Comedies with people with disabilities-despite the mega hits from “Rain Man” to “Pretty Best Friends”-are often a sensitive terrain. Those who do not approach the necessary sensitivity could harvest a shitstorm – often even deserved. And if you always want to do everything right, there is a justified chance that the laughs will probably be rather sparse in the end. With the “book waler” Christoph Maria Herbst as a draft horse, director Hanno Olderdissen has now “Whole brother“Turned-a buddy comedy that does not do without evil gags, but does not shoot against someone, but hits the heart.
The focus is on multiple real estate fraudsters Thomas (Christoph Maria Herbst), who-freshly released from prison-unexpectedly comes to an inheritance of a two-million house. There is only one problem: his half -brother Sunny (Nicolas Randel) already lives in the house and has a lifelong right of living there. Of course, Thomas made plans on how to get rid of Sunny. The fact that his half -brother has trisomy 21 fits Thomas well into the concept. But Sunny's supervisor Yesim (Sesede Terziyan) looks closely at his fingers. When Thomas also involves his probation helper Meinard (Michael Ostrowski) into the whole thing, he suddenly faces the decision: money or family …
At the first meeting, Thomas (Christoph Maria Herbst) actually only thinks about how he gets rid of his half -brother as quickly as possible.
Hanno Olderdissen, who is known primarily for his animal children's adventures from “Rock My Heart” to “Wendy 2” to “Lassie”, stages Thomas as a lonely cowboy that is actually a poor sausage. The only person he meets after his discharge is his affair, who is zero for him, but only for proper sex. You can't always be up. But that's exactly where he wants to go again.
Thomas grew up in the home, knows no family life. Sunny, on the other hand, grew up with his mother. He is in contrast to Thomas, who does not have a job or apartment, let alone money. Sunny has friends and with weightlifting a hobby that he enjoys. So it is not the helpless person with disabilities that Thomas initially sees in him. To clarify this, the film uses both perspectives: Thomas' acting is driving the action, Sunny is the heart of history.
Sunny, One So True – I Love You
Screenwriter Clemente Fernandez-Gil, himself the father of a 14-year-old son with Down syndrome, was looking for a plot that everyone understands. So he wrote an inclusive comedy with simple gags, embedded in a sibling story without making cinema. The characters surprise little, but the comedy still manages to find the quiet tones between the sounds. A song accompanies you through the whole film: Bobby Hebbs Soulful original “Sunny”. Depending on the mood, the right cover version is played – sometimes from the off, the Walkman or the car radio. Even in the hospital, where her common mother is in a coma, Sunny takes out his walkman. If the song sounds, everything is fine.
A total of nine different versions will be heard, including the 70s disco version of Boney M. and the late night version of Nancy Wilson. The song also runs for key scenes. You can look a little in Sunny's head. In the course of the film, you also learn how Yesim organizes everyday life with Sunny and how important structure is for him. That Sunny also has a role model and understands feelings-probably even better than his ex-Knacki half-brother.
Thomas finally lets Sunny (Nicolas Randel) even drove his beloved Caprio!
Thomas goes through different phases. He only encounters Sunny with incomprehension, then he uses him for his purposes – and at some point the two approach each other. This is reflected in gestures and situations: only a few sentences are needed so that Sunny can communicate. Yesim is the connecting link between the half -brothers, because only she sees Sunny with really all its facets. Of course, a lot is oversubscribed. Thomas' probation helper, for example, who drives up in the fat Dodge RM 1500 to hold the discharge talk with downloaded window.
Or the fact that Sunny suddenly can just drive and roars in Thomas loved black classic car broken convert (if not in real traffic). But that's not the point in the film. Instead, there are two brothers who get to know each other, and prejudices that prevent us from seeing the essentials.
Conclusion: “whole half brother” is free of surprises and quite schematic, but at the same time it feels like a good catchy tune that you hear it more often. In the end you even want to dance.
We saw “whole half brother” at the Munich Film Festival in 2025, where he celebrated his world premiere.