Toni Erdmann

<p>Maren Ade's tragicomedy <em>Toni Erdmann</em> a 2016 Cannes sensation and Oscar nominee is an internationally acclaimed classic of recent German cinema. By turns hilarious cringeworthy and heart-wrenching the film revolves around Winfried a retired music teacher and prankster trying to rebuild a relationship with his daughter Ines a high-powered business consultant based in Bucharest. At its center this unpredictable scenario pits one type of performance - Ines's efforts to meet the unyielding expectations of the new economy - against another - Winfried's anarchic role-play meant to disrupt the standardization of life. This book the first in-depth analysis of the film explores the many layers of this generational tug-of-war about the meaning of life work and death.</p>