18/02/2025 - BERLINALE 2025: Frédéric Hambalek turns an anecdote into a full-length social dramedy, crafting what turns out to be an enjoyable yet fleeting watch

Julia Jentsch and Felix Kramer in What Marielle Knows

What if someone were to overhear all of your conversations and see you in your most private moments? What if that person were your child? These questions likely came up countless times whenever writer-director Frédéric Hambalek pitched his sophomore film, What Marielle Knows [+see also:
interview: Frédéric Hambalek
film profile]. This exploration of the concept has led him straight to the Berlinale’s competition, and although the film feels modest and light, it still offers some good laughs and food for thought.

The title character (Laeni Geiseler) is a pre-teen who gets hit on the head by a friend during one of those typical playground fights, resulting in her being able to hear and see everything that her parents, Julia (Julia Jentsch) and Tobias (Felix Kramer), say or do – even when they aren’t around. Her parents have their secrets: Julia has erotically charged chats with a colleague (Mehmet Ateşçi), while Tobias fakes his popularity and position at work. Both distort reality and hide their true feelings behind the facade of proper, upper-middle-class lives. Why? Because being a grown-up is not all that fun: it’s tedious and uneventful, and maintaining the facade is a way of escaping disappointment.

Marielle calls her parents out on their secrets and lies, which forces them to rethink the way they operate. They each react differently: Julia embraces the forced candour, while Tobias is more reluctant. And Marielle? Her newfound ability allows her to see her parents in a new light and face difficult truths herself.

It’s commendable how Hambalek has expanded this simple anecdote into a full-length film without making it feel boring or redundant. He proves the efficiency of his directorial skill by building up some understated comedic tension, which prompted many spontaneous giggles during the press screening. By adding more layers to the initial concept, Hambalek crafts a film that is enjoyable, with a standout, nuanced performance from Julia Jentsch.

However, once the chuckles have subsided, serious questions crop up – why lie, and is brutal honesty really the best policy? It seems as though telling the truth is not as simple as it might seem, and can get as complicated as international politics. Some words – like “I love you” – are difficult to say out loud, even if a person does actually feel and think them. At the same time, all this concealing and revealing resembles a game, with the stakes known only to the players.

Hambalek develops and circles around his initial concept of deception. He suggests that sometimes having a witness to our little secrets and misdemeanours is enough to bring back a kind of moral order. Though effective, the film is a somewhat surprising pick for the festival’s competition – it feels more like an audience-friendly gesture from the programmers. But if this reviewer were to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, screening some pure, clever entertainment in the cinema, even during a very serious festival, is a welcome delight.

What Marielle Knows was produced by Germany’s Walker+Worm Film and co-produced by ZDF - Das kleine Fernsehspiel. Lucky Number handles its international sales.

Photogallery 19/02/2025: Berlinale 2025 - What Marielle Knows

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Frédéric Hambalek, Julia Jentsch, Felix Kramer, Laeni Geiseler
© 2024 Dario Caruso for Cineuropa - dario-caruso.fr, @studio.photo.dar, Dario Caruso