Peter Simonischek goes to extreme lengths to keep his daughter from being eaten alive in the corporate world in the official U.S. trailer for “Toni Erdmann.”
The film tells the story of a free-spirited man who’s afraid his grown daughter is becoming too driven and corporate, and tries to loosen her up. While largely dramatic, writer/director Maren Ade’s film contains a substantial amount of humor, including an extended sequence late in the film performed by lead actress Sandra Hüller completely in the nude.
After its first press screening in the Salle Debussy in Cannes, which was greeted with sustained applause, TheWrap called “Toni Erdmann” “the most delightful surprise of the festival so far,” and added, “Ade has made a generous, hysterically funny but deeply touching father-daughter story that lasts for two hours and 42 minutes but never drags and feels far less than that.”
The film stars Simonischek, Hüller and Michael Wittenborn.
“Toni Erdmann” is Germany’s official submission for the foreign language entries at the Academy Awards this year, which will announce the accepted eligible films on Monday.
It has been screened at Telluride Film Festival, as well as the Toronto International Film Festival.
“Toni Erdmann” will be released in theaters on Dec. 25.