Diagonaldi Very well executed

ManiakJiggy This is How Movies Should Be Made

TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Elementarteilchen" is a German film from almost 10 years ago and it runs for almost two hours. I will not mention all the cast members here, but this is really impressive. So many big name actors from Germany in here. I cannot think of another film in recent years that had equally many. Oskar Roehler, one of Germany's more known filmmakers these days, directed this film and also adapted Michel Houellebecq's novel for it. Probably his most famous film. Moritz Bleibtreu and Christian Ulmen play the main characters here, two brothers with very damaged relationships to woman and the reason may be their childhood and upbringing. This film touches some taboos, such as sexual relationships between teachers and students or even with your parents, but both is not elaborated too much into detail, so you can watch this without really having to puke. Bleibtreu did a fine job and deserved the awards attention he got for this. I am not really a great fan of his, so my perception of his strong performances is even more telling. It may be his finest character work. Ulmen, on the other hand I am not too big on here. It seems to me that he usually playing very similar characters and he found his niche. I would love to see him in a more daring portrayal, but he usually goes with nerdy intelligent guys with a touch of awkwardness. Still, it's a good contrast to Bleibtreu's character. Both brothers are on a journey to finding real love and a lasting relationship. Both manage in the end, but they have to pay a huge price as both their significant others turn out physically damaged and emotionally they probably are as well. "Elementarteilchen" is probably among the best German films from 2006 and I recommend it.

xmahlerx Throughout my life, I witnessed many movies which pushed boundaries of my definition of the worst movies ever created. I've seen The Turin Horse which was on top of my list of the most overrated and pretentious movies for a long time. That changed after I witnessed this piece of crap. Through the first half of the movie, I laughed my ass off thinking that it is a comedy mocking those movies which are stuffed with clichés from the beginning to the end. I wasn't the only one who laughed. Luckily. I haven't read the book (which is reportedly quite good)... that probably limitates me in many ways how to rate this movie. Also, the absence of zero in the IMDb's rating is a limitation as well. I am forced to rate it with one star.It is a spectacular piece of crap. Modern German cinematography once again has proved that it has very little to offer. Back to Sonnenalle.

Framescourer A handsome looking film on the face of it, but to be honest, dead in the water. This isn't just because it's a misfiring literary adaptation. On its own the film fails to successfully blend the comedy and misery that its aiming for.Alas, one serious failure is the acting. The high-profile Franka Potente's on the bill but has overdone the downplaying of her celebrity - she seems dour on-screen. Christian Ulmen is poor. Moritz Bleibtreu is the best although he's let down by the film's design.This is really the point. The book gives us an idea of the utter misery of the modern world and its inevitability - the comedy comes from it. Bleitreu makes a good stab at embodying that but receives no support from director Oscar Roehler, with very long stretches (the curse of literary transposition) and flashbacks which aren't crafted or tailored with any sense of drama, let alone melodrama. 2/10

simonf This movie has as much to do with art or originality as a toilet graffiti written with lipstick. (Not that graffiti can't be art or original, but they very rarely are.) It manages to be, just because it can, extremely sappy and extremely crass at the same time, and proud of it. In comparison with it "American Pie" is innocence itself, and "Sleepless in Seattle" is a sophisticated drama. Oh, and "K-Pax" is rigorously true to scientific facts. Don't step in it.(I went to see the movie accidentally without checking it out first, which I usually do. This experience reminds me why.)