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Stiller Film Opens to Critiques of a Simplified Frisch Adaptation and Praise for Paula Beer

Reviewers say Stefan Haupt recasts Max Frisch’s introspective novel into a courtroom‑focused, marriage‑centric drama.

Overview

  • Stefan Haupt’s 90‑minute Stiller opens October 30 via Studiocanal, starring Albrecht Schuch and Paula Beer.
  • Critics say the film condenses the novel into a judicial and marital frame that shifts the focus from existential inquiry to an identity puzzle.
  • Reviews highlight overt structuring devices, including flashbacks with color versus black‑and‑white time coding and a split casting of Stiller between Sven Schelker and Schuch.
  • Several outlets describe the tone as melodramatic or kitschy and argue that the streamlined resolution reduces the book’s ambiguity and downplays its social critique.
  • Paula Beer’s portrayal of Julika is widely singled out as the standout performance across otherwise skeptical assessments.