Chantal in Fairyland

Admittedly, I am clearly the target audience for this film, as for whatever reason I enjoy writer-director Bora Dagtekin's humor in many (though not all) cases. Yes, he's a little rougher, a little more down-to-earth, not always nice and certainly not every joke is always right - but the bottom line is that his films and series are mostly good entertainment.

The film is accused of embodying everything that is bad about German film. It would be rubbish with no quality, made for the uneducated lower classes (the accusation alone says more about the aloofness of the critics than about the film). It's filmed "Trash TV". Nothing could be more wrong and anyone who believes that either hasn't seen the film or hasn't understood it.

Rarely have values such as friendship, willingness to sacrifice, willingness to learn, but also female emancipation and LGBTQ been treated so casually and humorously in a German film. When the main actress was confronted with a dragon (not a real spoiler), I had to think of the film "Damsel", which had only appeared on Netflix a few weeks earlier - and how intensively it was all handled there.

The film is just great fun. Not every gag works, but given the abundance of gags and the different tastes of people, everyone will find their own points of criticism. In the end, this film is carried by Jella Haase, who is without a doubt not only one of the most gifted comediennes Germany currently has to offer, but also one of the best actresses. Her "Chantal" is a stunner.