With ‘The Peacock’, writer Isabel Bogdan delivered a real bestseller in the early eighties. The social satire about a team-building exercise in the Scottish Highlands gone wrong is characterized by the incorporation of British charm into the German language. Not only did it have a bite, it was also very funny.
The film adaptation of the same name was released in cinemas in March 2023. There were stars like Tom Schilling (“Crazy”), Annette Frier (“Pastewka”), Jürgen Vogel (“Stereo”) and David Kross (“The Reader”). An extremely illustrious ensemble that, as potential peacock killers, mainly has to do with getting on each other’s nerves. Haven’t seen the movie yet? Then you can now catch up with an Amazon Prime Video subscription at no extra cost.
That’s what ‘De Pauw’ is about
A group of investment bankers head to the Scottish Highlands to work on their seemingly lost sense of community, supported by a coach and their own chef. There is a lot of pressure on the social kettle from the start, as there is a rumor going around that someone will soon be kicked out of the team – and then the setbacks on the ground pile up:
The announced professional coach sends his trainee Rebecca (Svenja Jung) and there is no WiFi or heating. The final straw, however, is a stubborn peacock. He has apparently gone mad and attacks anything blue. When the bird is found dead in the grass a few hours later, everyone suddenly blames each other…
Sounds nicer than it is
In the FILMSTARTS review, “The Peacock” received a lukewarm 2 out of 5 possible stars. In her conclusion, our author Helena Berg writes: “Despite the bestseller template, a great cast and an excellent Scottish atmosphere, ‘The Peacock’ is overlong and not very entertaining. There’s just a lack of surprises or at least a little bit of craziness.”
Although the actors enjoy playing, ‘The Peacock’ simply lacks liveliness. For a satire, the film by Lutz Heineking Jr. simply too tame and random to really express anything about social class or group dynamic processes. The fuss surrounding the (alleged?) murder of the peacock also appears to be uninteresting:
“So you don’t look forward to the eventual unraveling, but ask yourself: what’s the problem now?” is our criticism. “Of course you secretly hope that you are not smarter than the film and that you might still be surprised with a plot twist à la ‘Knives Out’, but… puff pastry.”
Author: Pascal Reis
Source : Film Starts
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
