A beautiful search for meaning: Series “Perfekt Misst” with Bastian Pastewka and Anke Engelke

2024-08-16 09:01:52

Ralf is around 50 and has just been divorced against his will. Mary is in an on-off relationship with a man who is actually dating her former best friend. Both are bound in life. The series “Perfekt Misst” proves why this can be funny.

“How are you all so stupid?” asked Ralf Hartmann, owner of a sporting goods store in Marburg, Hesse, in the second third of the story. And apart from the very specific situation – Hartmann let a woman talk him into approaching a dog because he is looking for a new life, with new acquaintances, his young daughter from his recently divorced marriage has grown in love of dogs, but unfortunately, the animals swallowed a finger, and so the tragedy began – apart from the situation, Hartmann also asked this question himself.

Because what do you do after the middle of your life, when you have already achieved so much and you could be satisfied in a way, but not? Because people grow apart in their marriages or maybe they don’t fit together, like Ralf Hartmann and his wife. Or because you have a long-term relationship with a man whose ending is not the right one, you don’t want a wife for the right reasons, but you still can’t leave him, like the bookseller Maria Lampe. It is possible that Ralf and Maria get along well, their paths often cross in Marburg, but they never know each other. And that’s what this story, the eight-part series “Completely Missing” is about. which you can now see on Amazon Prime Video.

Anke Engelke is Maria, Bastian Pastewka is Ralf. “Perfekt Misst” is their first joint non-series, this is bildundtonfabrik. The result is words that seem normal and worn, but that are meant here in the best sense: heart-warming, funny, beautiful. The plot that there are two people “made for each other”, with their weaknesses, but who do not meet each other (and in the big city that manages and with overlaps in their circle of friends) may not be interesting on paper .

Implementation (directors: Sabine Boss and Nicolas Berse-Gilles, head writers: Sebastian Colley and Claudius Pläging, Engelke and Pastewka are the producers) leads to an alternative romantic comedy that uses classic techniques, but has a search-for-meaning basis that is not at all artificial but which is the actual leitmotif of the story. And it should also be emphasized that it does not take place in Berlin, Hamburg or Cologne, but in the city of Hesse.

This has to do with the fact that this is only a little about the wishes and desires of young adults, but above all about the microcosm of Generation X. Ralf’s older daughter moved to Cologne during the series, which is where Ralf goes too . and for other reasons – unfortunately this word has to be used now – Maria’s sister fell away. But their story did not take place in Cologne – and none of them wanted to change their lives by emigrating, treating themselves with “perfect healing” in the peace camp (where an incident took place) or giving up their jobs.

They just want to be able to be themselves, without any frills, and with a partner. Freedom in general. Now one can criticize the fact that you don’t necessarily need a partner to find yourself. True, but such life plans do not play a role here, or are simply abandoned. It’s that simple.

Wer “Pastewka” like, the series has ten seasons in which Pastewka plays “himself” between 2005 and 2020 will see some similarities in the story and therefore also like “Perfekt Misst” (small shout out to Amazon, where the last three seasons of “Pastewka” found in Sat.1 after that time).

As recurring elements. Ralf and Maria write messages to each other on the hood of Ralf’s dirty car (instead of a Saab, it’s now a Volvo), without always running into each other or knowing who the other person is – a balance to that even Smartphones that are is always in this story. A smartwatch that announces itself at inappropriate events. Maria is struggling with her father’s dog.

Turn of course to the goal

In both ways, the stories develop through incidents, small incidents, and misunderstandings that are set in motion that is anything but linear, but instead follows a cyclical course. Which leads to the end of hope for the audience. What is important, however, is that the twist itself is entertaining, not necessarily exciting and innovative, but definitely well thought out and intelligent.

Engelke and Pastewka have always worked together, they are the folk singer couple Wolfgang and Anneliese Funzfichler, they “visit” each other in their shows, they are also both on the “Wochenshow” on Sat.1, which was broadcast between 1996 and 2002 ran . This house has sketches and satire can also be felt in “Perfekt Misst”, in small everyday observations and jabs at the book industry, for example. As actors, both of them – and all actors, which include Fritzi Haberlandt, Michael Wittenborn and Peter Jordan – do not parody their characters as fictional characters with a central crisis, but instead they fill them with life.

This is a fundamental difference from the short wind of the sketches, although there are still slapstick elements and gags in Completely Missing. Like the fact that Maria and Ralf’s “joint” song is not a love song, but rather “Africa” ​​by Toto. However, these ideas do not overshadow the actual story. Another song, which was never played but which Ralf said he would choose for his funeral, set the background melody, Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart”.

It is fitting that the story of Ralf and Maria ends and somehow begins at the Marburg festival. Almost all the people who appeared over time are gathered there and they have their own stories. There, like in the old days, people meet for cotton candy and cocoa. Of course, the small town idyll, which is also loosely defined here, has little to do with everyday life. This should not be a problem for four hours of entertainment. Quite the opposite – this little escapism not at the edge of the worldbut in the middle of Germany, is most acceptable and perhaps even helpful for self-discovery.