3 Tage in Quiberon
Director: Emily Atef
Writer: Emily Atef
Cast: Marie Bäumer, Birgit Minichmayr, Charly Hübner, Robert Gwisdek, Denis Lavant, Vicky Krieps
Seen on: 25.4.2018

Plot:
Romy Schneider (Marie Bäumer) has withdrawn to a spa hotel slash rehab center to attempt to get her life under control again. Her friend Hilde (Birgit Minichmayr) comes to visit and support her, as she always does. Joining them are two journalists from the STERN magazine, Robert (Charly Hübner) and Michael (Robert Gwisdek) who want to interview Romy. Over the course of three days, they try to get past the surface while Hilde tries to shield Romy from their invasive questions.

3 Tage in Quiberon has an amazing cast and a good story, but I nevertheless had trouble staying with the film sometimes. Still, I did get the sense that those three days were a very special event.

I know Romy Schneider, of course – it’s hardly possible not to. I have seen films with her, but she is not somebody I connect very much to. I’m not a fan. I didn’t really grow up with her. So maybe that’s why I drifted off sometimes during the film. If I had more of an emotional connection to her as a star or generally more knowledge about her, that may not have happened.

That being said, I did get the feeling that we got a very intimate glimpse at the person Romy Schneider. Probably already in the interview, which must have been quite something, but also in this film. And her star quality definitely shines through in this film as well, to the point where I thought that they focused to much on the interviewers and too little on her.

A huge part of that is Marie Bäumer’s fantastic performance. She not only looks like Romy Schneider (although I wouldn’t have said so outside of the film), she really seems to cut to her essence. Well, as far as I can be any judge of that. Maybe it’s more fair to say that she perfectly embodies the public perception of Romy Schneider at the end of her career and life.

The film is a thorough examination of a microcosm: three days and four people and there is a whole lot more in it than it may seem at first. Maybe it should have been a little more engaging for me than it was, but it is definitely interesting and worth watching.

Summarizing: there’s a lot here that’s good.