Nine years have passed since Derek Cianfrance's last film, the visually stunning romantic drama “The Light Between The Oceans,” was seen on the big screen. However, the director was by no means idle during this time: he also demonstrated his talent for complex character studies on television with the acclaimed mini-series “I Know This Much Is True”, and he also worked on the Oscar-nominated script for “Sound Of Metal”.
But now Cianfrance is back in the cinema with the great “The Imposter – Roofman”. The trailer suggested that the filmmaker, who is known for his melancholy, was now adopting a much more light-hearted tone – but that was far from the case. Although there is undoubtedly a comedy in the story, which is based on true events, the at least melancholic, but also quite depressing style of the maker of “Blue Valentine” and “The Place Beyond The Pines” remains unmistakable.
Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) has to adjust to his new life – in a toy store!
After completing his military service, Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum) is sobered to discover that he barely has enough money to buy his little daughter a bicycle. In desperation, he makes a momentous decision: he starts robbing McDonald's branches. To do this, he drills holes in the roofs of the fast food restaurants, climbs in and empties the cash registers – while the staff present is locked in the cold room. Over more than 40 burglaries, Jeffrey makes a notorious name for himself and is known in the media as “Roofman”.
But eventually he is caught and sentenced to 45 years in prison for armed robbery and false imprisonment. But Jeffrey is not only clever, but also patient: he comes up with a sophisticated escape plan – and one day actually implements it. Once free, he goes into hiding in an unusual place: a Toys “R” Us branch. There he meets Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), a single mother who draws him into a new life. For a moment, a future seems within reach for both of them…
Sounds funny, but it's not (that much)
There's no question that the true story of Jeffrey Manchester would have provided many directors with the ideal breeding ground to create a humorous thriller-comedy with romantic touches. In fact, all of these elements are present in “The Imposter – Roofman”, because Derek Cianfrance's new work is always as funny as it is fast-paced, and of course – as is obligatory for the filmmaker – it is also about love.
However, all of these clear attributions only serve as an atmospheric genre superstructure. Because Cianfrance, who wrote the script together with Kirt Gunn, is far more interested in what lurks beneath the surface of this adventurous story – and what injuries Jeffrey Manchester caused himself and those around him through a series of wrong decisions.
The romance between Jeffrey and Leigh (Kirsten Dunst) is so natural that it's bound to be extremely painful at some point.
So while the course was set in the first half hour – including a classically staged prison break – the next step is the inner life of the robber. Because behind the facade of the charismatic Jeffrey, who has a real X-ray vision for details, there is a broken, hopeless soul who ultimately just wants to belong somewhere. It is precisely this fact that makes him a bad criminal: he is brilliant when it comes to calculations, but simply not cold-hearted enough.
Derek Cianfrance works out the pain for which Jeffrey is ultimately responsible in precisely observed snapshots: When he returns to his street after breaking out of prison and, hidden behind a bush, watches his daughter ride her bike up and down the driveway, it hurts like hell. Especially because the police car parked in front of his house makes it clear that Jeffrey can no longer be a part of this world.
This is how honest cinema for adults works
Shortly afterwards, when Jeffrey set himself up in the hollow wall of a Toys “R” Us with tons of M&M's and Spider-Man bed linen, children of the 1980s and 1990s will probably be reminded of the most seductive idea of their time: being all alone in a gigantic toy store and exploiting the possibilities of this seemingly endless amusement without being disturbed.
And even if it is initially quite entertaining to watch how Jeffrey sets up his new reality between Playstation 2 games, XXL cuddly toys, action figures and remote-controlled cars, how he sabotages the surveillance camera and manipulates the rosters, there is still the tragedy of a man who abandons his family even though he actually just wanted to be there for his daughter.
“Game Of Thrones” star Peter Pinklage is also there as the Toys “R” Us store manager – and a real asshole!
With Leigh played by Kirsten Dunst, “The Impostor – Roofman” also develops into a love film that relies on very direct language. Since the Toys “R” Us employee is a single parent, she has to meet Jeffrey in the park at 8 a.m. And because the date is going very well, between children playing and a duck pond, the question can be asked straight away as to whether you just want to jump into bed together straight away.
The natural chemistry that develops between Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst gives the romance a grown-up sincerity that truly tugs at the heartstrings – and hurts all the more when reality catches up with Jeffrey. In any case, in all the moments of honest joy and beauty there is always an oppressive tragedy that is reflected in Channing Tatum's eyes: All the joy that Jeffrey feels never lasts, because with the next blink of an eye he realizes that this life has no future.
A must see on the big screen!
Tatum delivers one of the best performances of his career in the lead role. Not only does he easily master the role of obliging thieves, who would be an absolute criminal genius if he could just shake off all this humanity. But he shines even more as a failed father whose edifice of lies is slowly collapsing, who punches a shelf full of Elmos in anger or cries silently into the phone when he has to listen to another man making his daughter laugh.
In addition: “The Impostor – Roofman” definitely has to be seen on the big screen. Of course, this basically applies to all films, but Derek Cianfrance's latest prank really looks like cinema! The 35-millimeter footage unleashes a raw, immersive, wonderfully clear and detailed aesthetic that also reflects the 2000s in which the story is set.
Conclusion: Anyone who expects a humorous thriller-comedy from the fantastically photographed and well-acted “The Impostor – Roofman” will be disappointed, even if there are always smiles. Rather, Derek Cianfrance tells the true story of Jeffrey Manchester as a deeply moving character piece about wrong decisions and the desire for belonging.