Agnes and His Brothers

2004 Drama

The Tschirn brothers have their share of problems. Middle brother Hans-Jörg (Moritz Bleibtreu of Run Lola Run) is a librarian who neglects his duties in order to ogle every attractive woman that enters his workplace. His clumsy efforts to make conversation with them go nowhere. He takes his fetishistic peeping a step further, following women into the ladies room so he can sit in the next stall and pleasure himself while he spies on them. Older brother Werner (Herbert Knaup), a successful Green Party politico, would seem to be a bit more together, but his home life is in shambles. His wife, Signe (Katja Riemann of Rosenstrasse), no longer responds to his marital advances, and seems to have an unhealthily intimate relationship with their rebellious teenage son, Ralf (Tom Schilling), who spends much of his time trying to videotape his father's every embarrassment. Younger brother Martin has had a sex change and become Agnes (Martin Weiss). Agnes is a good-natured person, but profoundly unhappy, perhaps stemming from his unfulfilled relationship with an American fashion designer (played by Monster's Ball producer Lee Daniels in a cameo). But Hans-Jörg blames all of their problems on their father, Günther (Vadim Glowna), and can't even bring himself to visit the old man. Agnes and His Brothers, written and directed by Oskar Roehler, was selected by the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center for inclusion in the 2005 edition of New Directors/New Films. more..

Director: Oskar Roehler

Starring: Katja Riemann, Herbert Knaup, Tom Schilling,Lee Daniels, Martin Semmelrogge

Reviews

  • Roehler mixes cheap sex humor, existential darkness, buffoonish satire and profound tenderness in almost classic proportions. Maybe this is too uneven to be a masterpiece, but it's somewhere close.

    Andrew O'Hehir - Salon.com

    29 November 2012

  • It's a slick, ambitious movie that doesn't always nail all the many moods and themes it's after.

    Michael Wilmington - The Chicago Tribune

    29 November 2012

  • Writer-director Oskar Roehler spends all his energy on cataloging ''outrageous'' behavior, and none on giving the transgressions any meaning.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    29 November 2012

  • Dysfunctional families don't come much more messed up than the one in Agnes and His Brothers, a comic drama from Germany.

    V.A. Musetto - New York Post

    29 November 2012

  • The results isn't especially engaging, despite a quietly charismatic performance by Weiss, a relative newcomer who holds his own against far more experienced actors.

    Maitland McDonagh - TV Guide

    29 November 2012

Awards

  • Best Screenplay (Drehbuchpreis)

    Bavarian Film Awards (2005)

  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Beste darstellerische Leistung - Weibliche Nebenrolle)

    German Film Awards (2005)

  • Best German Actor

    Golden Camera, Germany (2005)

  • Best Young Supporting Actress - Film (Beste jugendliche Nebendarstellerin in einem Kinospielfilm)

    Undine Awards, Austria (2005)