DbcultAccessing Vault...
7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Leise flehen meine Lieder remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, you probably already know if you're the target audience here. If you enjoy period pieces that feel like they were pulled from a velvet-lined trunk, you’ll dig it. If you need your biopics to be gritty and modern, you’ll be bored to tears within twenty minutes.
It’s not a documentary, so don't go looking for facts. It’s just a nice, sad story with a lot of piano music.
The pacing is a bit strange, honestly. One minute we’re in a classroom with bored kids, and the next we’re at an aristocratic soirée where everyone is dressed like they’re waiting for a royal wedding. The jump feels a little jarring, like the editor was in a hurry to get to the good stuff.
There’s this moment where Schubert is just sitting at the keys, and the lighting is *perfectly* dramatic. Maybe a bit too perfect? You can feel the director trying to force a "genius at work" vibe, but it works anyway because the music is just that good. 🎹
I caught myself thinking about Six Girls and a Room for the Night for some reason while watching. Maybe it’s the sense of people trying to find their place in a world that doesn't care much about them. But here, the stakes feel a lot higher because of the art involved.
The dialogue is very... proper. Nobody talks like real humans, but they talk like people in a play who are very concerned about their feelings. It’s a bit clunky, but you get used to it. The lead actor carries it well enough that you stop noticing the awkward lines after a while.
It’s not a perfect movie, but it has a soul. It’s the kind of thing you watch on a rainy Sunday when you want to feel a little bit sentimental. Don’t expect a masterpiece, just enjoy the ride.