David Farnor | On 12, Jul 2017

What do Mars, vegans, a cyborg and a cow have in common? They’re all part of a new wave of comedies from across Europe on VOD this week.

Comedies a la Carte is a collection of hand-picked comedies from the continent, served up by Walk This Way. The digital distribution scheme, which is supported by the European Commission, gathers together and promotes films for straight-to-VOD release in the EU. Each film is available in multiple countries on VOD platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, Sony and Xbox.

The scheme returns with a vengeance this week, with a compendium of comedy that range from romance and offbeat hidden gems to action flicks.

Here’s the rundown of what’s just been released:

Not My Day (Germany, 2014)

Till (Axel Stein), a bank teller in his mid-30s, is living a humdrum, uneventful life. His marriage to Miriam is a happy one, but just about hitting a rut after so many years of harmony. Till is shaken out of his routine when a bank robber storms his branch and takes Till and his car hostage. When the kidnapper takes his mask off, Till recognises Nappo (Moritz Bleibtreu), a conman who had unsuccessfully applied for a loan at Till’s bank. As the police set up roadblocks, Nappo decides to abandon Till in the boot of the car and disappear with the loot. But things do not work out that way and Till and Nappo escape together. After the initial shock, Till throws all caution to the wind and launches head-on into an adventure with his kidnapper.

Directed by Peter Thorwarth, the film stars Moritz Bleibtreu, known for his roles in World War Z, The Baader Meinhof Complex and the German cult film, Run Lola Run.

News from Planet Mars (France, 2016)

Philippe Mars (François Damiens) is a reasonable man in an unreasonable world. He’s trying to be a good father, a kind ex-husband, a nice colleague, an understanding sibling… But the planets have not been exactly aligned in his favour lately. With his son turning into a hard-core vegan, his daughter into a pathological overachiever and his sister selling oversized paintings of their naked parents, it seems to our ever-so-prudent Philippe that the behaviour of all those around him is becoming more and more erratic… When his cranky (to put it mildly) colleague Jerôme (Vincent Macaigne) accidentally chops off his ear and then moves into Philippe’s apartment, things take a turn from the bad to the insane for our hero.

One Man and His Cow (France, 2016)

Fatah (Fatsah Bouyahmed) is a humble farmer in Algeria. His pride and joy is his cow Jacqueline, and he dreams of taking her to the Paris Agricultural Show. One day, to the amazement of everyone in his village, he receives an invitation to the show, and leaves home for the first time, taking a boat across the Mediterranean to Marseille. From there, he sets out to cross France on foot with his beloved cow. Along the way, Fatah and Jacqueline have some surprising encounters in this heart-warming and sometimes whooping road-trip adventure. An eye-opening and quite moving journey across the France of today…

Miss Sixty (Germany, 2014)

The good news is you can live till you’re a hundred. The bad news is society doesn’t need you after get to sixty. So what to do with the last third of your life? Louise and Frans both have a plan. Louise (60), a strong, independent molecular-biologist and daughter of Doris (77), decides to get pregnant and have a baby. Frans (60), a gallery-owner, a bachelor all his life, and father of Max (27), decides to re-launch his career by discovering the next rising star on the contemporary art scene. While struggling to redefine themselves, correct past mistakes, make up for lost time and avoid tzotal ridicule, Louise and Frans’ paths cross. Obsessed with Romy, his 27 year-old intern and regular sex-mate, the last thing Frans needs is to fall in love with a sixty year-old woman with frozen eggs and a sperm donor. But he does. Obsessed with turning back the biological clock and finally finding out what it feels like to hold her own baby in her arms, the last thing Louise needs is to fall in love with the father of her “anonymous” sperm donor. But she does.

Love at First Child, aka. Ange & Gabrielle (France, 2015)

Gabrielle (Isabelle Carré) is a single mother, her 17-year-old daughter Claire is pregnant, but the child’s father, Simon, wishes to know nothing of his future baby. When Gabrielle takes matters into her own hands and asks Simon’s father Ange (Patrick Bruel) for help, an unexpected relationship begins.

WinWin (Austria, 2016)

Three investors, wolves in sheep’s clothing, can’t for the life of them find in themselves anything remotely resembling heart or soul. They circle the globe in their jets, preaching love and earning gold. They’re all smoke and mirrors; ministers, unions and kings enjoy their fame. Gambling with open cards at the table, where there’s no risk, only one aim: the truth is a lie, because lying is real – when you get hoodwinked, how does it feel?

Dyke Hard (Sweden, 2014)

A wild, John Waters-inspired queer comedy following a lesbian rock band’s way-out adventures back in 1986. Dyke Hard is a failed rock group travelling to a battle-of-the-bands showdown in the big city. The journey is further filled with bizarre, fierce and passionate encounters with cyborgs, ghosts, a Thai boxer, roller derby gals, ninjas, motorcycle gangs and a mysterious billionaire, all of whom will do everything to stop the band from making it to the event on time

 

All films are available in their original language with English subtitles.
 

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