Nelly Lenz (Nina Hoss): I no longer exist.

Nina Hoss is brilliant as a Holocaust survivor whose face is disfigured from a gunshot. She undergoes surgery and is displaced back into society. She is without a family or a home and as such is like a ghost as she searches the ravaged, skeletal remains of Berlin looking for answers to a great mystery of her existence. This Eyes-Without-a-Face identity issue catapults the story into motion and initiates a thrilling pace that…

The movie teeters between being darkly funny (think War of the Roses, Triangle of Sadness, Misery, or Ready or Not) and downright goofy (think Gilligan’s Island). I see why so many people are loving this even as it landed a bit flatter for me. 

Rachel McAdams as homely and gross? It’s silly to see but that is how the film opens. The homely accountant who doesn’t get the VP position as promised by previous CEO because, well, the new CEO…

“Marty is good at life.” —John Mulaney

At its core, this line sums up the documentary. Martin Short is good at life. His ability to stay focussed in the moment and specifically on the joy within the moment is central to his being. It is a mantra that colors his approach to everything including grief, a state he has much experience with. His resilience and understanding of how to hold on tight to the joy at all times even through…