The writer/director Bettina Oberli weaves a satirical family drama knotted with infidelity, among other complications.
Though this film is set against a beautiful and placid Swiss lake, the happenings inside the wealthy Wegmeister-Gloor residence reveal a tangled web of relations that unravels into the droll drama, “My Wonderful Wanda.” Wanda (Agnieszka Grochowska) is a Polish caretaker who looks after the house’s aging patriarch, Josef (André Jung). She bathes and changes him, but at night, she sleeps with him for extra cash that she saves for the two sons waiting for her in Poland. Her stony face never betrays any sign of pleasure, but Josef is clearly satisfied; by the second act, Wanda is pregnant with his child.
Bettina Oberli’s “My Wonderful Wanda” is, ironically, best when the focus is off Wanda, whose woodenness remains unreadable throughout. The supporting cast does the heavy lifting: There is Josef, the deceptively vivacious father, and the children, Gregi, the aviphile son, who is as fascinated with Wanda as he is with birds, and Sophie, the uptight, impertinent daughter. The film’s emotional anchor is the matriarch, Elsa (Marthe Keller, who most deserves the title of “Wonderful”). Elsa appears to be welcoming and generous but plays hardball with Wanda over money.
The film, written by Oberli and Cooky Ziesche, satirizes class divides and xenophobia (“the Pole” constantly carries a derogatory connotation here), but never takes the satire far enough to be memorable, challenging or anything beyond whimsical, as Wanda and the Wegmeister-Gloors negotiate the future of the unborn child. The story also suffers from its division into three acts and an epilogue; it loses emotional momentum with each new section.
My Wonderful Wanda
Not rated. In German and Polish, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 51 minutes. In theaters and on virtual cinemas. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
