★★★☆☆
The Talented Mr F is a German documentary that follows Berlin filmmakers, Julius Drost and Moritz Hennenberg, after their animated short film is stolen and submitted to festivals by an American, Samuel Felinton. Samuel receives critical acclaim from these festivals, multiple awards, and prize money, and gives interviews to local TV, while the films’ original creators watch online from across the globe.
The title of this film is misleading. He’s not particularly talented, and the reference to The Talented Mr Ripley doesn’t quite apply to Mr F, or Samuel Felinton here. He’s not cunning, he’s not really charming. Spoiler alert: he’s an immature kid who had the full intention of getting away with stealing.
The documentary tells the story of Julius and Moritz getting their film back, or at least it’s set up that way. The pair start by finding a lawyer who tells them how expensive and potentially futile going through the American legal system will be, so they pivot.
The film takes an almost Catfish-style approach; all bravado and handheld camera, whilst they research Samuel and decide to confront him themselves. They set up the central premise: they will team up with an American filmmaker to pose as making a documentary about Samuel, through which they will see if he has any intention of admitting to his wrongdoing.
For a film about confrontation, it takes a sympathetic approach, which contrasts strongly against the documentary style they’ve chosen. The handheld camera moments shot by Benedikt Hugendubel are the best; you get a real peek into the minds of the filmmakers to see how they’re feeling in real time.
However, when they sit back down in the studio backdrop, that intimacy is taken away. It took me out of the world of the story, halting the action and pacing. It does divide the film partly. I think a voice-over only paired with the less structured video would have worked strongly in the story’s favour.
The key subjects of the film, who are film school graduates, does help hide this, though. The somewhat rough-around-the-edges structure and pacing give the documentary a charm. With inherently endearing characters like our protagonists, and a story like this, it’s easy to want to root for them. Samuel is set up as the perfect villain.
Yet the film pivots as it builds to its central ‘gotcha’ moment and softens. The filmmakers are incredibly empathetic towards Samuel and give him a lot of time to explain himself. They paint a portrait of what would bring someone to commit an act like this, allowing him space for redemption.
I think this might frustrate a lot of viewers, but ultimately it’s a nicer side to this story. It shows that people do shitty things, especially when they’re young, but deserve the opportunity to grow.
A story like this opens a lot of discussions about ownership and creative originality in the digital age, but at the same time, it focuses on forgiveness and keeping an open mind to someone’s circumstances. Ultimately, Julius and Moritz get the recognition they want, and Samuel takes accountability.
The Talented Mr F is a sweet film, packaged as a revenge story and disguised as an exposé documentary. Although the structure wanders tonally from time to time, at the heart of The Talented Mr F is a captivating story full of charm.
The Talented Mr F screens from 6 May around Australia as part of the 2026 HSBC German Film Festival.
Tickets to The Talented Mr F are available here.
Website: https://germanfilmfestival.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/germanfilmfestival/
Watch the trailer at the link here.
Film details:
Title: The Talented Mr F (Der Talentierte Mr. F. )
Director: Igor Plischke
Cast: Moritz Henneberg, Julius Drost, Samuel Felinton
Country of Origin: Germany
Duration: 78 mins
Rating: CTC
2026 German Film Festival Dates and Venues by City:
Sydney: 6 – 27 May, Palace Norton Street, Palace Central, Palace Moore Park
Canberra: 6 – 27 May, Palace Electric
Brisbane: 6 – 27 May, Palace James St, Palace Barracks
Adelaide: 6 – 27 May, Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas, Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
Perth: 7 – 27 May, Luna Leederville, Luna on SX & Palace Raine Square
Byron Bay and Ballina: 7 – 27 May, Palace Byron Bay, Ballina Fair Cinemas
Melbourne: 8 – 27 May, Palace Balwyn, Palace Brighton Bay, Palace Church St, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Westgarth, The Kino, The Astor Theatre, Pentridge Cinema, Palace Penny Lane
Ballarat: 8 – 27 May, Palace Regent Ballarat
