My films of the year 2011

This year was once again marked by crises and an uncertain future. A crisis exists also in Hollywood cinema which produces less and less films that could be called "quality entertainment". It is significant that both the Oscar winner ("The Kings's Speech") and the most successful film of the year ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2") were British productions. Many of the important films too were (directly or indirectly) about the end of the world and made clear that we will - should we continue like before - we will inevitably head towards a disaster. Nevertheless there were also some smaller, human films that gave us something we can really need in times like these: hope.

Here are my personal top 10 of the year 2011:

1. Le gamin au vélo (Belgium, Jean Pierre & Luc Dardenne)
2. Le Havre (France, Aki Kaurismaki)
3. Melancholia (Denmark, Lars von Trier)
4. Play (Sweden, Ruben Ostlund)
5. Die Vaterlosen (Austria, Marie Kreutzer)
6. Midnight in Paris (USA/France, Woody Allen)
7. Habemus Papam (Italy, Nanni Moretti)
8. Faust (Russia, Aleksandr Sokurow)
9. The Kids are all right (USA, Lisa Cholodenko)
10. Nostalgia de la luz (Chile, Patricio Guzmán)

There were some interesting films such as "The Turin House", "A Separation" or "The Artist" that I was unable to see.

My film of the year 2011: "Le gamin au vélo"

American Madness (USA 1932)

Where is Frank Capra when we need him?

His 1932 film about the 1929 economy crises should be mandatory viewing for all bankers and economists out there. It tells - naturally in a very simplified version - the story of a sincere bank director who refuses to sell out his financially stricken bank to the sharks. His loans are based on trust and not on credit standing and he is eventually rewarded for his stubborn behavior. One might argue that real life is not a Capra movie and any bank clerk giving out loans based on feelings would be immediately fired but one thing is for sure: the main problem we have in the current economical crises is precisely the lack of trust that the common people have against the authorities. This is what the politicians and bank managers need to earn back first before there can be a lasting recovery of the economy. In 1932, Frank Capra's film certainly contributed to it...

Frank Capra came in at the last minute to direct this film but now no one else seems to be imaginable on the director's chair. It would become the first in a series of very successful "Capraesque" films that promote the positive effects of individual acts of courage.

Films rarely can change the world but their influence on the world and its individuals should not be underestimated. After watching a Frank Capra, it is impossible not wanting to become a better person...

8/10

Show me the money!

The Lion King (USA 1994)

I wouldn't go so far to say that "The Lion King" is the best Disney film - there are certainly more artistic and important ones - but it is my best Disney film. The primary reason for this may be the fact that I saw it for the first time when I was still a kid and just discovering my love for the movies. And as we all know, the films we first saw as kids are the ones that touch as the most. But judging as objective as possible now almost 20 years later, I still regard it as Disney's last classically animated masterpiece before the digital revolution took over.

The story may be simple but it is great, the characters one-dimensional but lovely and the music may please mainstream taste but is still touching. It's very entertaining to be sure but it is also an inspiring film - more inspiring even than most "real" movies. I would also argue that the film has a serious message that is really important. We now live in a society where people shy away from responsibility and nobody wants to grow up anymore. Young people all over the world have unconsciously adopted the "Hakuna Matata" mantra and live a life of carefree pleasures. And not all of them find the way back eventually the way that Simba does in the film. A lot of potential is wasted because people just don't care enough or simply choose the easy way. As a consequence, the people who end up in the power positions are not always those who would deserve them.

Traditions, codes of conducts and growing-up rituals may be values that sound old-fashioned nowadays but as "The Lion King" teaches us, they are crucial for the "circle of life" to stay in balance.

9/10

This review refers to the original version of the film and not the recent and absolutely superfluous theatrical 3D re-release of the film.

With great power comes great responsibility

Il posto (Italy 1961)

Why are there not more films about work life? Isn't this where people spend the majority of their time? Sure, there are TV shows like "Mad Men" and "The Office" but there haven't been a lot of feature films about the job market and office life, let alone good ones. Mostly, work is treated as a circumstance but not as a main subject.

