate.
The events leading up to the final act are mildly chaotic while staying true to the tone of a black comedy. But, the one criticism about the writing that I had was with respect to the characterization of Marielle, wherein her character could have been fleshed out a bit more. Both Tobias and Julia are shifty personalities, often blaming the other person for the cracks in the marriage, but the perspective of the child could have been explored a little more. This was all the more important because the central concept of the film did unfold through the eyes of Marielle, who needed a little more personality in her armoury. But the emotional route that the drama takes, works on two accounts – it does account for a sense of realisation on the part of one of the characters (without highlighting whether things are already out of hand, just throwing in a hint of the same when Marielle clarifies on how much she hates that character), and secondly, it leaves an ambiguity with respect to the superpower of Marielle who is shown to be shaping up as a younger version of her own mother. The screenplay here works on a novel concept that lands pretty well, and I totally see a Hollywood Studio adapting this concept in future.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are laced with a sense of a black comedy that is reflected through a bunch of conversations between the characters. And the events are starkly funny here, even though the undercurrent is that of a tragedy. The BGM is understated while never once trying to manipulate the viewers into investing in either of the characters, or the emotions that they possess. The leisurely narrative in a way adds flavour to the narrative that is backed by a subdued score that allows you space to judge the characters based on your intellect. The cinematography maintains a sense of intimacy with respect to the characters. The mid-shots are enough to peek into the psyche of the characters, and going beyond the surface of their dynamics that seems to boast of normalcy. The editing is crisp (and at times a little too crisp), even maintaining a thread of emotions effectively. Director Frederic Hambalek introduces a wild concept through the gaze of a child while maintaining the sensibilities of the drama really well. There is a peck of dignity that the drama is mounted on, even while indulging in the playfulness of a black comedy, wherein the director manages to hold his own and leave a mark. His exploration of the characters of Tobias and Julia is interesting, while wonderfully playing around with their character dynamics. The direction remained splendid through and through.
Performances
The performances are wonderful to witness by the members of the cast. Mouritz von Treuenfels as Soren and Mehmet Atesci as Max are important catalysts or rather distractions in the lives of Tobias and Julia, and both have their moments to shine. Laeni Geiseler as Marielle is pretty good although the writing doesn’t explore her character a lot. Felix Kramer as Tobias is an underconfident character who pretends to believe in his own lies, something that blurs his vision of the truth. This, while also exhibiting a vulnerable streak with respect to his equation with his wife. And Felix wonderfully touches upon these aspects of his character, while leaving a lasting impression. Julia Jentsch as Julia is in top form too in an uninhibited character who discreetly doesn’t wish to be tied up by the norms of the society. In a scene with Tobias, you see her exclaiming on whether he would want his daughter to follow monogamy all her life. Yet, there is also a sense of realisation that sets in later on, giving her character a proper arc to play with. And Julia wonderfully uses her body language to convey the required set of emotions that aren’t always politically correct, but essential in context to the drama.
Conclusion
As a part of our Tribeca Film Festival coverage, What Marielle Knows (World Premiere at Berlinale’25) is a wonderful black comedy on a teenager who can see through her parents’ lies and the interactions that they share. I also see a Hollywood Studio handpicking the remake rights of this film, and remaking it in English. This drama is starkly dark and well worth your time!
