Watched in the cinema (152nd visit in 2024)

They still exist, the loyal readers who enrich their day by browsing through the pages between the covers of books. At least bookseller Carl Kollhoff still has a few regular customers to supply every day in this whimsical little town. And then the "book walker" even gets company.

Director Ngo The Chau, who has so far mainly made a name for himself as an excellent cameraman and TV director, adapts Carsten Henn's bestseller with a lot of warmth and a certain timelessness. Apart from Schascha's annoying classmates who are playing on their cell phones in the bookshop, modern technology is virtually absent. Then there is the picturesque old town with its half-timbered houses and slate shingles at the foot of the castle.

The narrative tone struck by the off-screen narrator is also somewhat fairytale-like and above all comes across as whimsical. The idiosyncratic reading club that the book pacer serves is full of people who all have their difficulties with life. Carl Kollhoff has also given them literary nicknames. And when Schascha accompanies the book walker, she does not adhere to his rules of distance and politeness, but causes quite a stir in the readers' everyday lives.

It goes without saying that the young protagonist has to cope with an exceptional situation, in this case the death of her mother. This leads to difficulties with the father, who is also grieving and finds it hard to connect with his child. The grandfatherly stranger has an easier time of it. However, he himself is keeping a secret. And when the small, almost intact world collapses, the entire reading circle is called upon to save the day.

"Der Buchspazierer" is pleasing cinema for young and old and the audience can be sure that the problems are serious and heartfelt, but also solvable and hopeful. There is little to criticize about this, except that it may be predictable in aspects and does not get beyond a certain feel-good moment.

Of course, this is also due to the book itself. After all, books about people who like books - and this is by no means (and not only here) about high literature as art - are always a bit preachy. Quotes are always thrown around that are not so special that they represent expert knowledge, but are still just a gag for some people who have read them.

There is something nostalgic about this, something bourgeois and sad, because it states that reading itself is a value that is somehow under threat but must not be lost. Reading in itself, like writing, is a core cultural competence, but reading is not the same as reading and printed books are not necessarily something worth preserving. Even though the urban fantasy cravings of young girls seem to be saving the brick-and-mortar book trade from a crisis.

Personally, I have a hard time with off-screen narrators, especially in literary adaptations. It's often a redundant element, as the images and the plot already make it clear what is being told. Or as a counter-question: why don't the images do that? The question always remains as to whether the narrative voice can be trusted. And finally, anyone who subscribes to the book walker's delivery service is living close to the cliché. All these characters have their own baggage to carry and retreat between the covers of the book.