[email protected] A quirky, fun family film about two boys who crack a kidnapping case. Well acted by all concerned, and presented very much in the european tradition, where the characters aren't sanitized, or made "cutesie", this film has Rico, a boy of about ten years old, with his hang-ups and issues, running into Oskar, also about ten years old, with his hang-ups and issues. After arguing, the boys become friends, and realise that they need each other, as the two dysfunctional boys become functional only when together. Rico, well-loved by all in his neighbourhood, is not very "with it", and, due to being in a world of his own, is sometimes a bit slow on the uptake. Oskar, not so well loved, because of his directness and perceived spikiness, is on the ball, but difficult for most people to handle, because of his neuroses. An observant person, which Rico, oddly, is, would notice that these two boys have OCDs, and this film represents OCD in a fair, balanced, approachable, way, and the two boys, who are both fine young actors, handle their roles with aplomb. But, above all, this film has it all: the meaty storylines and quirks that children want, and the classic cars, romance, and fart jokes that the adults like.

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Rico, Oskar und die Tieferschatten" is another successful children's book adaptation from Germany. There is really quite a few these days. It is directed by Neele Leana Vollmar and brought to paper by a team of four male writers. The story can be summarized quickly. A boy lives with his mother in Berlin and finds a new friend while quickly being drawn into detective work when his new companion is abducted by a criminal. Don't worry though. All the abducted children are released after their parents paid €2,000, so it's no scary material and you can certainly allow your children to watch this film. The green room near the end had with the light automatism could be used nicely in a horror film too, something like the ending from "Silence of the Lambs". One thing I liked about it is that you can basically guess yourself who the kidnapper is. I had no idea until it became revealed near the end. The superficial, well-dressed business man, the grumpy janitor, the new tenant, the smelly loner?Another strength here is the cast. There's always big names in German kids movies these days and this one is certainly no exception. Herfurth, Kross, Prahl, Zehrfeld (who seems to be in everything these days) and Peschel are among Germany acting elite currently and as if that wasn't enough already, you will also find Katharina Thalbach and Anke Engelke in small cameo roles at a bingo group and an ice cream parlor. For German standards, this is pretty much "Ocean's Eleven" level looking at the cast. All in all, it is not a must-see, but a decent 90-minute watch for everybody who is into German cinema or children's movies. There were minor flaws with it, like the plot of being abducted on purpose to see if his father would pay, but nothing really serious. Finally, if you enjoyed this film, let me recommend you the 2012 movie "Das Pferd auf dem Balkon", which I enjoyed even more and which has a main character with similar issues.