LILLI: I know.
MATTI: But we will take as much time for your happiness as we can.
LILLI: Will you be happy too?
Sometimes
when I explain the premise of A Very Terrible Father to people, their
initial reaction is "well that's depressing." On its face, it is: two
characters dying of cancer, an abandoned mother and child ... The
character I play is one of the dying Germans and the pain and sadness
she feels do frighten me as an actor. But one of the things I admire
about Lilli is her ability to be actually happy.
A kiss or a theme park ride is enough to put a huge
smile on Lilli's face. Her body is failing, but a cartoon in a language
she doesn't understand makes her completely content. She doesn't try to
ignore her imminent death or escape her pain but she can share a bowl of
ice cream and, in that moment, be simply and truly happy. I think
that's beautiful.
.JPG)