Directed by Tobi Baumann, Over Christmas is an amalgamation of everything that one sees in holiday-themed movies and while that's a genre we know and love, it feels implausible in this one.
This 2020 German TV miniseries stars German comedian, Luke Mockridge in the lead role. Split across three episodes, Over Christmas touches upon familiar topics like drama within the family, a struggling singer-songwriter feeling like a failure, and everything coming together because it's Christmas.
Cast - Luke Mockridge plays Bastian, a singer-songwriter who works at a call center because his career just isn't picking up. Bastian is very unlikable by the end of the third episode, given his childish personality and his refusal to introspect. Seyneb Saleh plays Niklas and Cristina do Rego plays Fine. Both of them play their respective roles rather well, helping Bastian see that he needs to grow up!
Storyline - This drama follows Bastian, a struggling musician, who is ashamed of his current life and decides to visit his family for Christmas where he meets his ex-girlfriend who is now dating his brother, Niklas. While the brothers can't stop bickering, Bastian tries to make the best out of this situation by meeting up with old friends and falling in love with Niklas' first girlfriend. Meanwhile, Bastian's parents are holding a secret of their own, one that has Bastian shaken when he finds out. This ends up with him lashing out at everyone and ruining Christmas, only to magically make up for it after 3 minutes of introspection.
Watch the trailer here!
What I liked - The supporting characters in this series are the ones who carry the story forward pretty effortlessly. The way this series is directed is very interesting to watch.
What I didn't quite like - Over Christmas doesn't handle conversations around coming out of the closet too well, the lead character is not mindful in the least about the struggles of someone who identifies as queer. Every Christmas tale ends with everyone getting along because it's Christmas, and it's getting a tad unrealistic to buy into that today, as much as we love ourselves a happily ever after. But Over Christmas seems to skip Bastian's process of self-realization in the last episode to end on a glee note.
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