Mostly Martha

Mostly Martha is about the stubborn and perfectionist Martha, head chef at one of Hamburg's finest restaurants. She is a control freak to her fingertips and cannot cope if things do not run like clockwork.

Martha is thrown somewhat off balance when her sister is killed in a traffic accident and she is left with responsibility for her eight-year-old niece Lina. Martha wants to be a good stand-in mother for Lina, but they get off to a rocky start, for both are reserved by nature. When Martha returns to work, she has a new colleague, the impulsive and fun-loving Italian chef Mario. Very symbolically, it is he and his Italian cooking that finally awaken Lina's appetite - read: her will to live. Mario is Martha's exact opposite, and at first she avoids him like the plague, but can she resist his charm in the long run?

Mostly Martha offers an interesting portrait of a type of woman who is probably quite typical of our times. The film loses its edge, however, as it surrenders to the clichés about Italian charm and the Mediterranean idyll. The film's feel-good ending is nice to leave the cinema with, but it is not particularly realistic. For much of the way, though, the film is both wise and witty.

That Martha comes across so strongly is due not least to the actress Martina Gedeck. Ulrich Thomsen also delivers a good performance as Martha's new downstairs neighbour Sam, but unfortunately for Thomsen and the film it is only a supporting role.