The temptation to use cookery metaphors for German indie Love Steaks is too much, so I’m going to limit myself to just one. Here goes. To get the best out of a steak sometimes they need tenderising with a mallet, and so the two lovers inLove Steaks go through a bruising both emotional and physical, to get the tastiest result possible. Okay now that’s out of my system, on with the review.
Love Steaks follows the lives of Clemens (Franz Rogowski) and Lara (Lana Cooper) as they work as a masseuse and a chef at a luxury hotel. As a relationship grows between the two, they must learn to overcome their differences if their love is to survive. Not exactly a groundbreaking set up, however Jakob Lass tells a story that is not sickly, but packed with punkish flavour.
The film is shot almost entirely in two locations, a luxury hotel spa and the beach. Strangely however, the film doesn’t feel cheap or claustrophobic, instead it feels real. The characters who work at the hotel are trapped there, Clemens the masseuse literally lives in a supply room. The characters are also trapped within themselves, Clemens painfully awkward, Lara extroverted but struggling with alcohol. Now this perhaps does not sound like a recipe for comedy (damn there’s another cooking metaphor), however Love Steaks is infused with enough anarchic spirit and wit that the two potentially tragic leads become genuinely funny in both their trials and triumphs.
Love Steaks was made on a shoestring, but it is not short on heart. The two leads are damaged goods, but both have hopes and dreams which the audience root for. Clemens is riddled with awkward indie cliches like compulsive rule following and inexperience with the opposite sex, if he were any more shy he’d be played by Michael Cera. Lara is the opposite, a trainee chef she revels in the pressure cooker environment in the kitchen. Of course we’ve seen this relationship play out a hundred times, however in Love Steaks it is played with such honesty that it doesn’t feel stale. In one of my favourite sequences, Lara grills Clemens on why he is so shy, was he bullied, beaten, abused? He replies he had a happy childhood, perhaps he was a little chubby. The whole sequence had the a ring of authenticity, the film didn’t need to give its characters some childhood trauma to earn their flaws, rather it accepts the fact that sometimes people are just a bit flawed. Perhaps to the films detriment it relies a little too much on this philosophy, to the point that its characters are still slight enigmas as the credits roll, however in general this approach to character development with an intense focus on the here and now sets Love Steaks apart from similar films.
The supporting cast is relatively small, but they all play their roles well. Surrounding Lara and Clemens with people who it seem as though they have their own stories to tell, they create separate worlds. The upper floor where Clemens works seems to be populated by oddballs, his mentors are very concerned with the flow of energy in the bodies of their clients (but unable to give reasonable advice when Clemens encounters a particularly forthright client), also a highlight is the peculiar concierge Herr Winter, a pompous man who lives in his own world. The other side of the coin is the chaotic kitchen in which Lara works. The kitchen staff are anarchic and highly strung, they seem to be Lara’s family, but do not realise her fragile state and contribute to her problems. Here one of the films great strengths is also a weakness. The focus of director Jakob Lass is excellent, the relationship of Lara and Clemens is always front and centre, examined in minute detail. However because of this focus, the secondary characters are at times simply set dressing, there only to populate the landscape.
Love Steaks is a film that will surprise and amuse, its lack of polish is part of the charm, watching the film feels abrasive and vital, like an indie should. It is by no means a perfect film, the budget constraints show and the supporting cast feel underdeveloped, also we are left with questions about the main characters. However the heart of this movie beats as though it is fighting for survival, Lara and Clemens are put through a crucible like two rocks being smashed together by the waves. The end result is a film that demands attention, and rewards it.
WHO: Lana Cooper is on electric form.
WHAT: The final scene, breathtaking.
WHY: Jakob Lass has made a brash film that cries out to be seen.
WHEN: In an interesting double bill with Gone Girl, because relationships can be weird sometimes.
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