Another in my local libraries selection of award winning Independent Films, The Forest for the Trees, was a German film with English subtitles. Der Wald vor lauter Baumen was made in 2003 and written and directed by Maren Ade. It is a film in the Independent Film Movement catalog, a group dedicated to bringing low budget independent films to a wider audience.

It is a story of a young woman, Melanie Proschle (Eva Loebau) who has just broken up with her boyfriend, and she moves to a small town to take a teaching job. She is clearly alone here, in a new town, new job with no family and no friends to support her.

At first, I found the film very boring. It was as if someone just followed the woman around with a video camera. There was no music, and very little interesting dialogue, but as the film went along, I found myself drawn to this lonely protagonist and feeling sympathy for her. Melanie just lacks social skills and the necessary understanding of how to make it on her own and fit in. Yet, she tries! I think I liked this film, because at one point in my life I was like this, and I think at some point in our lives we have all had feelings of not knowing how to cope. Seeing someone else struggling was cathartic in a way, because it was so easy to see the mistakes she was making, at the same time remembering making those mistakes at one point in my own life. If I could speak German I would have been shouting at the screen, No, don't do that but of course even with subtitles, she wouldn't have listened.

Melanie has two classes at her new school, one of 3rd graders and one of 9th graders. The 3rd graders laugh and throw cartons of chocolate milk at her back, and the teenagers just ignore her. She struggles, she clearly wants to connect with the children, she just can't. The other teachers look down on her. No one takes her under her wing; although one teacher Thorsten (Jan Neumann) clearly wants to befriend her. It is clear that Thorsten is just a lonely guy that would like the company of a young naive woman, but Melanie isn't quite that naive.

The most troubling aspect of the film and most of its focus is Melanie's obsession with her neighbor Tina (Daniela Holtz). She so desperately wants a friend that she tries to make friends with the woman who lives in the apartment complex across from her. Tina has social skills, friends and a sense of being, all the things that Melanie lacks. Tina rebuffs Melanie at every turn, there when Melanie helps her, but ready to leave when she really wants to have fun. Yet Melanie has such low self esteem that she continues to try to connect with Tina, doing things like going to knock on her door and asking if she just called. It was almost painful to watch, and I really wanted to tell Melanie that Tina just didn't like her, and to give up and move on, no one likes a doormat. Tina was not deliberately mean, she just really didn't find Melanie a fun person to be with, and tried to politely push her away.

The acting in this independent film was quiet good, it was as if someone just followed these people around with video cameras. The character were all real and believable to the point that I truly felt sorry for the film's protagonist Melanie. I also liked that the films camera men recognized that independent low budget film DOES NOT MEAN a plethora of hand held camera shots that give you a sense of dizziness. There is no fancy camera work here, just a clear focus on the parties or object of interest in their respective apartments to show how they live. I get annoyed at indie films that give me a headache with shaky hand held cameras. (yes, I am a director wanna be, but thus far, I haven't taken a single course at the New York Film Academy). I found some notes on the Internet Movie Data Base that stated that the school scenes were actually filmed at the school at which the director's mother taught! Interesting stuff can be found at the IMDB!

Summary If you enjoy slice of life films, and don't mind reading subtitles (This film is in German with English subtitles), you may enjoy this film. It is in a similar vein to Pieces of April and Second Best, just a simple examination of characters that have their flaws but live their lives as best they can.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older