Cinema | Film »Stiller«: Finally become yourself!

Max Frisch's novels are characterized by complex narrative structures, lengthy interior monologues, and detailed descriptions of emotional states. This has made Frisch one of the most important writers of the 20th century. But can his novels also be translated into cinematic language? This seems difficult, which is why there are only a few film adaptations of his stories. The best-known is probably Volker Schlöndorff's "Homo Faber" from 1991, which is nevertheless considered a failure. A contemporary review stated: "Despite a strong cast, Volker Schlöndorff fails to breathe life into this required reading in schools."

A healthy dose of skepticism regarding the film adaptation of Frisch's novel "Stiller" is therefore understandable, especially since the book itself demands considerable stamina. For today's reading habits, Stiller's writings can certainly be considered at times long-winded, disorganized, and disjointed. As reading material for schools, the book would be inconceivable in today's age of short clips and even shorter attention spans among young people.

But how can you prove that you are not someone?!

"I am not Stiller!" is the first line in the book; in the film, it's uttered later, after James White is arrested upon entering Switzerland. The police believe him to be the sculptor Anatol Ludwig Stiller, who vanished without a trace seven years earlier and is wanted for a politically motivated crime. Former friends and even his wife Julika (Paula Beer), who is brought in from Paris, are certain they have the missing man before them. But he resists this identification: "I am not Stiller!" But how can you prove you're not someone?!

Stiller/White is played by the ever-brilliant Albrecht Schuch. Schuch's staunch refusal to be assigned a foreign identity is quite convincing, much like the novel itself, which initially adopts White's perspective. Only gradually does it become clear that this is about a fundamental identity crisis. Seven years ago, Stiller burned all his bridges and fled a daily life in which he was merely a replaceable cog in the machine, his art no one truly needed. Now, the "system" wants to force him back onto its treadmill, to drag him back into his existence as a consumer and mediocre contract artist.

In the book, we gradually get closer to the "truth" through White's diary-like entries during his pretrial detention, in which he confronts his past. This is difficult to translate to film, which is why the screenwriters devised a flashback structure to tell Stiller's story.

Several inconsistencies are unfortunate; why the young Stiller is portrayed by a different actor in the early flashbacks and only played by Schuch in the later ones is unclear, as is why some flashbacks are in color and others in black and white. The kitsch factor occasionally crosses into the red zone – although anyone who has ever wanted to see Paula Beer as a ballet dancer to the strains of "Swan Lake" will be delighted. However, why Beer, as Julika, falls in love with Stiller again after all these years, a man who tormented her with his egocentricity and emotional coldness throughout their relationship, seems difficult to believe even to the most well-intentioned viewer. The eventual resolution of the identity question feels like a contrived plot device that doesn't actually appear in the book.

Naturally, the film deviates significantly from the source material and necessarily streamlines it considerably to increase accessibility, accepting the resulting simplification. However, the question remains whether the material, whether film or book, is still capable of captivating a wider audience today. The film certainly portrays the novel's central idea—the question of what constitutes an authentic, "good" life and whether one can escape one's conditioning and reinvent oneself—in a credible manner.

Stiller has become questioning his own self, and he fiercely defends his freedom to reinvent himself as someone else. However, while such questions still held a certain potential for controversy in the 1950s, today it's likely part of general life experience to question one's self-image and search for the best possible version of oneself; indeed, we are constantly urged to do so. Not only various self-help books and psychotherapies, but every billboard in public spaces calls out to us: Optimize yourself! Realize your potential! Reinvent yourself! Naturally, each time with the help of the corresponding product.

On the one hand, the exploration of the discrepancy between self-image and external perception, and the question of whether authentic living is possible without playing a role, remain highly relevant today; on the other hand, viewers might be tempted to perceive the central conflict as too simplistic by today's standards and therefore not as a truly pressing issue. "Stiller" attempts to counter this risk with lavish production design. The locations are authentically recreated, the 1950s atmosphere is well captured, and the costumes are exquisite. Paula Beer gets to showcase magnificent dresses, driving is still a pleasure without regret, and even prison appears more as a refined place for inner contemplation than as a place of suffering.

Should the film be criticized for its glossy aesthetic? That depends on expectations and certainly on whether the viewer is familiar with the novel or not. Oscillating between popcorn entertainment and art-house film, "Stiller" is neither fish nor fowl.

"Stiller," Germany/Switzerland. Directed by Stefan Haupt. Starring: Paula Beer, Albrecht Schuch, Marie Leuenberger. 90 min. Release date: October 30