Wonderful film

I really enjoyed it. It's a bit longish by the end, and the film is extremely slow compared to most of today's fare, but I'm interested in Nannerl anyway. Like everyone says, the film is beautifully done. I would like to warn some people that it's entirely handheld, but not always noticeable.

It's the first period film I've seen with handheld shots where I would sometimes have an adrenaline rush because I felt like I was actually there, actually watching people doing their thing almost two and half centuries ago. I credit this to both the handheld camerawork, but also the extraordinary lack of overacting. You will not see a Tom Hulce or Gary Oldman performance anywhere in this film. Along with the slow pace (there simply was nothing much to do back then for the majority of people, even the wealthy), it all combined to make a very realistic picture.

The ending may be sad for some, but it's nothing that isn't expected if you know about Nannerl's life. The sad scenes, to me, were when Nannerl was succeeding—hearing her music performed. That to me must have been wonderful for her—at least fictitiously! I don't know how true this film is.

I immediately rank this film alongside Amadeus and Immortal Beloved. I actually think it's better than both those films in terms of acting and realistic lighting (my god, a life of candlelight must have been insane), and while there is "stunt casting"—the director casts his two daughters; hell, the film is edited, directed, and production managed by everyone in this family—these actresses aren't exactly the French Nicole Kidmans. It's nice to see fresh faces. I thought they were excellent, too.

Oh, and I wanted to add that Marc Barbé as Leopold was astounding. He is the prequel to Amadeus's Leopold—happier times of course, but still with a stern, intimidating, almost frightening personality bubbling beneath. He was remarkable to watch.