TONI ERDMANN Special Screenings

The smash hit of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival is the third film from AFI FEST alum Maren Ade, a heartwarming father-daughter tale that follows a workaholic woman, Ines, whose prankish elderly dad, Winfried, is a source of constant embarrassment. When Ines is forced to cut her trip home short, Winfried decides to surprise her with an extended stay at her place. Winfried loves to play with people’s perception of him. Dressed in fake buckteeth and a bad wig, he barges into her life declaring his new identity: Toni Erdmann. With masterful tonal shifts, the film strikes a nimble balance between comedy and heartbreak as we see the injustices children suffer by their parents — and vice versa. A naked party, a killer karaoke performance and a giant shaggy beast dot the wonderfully lumpy landscape of this narrative, as it guides its two main characters to a truly cathartic conclusion.