Slalom: Skiing, Romance, and Very Old Snow

Is this thing worth a watch?

Honestly, it depends on how much you love 1930s aesthetics and people falling over in the snow. If you're a fan of the Die blaue Laterne era of filmmaking, you’ll probably find this cute. But if you’re looking for a tight, modern romantic comedy, you are going to be bored to tears. It’s a slow burn, but not the kind that pays off with big drama.

It’s mostly just Hella Hartwich trying to prove a point on skis. There’s a lot of focus on the sport itself, which feels surprisingly technical for a movie that's supposed to be about love. Sometimes I forgot if I was watching a comedy or a very long instructional video from a ski resort.

The whole thing with the two extra guys helping her out? It’s meant to be funny, but it mostly just feels like everyone is constantly bumping into each other on the side of a mountain. There’s a specific scene where the timing of a joke feels like it’s missing by about three seconds. It lands, but it lands with a thud.

I couldn't help but think about Lulu while watching this, mainly because the vibe is just so different. It’s light, it’s breezy, and it’s completely obsessed with winter gear. You can tell they really wanted the skiing to look impressive. And it does! The mountain shots are actually pretty cool, even if the plot is thinner than the air up there.

The weird stuff I noticed:

• The dialogue is stilted in a way that feels like they were afraid of the microphones.
• Every time they stop to talk, the snow seems to get a little deeper.
• The romantic tension is basically non-existent. It’s just people standing near each other in heavy coats.
• One of the side characters looks like he’d rather be anywhere else than on those skis.
• The soundtrack has this way of swelling up right when nothing interesting is happening.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a particularly good comedy. But it’s got this weird, quiet energy that stays with you. It feels like a postcard from a time where people were just happy to have a camera and a steep hill. ⛷️

If you've seen Just Dogs, you know that 1932 had a very specific way of handling humor. Slalom follows that same weird path. It’s not trying to change the world. It’s just trying to show you a couple of turns on a mountain. Maybe that’s enough?

I don’t know. I’m still thinking about that one guy's scarf. It was way too long for skiing. ❄️