With
limited information and clues in hand, Edgar remains determined and
establishes connections with new friends he meet in the city. Despite
the struggles at the start, he soon finds his way to meet Timothy's
old friend, Christina, and Timothy's doctor who cured him using the
stem cell transplant, Gero Hutter. However, his strongest connections
do not lead him to Timothy immediately.
His
luck takes a turn when he discovers that Timothy will be speaking at
an event in Amsterdam. Edgar quickly contacts the conference manager
but finds out that he has to work around the no-camera and privacy
issues at the event venue. Surprisingly, the conference manager
obliges to grant backstage interview and that means, he will finally
be able to converse face-to-face with Timothy.
With
chanceful glimpses of Timothy in the hotel prior to the interview,
the big day arrives. Edgar is beyond ecstatic
but remains his composure and charm during their conversations at the
restaurant and outside. They share moments of insight and discovery
which certainly helps Edgar to understand the true man behind the
'Berlin patient' headlines.
The
film portrays an honest and earnest depiction of Edgar's curious
quest to find Timothy and put his unique case in a bigger spotlight.
The story itself is special but its ending comes off as predictable,
with title of film being a big giveaway. Ultimately, everyone loves a
happy ending so, it is a win-win. One scene with Edgar going to the
hospital to check on his flat foot appears trivial but it does
enforce his point on doctor-patient relationship being impersonal and
intimate at the same time.
Some
parts in the conversation between Edgar and Timothy are a little dry,
but good enough to keep audience peeled to the end. Edgar tries to
splice a fictitious
feature as an analogy on HIV as an unsuspected “serial killer”
showing a romantic couple wining and dining but ended with a brutal
murder. This was confusing at first, with extended frames that make
audience go what-has-this-got-to-do-with-the-quest, but able to piece
the message eventually.
Audience
will be taken by Edgar's quirky and child like nature in the film.
His search for Timothy resembles his personal journey in seeking hope
and, indeed, hope finds him in the least expected way.
Review by Haswani