Ein Mädel aus guter Familie: A Dusty Afternoon

Is it worth the watch?

Honestly, you probably already know if you’re the type of person who digs Ein Mädel aus guter Familie. If you get a kick out of stiff collars, rapid-fire German banter, and the sheer absurdity of pre-war social etiquette, you’ll have a grand old time. If you prefer your movies to have, say, a coherent emotional arc or anything resembling modern pacing, you might want to look elsewhere.

It’s the kind of flick that feels like it was filmed in a living room while someone’s parents were away. It’s not trying to be Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and thank god for that. It just wants to exist.

The vibe

There is a lot of frantic energy here. People walk into rooms looking stressed, they leave looking more stressed, and somewhere in between, a joke happens. Sometimes the joke lands, and sometimes it just hangs there in the air like dust in a sunbeam. I kind of loved that about it.

The cast is having a weird amount of fun. Look at Hubert von Meyerinck—he’s doing a whole lot with his eyebrows. It reminded me a bit of the frantic pacing in The Car of Chance, though with significantly fewer cars and more fainting couches.

Small things I noticed:

• The wallpaper in the main drawing room is distractingly busy.
• There is a scene where a hat is misplaced that takes way longer than it should. It’s hilarious for the wrong reasons.
• The way they handle doors is a physical comedy masterclass. Or a disaster. I can't decide.

The whole thing feels a bit like a stage play that got lost on its way to the theater. It’s unpolished, sure, but it’s got this weird, twitchy rhythm that kept me watching. It doesn't have the grit of Den Vanærede, obviously. It’s much fluffier. Like a pastry that’s been sitting on the counter a day too long but still tastes fine.

It doesn't pretend to be important. It doesn't try to teach you about the human condition. It just wants to show you a girl from a good family getting into a jam. And sometimes, that is exactly enough. 🥨