‘Das Mädchen und die Spinne’ (a.k.a. The Girl and the Spider) is a drama that follows Mara and Lisa – two room-mates, over the course of a couple of days, as Lisa moves into her own apartment and leaves Mara.
The film sets out amidst a bustling scene – in Lisa’s new apartment, as everyone is on hand to help make repairs and help move furniture into the new abode. Lisa, Mara and their room-mate Mark are all busy as Lisa’s mom, Astrid, arrives to lend a hand. With them is also Jan and Jurek – hired hands to help with the repairs. During the busy morning a few neighbours manage to filter in and out whilst everyone is hard at work.
In the evening, Lisa, Mara and Mark reconvene at their old place for a blow-out for Lisa. There they are joined by their downstairs neighbours – Kerstin and Nora. Jan also joins them as he wants to meet with Mara again, but ends up spending the night with Kerstin.
The following morning everybody is busy helping Lisa gather her things, mingling with each other and uncovering hidden feelings. Jan confronts Mara about coming to see her. Unfazed, Mara rejects him and leads him to Nora, and the two end up sleeping together.
The film closes on Lisa moving the last of her things out of the apartment, leaving the place and its people behind. The last shot of the film mirrors a dream Lisa had told Mara about, as the two would randomly meet again in town, fading to black after Lisa loses sight of Mara.
On paper ‘Das Mädchen und die Spinne’ is a simple story, spanning roughly two days over the course of which Lisa moves with the help of her friends and mom. The film could have been a great exploration had it just focused on its two main characters and brought to light the complicated emotions that one would inadvertently go through should they be faced with parting from someone they had lived with for some time, despite not being family or being romantically involved.
Besides touching on the hurt and pain that can be felt between Lisa and Mara, the film veers towards examining the more transient nature of life, the people and places that shift so quickly, no matter the importance or weight we attach to them. Through unapologetically throwing a mass of characters in Mara and Lisa’s path, the story highlights the ever-shifting nature of life – nothing seems to retain a lasting impact and we deem important only that which is happening now.
By switching the p.o.v. from one character to another, the tone of the film varies greatly, exploring malice, joy, rejection, passion and longing. The opening of the film sets the tone for the duration of the feature – we are to follow a host of individuals, all crossing paths with the focus shifting every once in a while, disorienting yet pulling the viewer in to observing a variety of microcosms, and the individuals within them experiencing greatly different events and emotions.
The main character of the story, Mara, played by Henriette Confurius, is a somewhat peculiar individual. It is clear that she is hurt by the fact that Lisa is moving away, spending the majority of the film looking longingly in the distance, evoking an almost pitiable response to her pain. Not unlike the film itself, Mara is cagey, rarely giving a straight answer to direct questions and creating an atmosphere that makes the viewer feel as if she does not want to be there, as if the spectacle of the narrative is thrust upon her, with no possible escape. The character serves an almost voyeuristic purpose, observing those around her and every once in a while provoking them to shoot off into a new direction.
Opposite Mara is Lisa, played by Liliane Amuat. Initially, the two are shown to be quite close, eventually almost leading to suggesting that the two are more than friends, yet never crossing that line. Amuat's Lisa is shown to be strong and assertive, showing care for Mara, but towards the end of the move, she becomes increasingly frustrated. As Confurius is initially shown to be more impacted by Lisa's decision to move, by the end it is revealed that Lisa, who had been maintaining a stronger facade is the one who will have a harder time dealing with the separation.
Hyperfocused on the impermanence of people, things and places in our lives ‘Das Mädchen und die Spinne’ explores the nature of our being, as we continuously grow, develop and move about. Yet, the film risks alienating some viewers as its approach is brash and unapologetic, throwing the focus on different players as and when it pleases. The film also spends a little too much time reminiscing, as its characters dwell on the past or recall dreams, delivering one too many soliloquies that seem to hide a deeper philosophy, eventually stretching beyond the allowed number of reflections any one film should host.
Perhaps to the dismay of some viewers, ‘Das Mädchen und die Spinne’ does not rely on maintaining a strong and even flow to its narrative, pivoting towards the kinetic state of life, with all its players engaged, pulling the viewer in, but often also creating a hazy overall experience, blurring its stories without outlining a core thesis. Maybe at times frustrating to follow, the film is a unique experience, but eventually delivers a somewhat exasperating exercise in trying to capture the futility of meaning and importance people bestow on their lives.
Score: 2/4
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