For those looking to learn about one of the most prolific proto-feminists in Europe at the turn of the century, the story of Lou Salome hits all of the marks. Like protestant England, Germany was "Victorian" to the point of institutionalizing the silencing of intellectual women. They were good for marriage and children and hosting social gatherings. Salome refused to wear any such traditional shackles and though it caused scandal after scandal, she remained single and childless, writing philosophical and psychological works that have since been nearly forgotten (and nearly lost), but are surprisingly still relevant today. The film is artfully directed, with strong period acting, and deep set decoration. There are several scenes with quick philosophical repartee that may seem heavy to those unfamiliar with the arguments, but for those with some philosophical background, they are a pleasure to hear. Salome was surrounded by adoring men-- Ree, Nietzsche, Andreas, Rilke, Jung, Freud-- but she sacrificed romantic involvement in favor of intellectual fulfillment, the main exception being Rilke. Later in life, she dated freely, like a man would, apologizing for nothing. She was admired for her intelligence and style in the salons of Vienna, Rome, and Berlin, and was a match for any man she encountered. The narrative has a few slow points, like most period dramas, but overall it's an inspiration that this film got made. It will likely send the curious to read more about her life and works. Like most historical biopics, the more you know going in, the more rewarding this portrayal becomes.

Before seeing this film, I knew about Lou Andreas-Salome's connection with Rilke and Freud but never understood what an important figure she was in her own right. Cordula Kablitz-Post tells her story with impressive cinematic freedom, giving it a powerful emotional charge. This is one of the few biopics I've seen that the subject might actually have liked. Warmly recommended.

"Lou Andreas-Salomé" is a German movie from last year (2016) that was written and directed by Cordula Kablitz-Post and it is probably her most known work to date, which mostly has to do with the title character here as she is fairly famous still, especially here in Germany. So I would say the potential for a solid biopic is definitely there because the subject offers the possibility for that. And "biopic" is really an accurate description here because we see the title character during different phases from her life, the very young years and the very old years and during the latter she is played by Johannes Heesters' daughter. She is also one of the more known cast members here and German film buffs will also recognize other names like Ninidze, Scheer, Schüttler, Fries and of course Peter Simonischek who played the title character in the Oscar-nominated Toni Erdmann recently. So I would say that the potential in terms of the performers was also there, even if I am not too familiar with Katharina Lorenz admittedly and she is perhaps the one with most screen time.Unfortunately, it all stands and falls with the script and I personally would say it is the latter here. Focus is a major problem in this film and the consequence is that it drags quite a bit and has a few lengths at its slightly under 2 hours. It's a bit of a shame as I believe that the scenario offered more. Instead, the film keeps losing itself in one scene after the other where male suitors fall for the title character in what you could call almost self-sacrifice and this is such a repetitive story line that at some point it just becomes cringeworthy. The inclusion of several big names like Rilke, Nietzsche and Freud also did not really add the tension and memorable material I hoped it could. Overall, it is a really bland period piece that is neither a good biopic, nor a good character study and also makes a surprisingly small impact in terms of the times this takes place, namely the years of Nazi Germany already during LAS' late years. I am all for feminist movies, but this is not it and even if she may be a character to look up to for woman, the way she was depicted here unfortunately is not. I give this movie a thumbs-down. Overall a letdown.