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Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

I definitely enjoyed this film, and found it pleasantly unpredictable throughout. That really has become a huge criterion for me, if you are the same, you might save reading this and other reviews until after you've seen the film. Thus...SPOILERS of sorts...While the film launches with hyperkinetic momentum, a la "Lola," by about halfway through the pace of the action, and even the camera itself stops to freeze. Tykwer's early tracking of the camera by hand to weave in on various actors helps to inject tension to this film, even when the scenes themselves may be no more tense than a typical soap opera. Then for awhile, the camera becomes stationary, and we wait as the earlier motions and emotions play themselves out, and finally we get an, explosive exhillirating ending.I see the tag line for this film refers to it as a "Liebesthriller" and when I watched the trailer for the film *after* seeing it properly, in English they referred to it as a "Romantic Thriller" That is a fine encapsulation of it...and not really a genre that I place too many films under its rubric.While this film ride well upon surprises, it also uses one more familiar and frequently deployed device these days. there seems to be more movies where multiple characters are brought together with only say one degree of separation, but their connections are unbeknownst to them. I admit it, I enjoy this cheap omniscient thrill...and it works well here.Here certain secrets are known to us and the "criminals" who have committed various acts (all men, sigh...), they often seek out retribution for the very crime they are responsible for. We have the philanderer as jealous boyfriend, and the father whose own mistake led to the loss of his daughter seeking vengeance. Then there's a peculiar character who rather than being hypocritical, suffers from a peculiar form of short-term memory loss.This latter character, rather than charging blindly over the cliffs of ration, seems to be struggling with recalling his acts, and reclaiming his responsibility. There is a haunting scene on New Year's eve where you can see the fireworks in his fragile, shrapnel-shattered mind, reflected on his very forehead.And the film is beautiful in other aspects...the two female leads carry their theme colors with them wherever they go. Their connection as caring roommates helps to hinge much of this film, and feels right for that sort of relationship. And both are crucial in helping transform the villain in this film, past anti-hero into a hero as he rescues both. He plucks the ultra-cynical "green" girl from the clutches of her despair, while he consoles the "red" girl in the wake of a death in her family, and in the wake of her absent boyfriend.So whether we buy into this "conservation of guilt" and karmic come-uppance is one trick to this film. Even while watching it I felt a bit manipulated towards Rene, and in hindsight now moreso. The photography is flashy throughout. The ski-diving at the end, shots of the anti-hero though a diamond lattice work at his hovel, the camera in the lair of the lovers starts early on tight and intimate, but eventually gets as much distance as it can, spying on them from a corner in the ceiling. Wide-angle to catch them as they drift apart. That bathroom fireworks shot is really a tremendous one as well, and any of winter wonderland shots were great. Especially the skating ones...On one level this could be the "soap opera" of the future, romantic rollercoasting along with nice dabs of mystery and of course duplicitous if not just plain dumb men. We are missing the catty female, and honestly the film is far more savvy than that. I suspect reducing down the novel for this film was probably a challenge, but well worth it. I wonder if the title has any idiomatic sense in German, like the notion that when winter thaws out, we can see what has happened. I think we see all of the characters actually asleep at one point (or comatose even) and they all lurch awake. I know the film starts with the idea that they are all running away, or leaving, with a sense of urgency.The film questions whether you can run away from your actions, and to me it covered a lot more movie mileage than "Rennt, Lola, Rennt." Indeed the two female here live rent-free and the men, well they run into trouble...but not necessarily their own.7/10

I decided to buy the DVD of Winterschläfer after watching the beautiful "Lola Rennt" and "Der Krieger Und Die Kaiserin" by Tom Tykwer, and it seems like it was a good decision. I can't say Winterschläfer is an excellent movie, nor can I say it was mediocre or bad. The reason being, after watching the movie, I still don't know what I think about it.. Odd but true. It's really unique, not the least bit like any other movie, including other Tom Tykwer movies. Yet another soul-crusher by Tykwer. The story is not exactly believable, but I sure did feel like I was inside the story, which usually means the film is successful. It captured me big time, and it'll most likely do the same to you or any other viewer. And you'll either love it or hate it; or start looking around stupidly with a wide open mouth just like me. I have to say the acting is EXCELLENT though. I kept telling myself what a jerk Marco is for being mean to a sweetheart like Rebecca. Only after seeing the credits, I remembered it was just a movie. Well, wrong, this is not just a movie. This is a unique experience. Although the story is extreme, and sort of unbelievable, the movie gives the viewer a bloody strong feeling that the story is taken from real life incidents. Recommended..

This is one of best german movies ever. If you disagree, you might didn´t understand it! Great story with awesome actors, incredible music and a thrilling atmosphere. It´s the first movie of director Tom Tykwer and it´s still his best!!

I really can't understand the indifferent reactions this film generated from both critics and audiences. I must have lower standards than most, for I found it to be a hypnotic, beautiful piece of work.Although the director, Tom Tykwer, has gained international attention for the film he made after this, "Lola Rennt", I think this film is a better showcase for Tykwer's talents as a filmaker.Yes, the flashy and visuals, editing and score that made Lola such a fascinating experience are present in this film, but the pace of the film is slowed down significantly to concentrate on the various characters which are spread across the vast, ambitious, canvas of the film. While Lola was a minimalist experiment in technique, Winter Sleepers is a mural. It is this added human dimension that makes it such a satisfying experience.No, it is not perfect. The ambition of the director sometimes overtakes the script, and the ending is rather silly and melodramatic, but the performers do their best to keep it down to earth.This film is very reminiscent of Atom Egoyan's "The Sweet Hereafter", both in terms of plot (the aftermath of a traffic accident and it's effect on a small group of people) and the use of winter landscapes to mirror the "frozen" state of the characters in an emotional sense. Although I think that Egoyan's film is more a more successful film in using this metaphor, this film is nearly as compelling.I have never been a big admirer of contemporary German Cinema, but Tykwer's work is an exception. I look forward to his work in the future and highly recommend this film as an example for those who think that Lola was a one-time fluke.Great film.