In the Aisles In the Aisles Review: A tenderly captured love letter to the workplace, to mundanity and to real moments of normalcy.
In the Aisles review by Awais Irfan.
In the Aisles Review
Continuing our Sydney Film Festival coverage here on the site, we turn to German director Thomas Stuber’s festival-sweeping romcom In The Aisles; perhaps one of the most charming films you’ll find all year.
The film opens to big sweeping shots of the gigantic superstore Gourmet Foodstuffs. All is quiet and still until we see forklifts emerge bringing the closed market to life in the late hours of the day on the night-shift. Here, we meet newbie to the job Christian (Franz Rogowski) who is learning the ways of the forklift and keeping to himself mostly as he wheels around hauling stock and keeps his tattoos and past covered from his co-workers. In the confectionery aisle next to his, Christian spots the quirky and upbeat Marion (Sandra Hüller) and it’s love at first sight. But he keeps to himself until their workplace unites the pair and sets in motion their charming love-story.
There’s not much else to In The Aisles really; it’s a fairly simplistic story in both concept and execution that doesn’t boast much else beyond what you’d expect. There’s plentiful charm, a fair bit of humour and even the sprinkle of emotion too yet, despite its seemingly bare-bones nature, it’s quite the delight. Where this film really shines is in its two leads, both so average that the bombshell left-turn character arcs you’re waiting for never come yet both so compelling nonetheless. The film thrives in its workplace setting, something that most glossy Hollywood endeavours tend to skim over. Given that work is such a giant part of most people’s lives, it adds an authenticity to the proceedings that most romcoms of this nature striving for “realism” are often devoid of it; there is a ‘fly-on-the-wall’ feel to watching the relationship between Christian and Marion blossom and develop that is so tenderly captured and beautiful to watch. It’s a film full of real moments and that’s where the big comedic and emotional beats are drawn from.
In the Aisles Review
A film like La La Land is “a love-letter to Hollywood”; Rocky is “a love-letter to boxing and Philladelphia”; any Ben Affleck film is an ode to Boston… More than anything else, In The Aisles is a love-letter to the workplace and to the fleeting escapism it provides from the outside world and its problems. This film is a love-letter to mundanity and normalcy and is grounded with such honesty and heart that it’ll make you appreciate your job that little bit more – the gossiping, the antics, the quarrels, the people, the unknowing happiness you can find from its comfort and routine. Of course, Rogowski and Hüller give exceptional performances; their chemistry is electric and we believe their relationship and root for them to triumph. There is an innocence and simplicity to Stuber’s direction too that feels fitting for the piece – it’s not flashy, not overly stylish but there’s a humanity and passion to it that adds a necessary warmth. Perhaps the simplicity does detract from too much emotional investment in the material and the pacing can feel a little clunky and uneven at times but, for the most part, this film about routine feels fittingly routine. Yet it’s elevated by a nuance in its characters and a big, beating heart that makes for one of the most delightful films you’ll see all year. In The Aisles is a crowd-pleaser from start to finish and you’ll smile so much it will hurt.
it’s not flashy, not overly stylish but there’s a humanity and passion to it that adds a necessary warmth.
In the Aisles review by Awais Ifan, June 2018.
In the Aisles was review at the Sydney Film Festival.
