Andrea Gets a Divorce, 2024.
Directed by Josef Hader.
Starring Birgit Minichmayr, Josef Hader, Thomas Schubert, and Robert Stadlober.
SYNOPSIS:
A policewoman wants a divorce and city job promotion but after hitting her drunk husband with her car in an accidental collision, she flees the scene, committing a hit-and-run.
Films about divorce can often be hard hitting, emotionally draining affairs, think Marriage Story or Kramer vs Kramer. Josef Hader’s Andrea Gets a Divorce juxtaposes our expectations around what to expect on a film tackling this subject and makes the most of the title, not delivering what audiences might expect going into it. Andrea is a rural policewoman in Austria in an unhappy marriage, wanting to escape her boring life and become an inspector in the city.
What follows is certainly far from what Andrea would have had planned. Following her birthday party, her drunken husband walks into the path of her car and is killed. While she is now rid of her husband this opens up a can of worms and means Andrea has to put her knowledge of the police to good use to avoid suspicion.
There are shades of Neil Forsyth’s underrated BBC series Guilt and there may be comparisons drawn to Fargo. For all the seriousness of its subject matter there is a quirkiness and sense of humour at its heart. The people involved in the investigation and incident all seem to have their share of distinct personality traits. Director Josef Hader is especially fun as teacher Franz, who is initially suspected of the crime. He is forgetful but also brings plenty of humour into his scenes, an interaction with Andrea involving coffee is particularly enjoyable.
Birgit Minichmayr is a treat as Andrea, naturally deadpan and insular, she sells her inner turmoil and struggles to do the right thing, keeping herself in the clear but also wanting to ensure there isn’t a miscarriage of justice.
While it may be slight, there is plenty to enjoy with Hader capturing the close knit community with everyone knowing one another and being aware of the death. Hader finds the right balance between tragicomedy, farce and a more serious contemplative drama. This is especially true of the interactions between Andrea and Franz, two characters seemingly with little in common who bond over the experience of the incident.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Chris Connor
