The Perfect Secret

J’allais écrire que je n’arrivais pas à comprendre quand l’Europe copiait l’Europe, que cette pratique était le terrain de jeux de nos amis américains. Mais je me suis rendu compte qu’il existait en fait plusieurs versions – française, espagnole, polonaise et une tchèque en préparation… Le thème est extrêmement accrocheur et totalement improbable il y a vingt ou trente ans, mais aujourd’hui tout à fait pertinent dans le sens où les téléphones portables détruisent les relations. Le premier que j’ai vu était l’original italien et il était excellentissime. Mais vu que les Allemands ne font que surfer sur une tendance générale plutôt que d’avoir copié l’Italie et qu’en tant que tel, ce film est à la hauteur de l’autre, je mets la note maximum. (12/11/2020)

The German version has a lighter feel than the Italian original and all the other versions. And I don't think that was a drawback at all, because it was really fun. I thought the actors were likeable (except for the biggest villain). I was pleased that the Germans went their own way at the end that was original. It also made my jaw drop. I see that our version is coming, so I hope the Czech team will give it all they’ve got. 5 stars. (29/01/2021)

I only saw the original Perfect Strangers only a couple of months ago, so you could say it was perhaps too early for me to go to the cinema to watch one of the other remakes, but I was curious to see how the Germans handled the story. I was also tempted by the great cast, as almost half of the actors (+ director) are from my very favourite Goethe Institute. The German version is eighty percent faithful to the Italian original, so I was quite pleasantly surprised by the slight deviations. However, while Perfect Strangers has a rather chilling ending, The Perfect Secret offers a somewhat more positive denouement, though it doesn't prick the moral conscience as much, on the other hand, I praise the screenwriting variation. The German version is overall more light-hearted, but there’s still that one disturbing question that pops into your mind several times during the film: How much do we really want to know about our friends? A weaker four stars! (21/06/2020)

The Italian Perfect Strangers has been such a hit that it has a remake from almost every country, something I have never seen before – France, Germany, Poland, Turkey, South Korea, Spain, and even the Czech Republic, but surprisingly the USA is missing. Anyway, the movie is 90% a literal copy with just different actors, and the Germans took a different approach in the end than the original, which surprised me. I was entertained very well throughout. Story****, Action>No, Humor****, Violence>No, Entertainment****, Music****, Visuals****, Atmosphere****, Tension****. 8/10. (26/11/2020)

The German version of the original Italian hit. The story is truly so well written that it can appeal to everyone if adapted appropriately. All national cinema can only gain by joining the phenomenon. I enjoyed this version, among other things thanks to the presence of the great Jessica Schwarz (Romy) and Karoline Herfurth (The Little Witch), and some of the points are really perfect and make you laugh. Several themes are explicitly funny and others are full of humanism. The perfect film. (22/03/2022)