Angela Shelton Blog
I am here at the Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals and had to share the most precious movie I’ve seen so far. This is a film that is not pushing an agenda, not promoting a cause or trying to freak you out – it is simply a precious love story that makes you smile. I absolutely loved this movie! I loved the message, the love story, the music, the sweetness and the overall joy emanating from this film. If you are near a town where it is playing, I highly recommend seeing it. ...
But sometimes, the filmmaker simply sends you on a lovely journey that is so simple and so wonderful that it never would have been funded by a mainstream studio because it’s just a small simple story. Though the film is small, the love in Heavy Girls is HUGE.
Hammer to Nail - Online
by Paul Sbrizzi, January 21, 2012
... Maybe in part because of the shooting style, with no crew and a tiny camera, Heavy Girls locks effortlessly into its melancholy/bemused mood and consistently captures the delicate textures of its characters’ individuality in all its strange contortions. This is an incredibly intimate film, and it would be hard to overstate just how powerful and accomplished the performances are. Consistently surprising, full of strange twists and odd behavior, but always true to life, Heavy Girls demonstrates with extravagant imagination and clarity of vision how there’s not so queer as folk.
' taz ' article frome 10/31/11 about the premiere
"Fight the blockbuster!"
"... Family is also the topic in Axel Ranischs debut "Heavy Girls", which was realized with the sensational budget of 517,32 € ... however, it is great cinema! This story of a son, which lives with his dementia-suffering mother and falls in love with her male-nurse, was one of the definite highlight events of this festival. A wonderful wild but also tender film, full of absurd humor and magical moments.
It's been a long time since a gay love story was told that incidental and in such an unsexy way.The premiere audience rewarded this, almost on improvisation based film with an never ending applause. She has never seen such an applause at the Hofer Filmtage, the presenter said.
But most likely she has never seen such a film as well...."
article "schnitt nov.2011"
"Maybe the most beautiful film in the competition:
Heavy Girls by Axel Ranisch"
" ... In the maybe most beautiful film of the feature film competition, the two main characters have to learn that life might offer other possibilities, than the way they are used to live. Which still doesnt mean that they will choose this way.
HEAVY GIRLS, a No-Budget-film, which is said to have been shot with only 517€ and some peanuts, is an inspiring piece of cinematic improvisation.
Like dirt and dust put in DV appears the look of intended shabby images and the outmoded tapestry and living-room-wall-unit-setting of the main location: Way too long Sven is living in the daily same and same, so that is life became outmoded as well. Lovingly he cares for his from dementia suffering mother, together with her male nurse Daniel. He lives with her and tries to make her sunset years as convenient as possible. When she dies, everything changes for him. Sven and Daniel get closer to each other - much closer then they have expected. At the end Sven chooses a way that was unthinkable for him at the beginning.With the terrific performances of Ruth Bickelhaupt, Heiko Pinkowski and Peter Trabner, Axel Ranisch lights a wonderful firework of crude humor, charm and delightful storytelling.
At this film, three creative heads got rid of the pressure of convetions and just started to shoot. The result sends out rays of that freedom and takes its liveliness out of the personalities of the makers. ..."
76 min COLOR 4:3 PAL
DIGIBETA STEREO
GERMAN with ENGLISH SUBTITLES
