TV tip: pure lust for life

Berlin (dpa) – Suddenly pounds his head on the table – Frank (Michael A. Grimm) suffered a heart attack. Fortunately, he survived. But he should avoid strong physical exertion in future. Somewhat overweight men don’t think much of them anyway. A tango group is rehearsing at the Munich theater where he performs the work of the porter. More influenced by this, Frank tried his first steps in his small Porter Lodge and developed an unprecedented fascination for this particular dance art. What happens then is the comedy “Dance Tango with Me” reported at 8:15 pm on Wednesday at Das Erste.

Frank hides his text from Tango teacher Marsa (Cara Wenham) from his wife Catherine (Eva Makebatch). But then Catherine takes everything out and throws it over the edge. She has to step in with mother-in-law Ingrid, played by Gobi Dohm. The 77-year-old (“The Nanny – Mission Canada”) is brilliant simply because she does not play the character of a rich elderly woman here, but is a constantly complaining and unfit dragon.

The widow is regularly taken for a swim, but she knows nothing of gratitude or respect. Dohm says of her role, “She is not even aware that she is such a serpent.” “She is a woman with an untouched life who did not dare to pursue her desire to become a hairdresser. As a result – unfortunately, God – she never made the leap to live her dreams for the rest of her life.” “She could not resist anything for her husband, which did not make her self-fulfillment possible or even prevented her – as a result she became dissatisfied, now angry at all men and bitter. An example Is that one has to fight one. Dreams. “

A neglected man, as Michael Alexander Grimm (50, “Gentlemen”, “Octberfest 1900”) tries to do exactly that. He is indeed stunning in his lead role, as he plays this closed man with great enthusiasm in his life crisis. Frank feels that he is being made fun of and ignored by all – Ingrid is loudly surprised at how, in his opinion, the hapless son-in-law can get a heart attack by sitting around. He feels under-challenged and is neglecting his wife and daughter. All he wants is that his petty-bourgeois life not only progress, but eventually go up.

Director Filipos Tsitos (55, “Tatort – Immortal Beautiful”) has produced a down-to-earth film that not only makes you want to dance, but also shows pure joie de vivre. Tango is a believable plot with music and dance scenes as examples of empathy and passion that make it possible to get out of a really tight apartment and an unaided life. It is a real balm for the soul, especially in these strange times.