Germany | Luxembourg 2019
Opening October 20, 2022
Directed by: Ali Samadi Ahadi, Markus Dietrich
Writing credits: Thomas Springer
Principal actors: Uwe Ochsenknecht, Chris Tine Urspruch, Stefan Kurt, Marianne Sägebrecht, André Jung, with
voice-over by Roxana Samadi, Marcel Mann, Ali Samadi Ahadi
The Mucklas are most comfortable living in disorderly chaos. Mr. Hansson’s messy second-hand shop was a perfect home. Sadly, he passed away and the new owner, Karl (Uwe Ochsenknecht), immediately began cleaning up the place. Not only is he orderly, but his profession as pest exterminator gives him an eye for small creatures. The Mucklas fear for their lives. Three Mucklas, Svunja, Tjoren, and Smartö, set off to find the impossible: a messy new home. The environment, controlled by human beings, reflects perfection, order, and cleanliness everywhere they go. During their search, we see the three Mucklas pass a cave and go through the snow. There are mice playing chess and someone spinning the bottle. They successfully evade danger at all points.
The Mucklas are small, animated animals with long ears and big eyes. They often appear in children’s books written by Sven Nordqvist featuring the old man Pettersson and his cat Findus. Ali Samadi Ahadi has directed at least four films so far about Pettersson and Findus. This film concentrates on the Mucklas who do return to Pettersson and Findus at the end of the film, but first, they must solve the situation of living in an orderly world. This means working together in friendship and trust, “always together never alone.” It’s fun to watch real-life actors interact with animated figures. Karl always has a toothpick in his mouth which continuously rolls back and forth, almost an actor in its own right. It was delightful to see Chris Tine Urspruch, who has appeared in films by Ben Verbong, based on the children’s books Das Sams, as well as popular Tatort television series. This is a film for the whole family from age six, especially those who are familiar with the books or the prior films, featuring Pettersson and Findus and the Mucklas. ()