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German 'Martha' is a whole new tale
By JANET K. KEELER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 19, 2002
Mostly Martha (PG) (105 minutes) (In German with English subtitles)
For chef Martha Klein, precision is the most important tool in the kitchen. She is exacting in her preparation of fussy dishes such as squab and truffles, and takes on any diner who dares quibble with her.
If only she could control life so well.
The international title of this engrossing German movie, Mostly Martha, will likely conjure images of Martha Stewart, especially because food and cooking are a central theme. Strike that thought. Mostly Martha dissects a single-minded life with nary a glue gun in sight. The title is Bella Martha (pronounced MAR-tah) overseas.
Headstrong Martha (Martina Gedeck) is an acclaimed chef whose upscale restaurant kitchen has all the humor of a mausoleum. Food, not language, is her mode of communication. Her orderly world is rocked when equally stubborn niece Lina (Maxime Foerste) comes to live with her, and her boss (Sibylle Canonica) hires a messy Italian chef to be her assistant. You know that chef and assistant won't get along too well when Martha finds the kitchen staff swaying to a schmaltzy Dean Martin song.
For all her cooking and talking about food, Martha never eats, nor does she taste life in any meaningful way. Assistant chef Mario (Sergio Castellitto) blusters his way into her heart with his earthy pasta and insistent nature. She starts to slowly simmer at their first meeting.
Mostly Martha is a movie to be savored for its gentle portrayal of the everyday fears and desires that tug at most of us. Gedeck is masterful as the emotionally cloistered chef who runs to the walk-in freezer when a feeling creeps too close to the surface. Her quietness screams of things unsaid, especially when viewed against the wounded Lina or expressive Mario.
The beautiful and clever score by David Darling makes use of a variety of styles, including haunting single piano, lush string ensemble and French cabaret. The music is universally understood even when the German isn't.
Mostly Martha's only misstep is the fairy tale ending that, though heartwarming, feels untrue to Martha and her bottled personality.
In one scene, an exasperated Martha tells Lina, "I wish I had a recipe for you that I could follow." And we wish that filmmakers so in love with car chases, explosions and coarse language could follow the recipe of Mostly Martha more often. What a delicious break from burgers and fries. B
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