"In the end, there's only death." If you do not bother to read books, this is a naked centerfold of the author's fantasies and shortcomings. Michel Houellebecq's novel shine in new elements. Unusually gifted screenwriter and director, this Oskar Roehler. His innovated remake of "Jud Süss" is well worth two hours of your life. In this film you find an inflamed brilliant ensemble. Try to match this gang. Martina, Nina & Franka is almost too god to be true. And you get all the essential keys to understanding the persona of Houellebecq. Plus an overdose of sadness and grief.

"Elementarteilchen" is a German film from almost 10 years ago and it runs for almost two hours. I will not mention all the cast members here, but this is really impressive. So many big name actors from Germany in here. I cannot think of another film in recent years that had equally many. Oskar Roehler, one of Germany's more known filmmakers these days, directed this film and also adapted Michel Houellebecq's novel for it. Probably his most famous film. Moritz Bleibtreu and Christian Ulmen play the main characters here, two brothers with very damaged relationships to woman and the reason may be their childhood and upbringing. This film touches some taboos, such as sexual relationships between teachers and students or even with your parents, but both is not elaborated too much into detail, so you can watch this without really having to puke. Bleibtreu did a fine job and deserved the awards attention he got for this. I am not really a great fan of his, so my perception of his strong performances is even more telling. It may be his finest character work. Ulmen, on the other hand I am not too big on here. It seems to me that he usually playing very similar characters and he found his niche. I would love to see him in a more daring portrayal, but he usually goes with nerdy intelligent guys with a touch of awkwardness. Still, it's a good contrast to Bleibtreu's character. Both brothers are on a journey to finding real love and a lasting relationship. Both manage in the end, but they have to pay a huge price as both their significant others turn out physically damaged and emotionally they probably are as well. "Elementarteilchen" is probably among the best German films from 2006 and I recommend it.

A handsome looking film on the face of it, but to be honest, dead in the water. This isn't just because it's a misfiring literary adaptation. On its own the film fails to successfully blend the comedy and misery that its aiming for.Alas, one serious failure is the acting. The high-profile Franka Potente's on the bill but has overdone the downplaying of her celebrity - she seems dour on-screen. Christian Ulmen is poor. Moritz Bleibtreu is the best although he's let down by the film's design.This is really the point. The book gives us an idea of the utter misery of the modern world and its inevitability - the comedy comes from it. Bleitreu makes a good stab at embodying that but receives no support from director Oscar Roehler, with very long stretches (the curse of literary transposition) and flashbacks which aren't crafted or tailored with any sense of drama, let alone melodrama. 2/10

Bernd Eichinger and Oskar Roehler messed it up. Completely. How that was even possible considering Houellebecqs brilliant novel is unbelievable. They just made completely shallow, awful melodramatic crap out of what can be considered probably the single most important and greatest novel that world literature has seen at the turn from the 20th to the 21st century. This film is unbearable for all who have read and understood the book that undoubtedly is as deeply philosophical as it is scandalous, provoking and moralizing.Eichinger and Roehler stated at the 2006 Berlinale, where the movie premiered: "YOU CANNOT FILM SOCIAL CRITICISM, YOU CAN ONLY FILM MELODRAMS." (Eichinger) "THE UTTERLY FATALISTIC RESUMEE OF THE BOOK COULD NOT BE USED. WE DID NOT WANT TO ADOPT HOELLEBECQ'S MORALE." (Roehler) Besides that, they claimed the novel to be too pornographic to be filmed without major changes. They also frankly admitted not to have had any contact with Houellebecq.These statements and the attitude behind them are shocking, disgusting and can only serve as a negative example for all film-makers. They can only be adequately qualified with the facit: FILMING A NOVEL - HOW YOU MUST NOT DO IT.Luckily, there are some brilliant films, which prove all the points claimed by Eichinger and Roehler completely wrong: You can film social criticism and not produce shallow melodramas, as proved for example by Harron's wonderful "American Psycho" (from the Bret Easton Ellis Novel). You can translate the pornographic of a novel into a film without censoring it as proves Despentes' magnificent "Baise-moi!" (from Despentes' identically titled novel). You can adopt a completely fatalistic resumee of a novel in a film as proved by Radford's adorable "1984" (from the famous George Orwell Novel).It is exactly when this happens, that excellent novels are translated into excellent films. Eichinger and Roehler never had the intention to do so, nor would their abilities have been sufficient to do so, even if they had wanted. So, they had to produce this catastrophe now unjustifiedly bearing the name "Elementarteilchen". They failed as drastically as it is possible.