The World of the Wonderlichs

Mimi’s life isn’t exactly short on catastrophes at the moment. A former musician and a single mum, she’s just lost her job, her son locked his teacher in a cupboard and while driving to school she runs over an overly keen client. And her family aren’t much help, either, with one more nutty than the next, from her drug addict ex-husband to her narcissistic mother. When the Swiss producers of «Second Chance», a TV reality show, get in touch, Mimi sees an albeit desperate escape route, even if it only means three days away from her family. But the Wunderlichs, as ever, are going to put pay to Mimi’s plans. Her entire family turns up at the show’s production venue in Zürich and causes chaos wherever they go – with the chaos not limited to the areas behind the camera.

«The World of the Wonderlichs” is shrill, crude and has the rhythm of a jittery pacemaker shaken by insanity, psychoses, entrances and resignations, flare ups and breakdowns. But it’s a film that’s impossible to forget.» (Die Zeit)

«The World of the Wonderlichs is billed as a comedy, and there’s plenty to laugh at. But the laughs here are mostly out of relief and follow on from something scary or slide back down into one’s throat when a moment of comedy is followed immediately by one of tragedy. This film doesn’t make its audience feel happy, like some comedies do, but it does pull the audience in emotionally and accompanies them out of the cinema.» (Berliner Zeitung)

«You can’t choose your relatives, is the subtext of this film, which also tells of lost dreams and big lies. In its last act, Mimi defies expectations by playing on stage. Rock and Roll will never die.» (epd Film)