One of the best films about work is Ermanno Olmi's touching film "Il posto" which celebrates its 50 year anniversary this year. The details (typewriters, anyone?) notwithstanding, the film remains quite relevant today. Companies are shown as dehumanizing entities and young people are somehow exploited by the older generation. The only thing that is missing is an "Occupy Wall Street" movement. The film also shows work in a larger context as the loss of innocence. In this regard, the film certainly has aged. Back then, young people started their first jobs much earlier, often at the age of 15. They went directly from childhood to adulthood and were forced to grow up quickly. Some people - especially the generation which experienced it - would probably argue that this is a good thing but the film suggests that while a steady job offers security, it also takes away freedom and somehow brakes your free will. The small love story is vital to the film: it shows - as the director himself described it - the rare, precious opportunities for finding love among the colorless, grey days which are the majority in anyone's life. Love, not work, the film seems to say, is what life is ultimately about.

Ermanno Olmi's autobiographical film is filmed in a simple, straightforward way that does without the visual splendor Italian cinema was known for at the time. Nor is it - given its subject - particularly exciting or glamourous. Why may be one reason why the director is not as well known as such flamboyant peers as Visconti, Fellini and Antonioni. In the tradition of neoralism - albeit not quite as radical and raw - he focuses on authenticity and the common people which those more famous Italian directors of the time mostly neglected.

8/10

His body is at work but his mind isn't

The Social Network (USA 2010)

"The Social Network" was my film of the year 2010 - I haven't made up my mind about 2011 just yet - so I decided to re-watch it recently to see if it is still as exhilarating now that the hype about the film - and facebook itself - has cooled off a little. To get straight to the point: yes, it is, and it always will be. It is a fascinating portrait of a generation and as such will stand the test of time. It is one of the few films that can instantly be called a modern classic.

When I first read about the project (on the web, where else?) I was rather skeptical. By the way, as skeptical as when I - suggested by a friend - first registered on this then relatively unknown social networking platform in the year of 2005. The idea of retelling one of the biggest success stories of recent business history after such a short term and of portraying the person of founder Mark Zuckerberg as a villain seemed problematic to me. And a middle-aged director like David Fincher who previously made mostly genre films didn't seem to me as the right guy to "get" what this generation was all about. It was clear from the very beginning that - as in many other biopics - reality would be misrepresented and a false image of the still living persons would be created. Above all, I asked myself whether the genesis of an Internet company could make for an interesting subject for a movie.

The fact that the final product works so well and is so much more than just a movie about facebook, has mostly two reasons: first of all, the brilliant script of Aaron Sorkin which - along with its eternal themes of class war and betrayal - indeed delivers gripping material for a film. Good films usually have one or two memorable scenes but "The Social Network" is a succession of great scenes. Even if the film is distinctly modern and so close to the attitude the current generation has to life, the underlying story is a classical drama that would be equally suitable for a Shakespeare play. Most characters are surprisingly complex and ambivalent - even Zuckerberg is not a real bad guy but also far from a hero. Despite all his newly achieved fame and fortune, he still fails to impress his ex-girlfriend or to enter the social class in which his fellow students at Harvard were born into.

The other reason for the success of the film is director David Fincher whose visually inventive direction makes the film enthralling despite the somewhat serious content - about half of the film consists of the various trials Zuckerberg is facing. He deserves credit that the film has such a strong connection to the "nowness of now" - as another critic put it. There has rarely been a film recently that captures the Zeitgeist as vividly and that I myself experienced as intensely - probably also because I was able to identify with the characters in the film in many ways.

"The Social Network" is not just a film about a phenomenal success story but a film about America and the world, about an individual and about all of us. In a few decades it will be regarded representative for our era in a way that "Wall Street" was for the 80s. With the main lesson to learn here that it is all about being cool. Times really have changed but greed still seems to be good. Only the "Gordon Gekkos" of our time are now called Sean Parker and Mark Zuckerberg...

9/10

The accidental billionaires

La solitudine dei numeri primi (Italy 2010)

The recent title story of a local news magazine was "The end of love - feelings in times of personal liberty". This subject of being incapable of loving and the downside of individual freedom, which is so typical of our modern age, is also at the core of Saverio Costanzo's film "La solitudine dei numeri primi" which is based on Paolo Giordano's bestselling novel. Even if the love in the film, strictly speaking, doesn't really catch fire to begin with. At the time of the somehow conciliatory ending, resignation has already taken over killing off any hope that may have been there somewhere.

The pseudo-cryptic title already gives an idea about the state of mind of the characters but what may still be compelling in the book (which I haven't read), turns out to be rather tedious in the film. The story stretches over three decades and is told as a kind of mystery thriller. There is an event in the childhood of both main characters that will change their lives forever. Mutually attracted, they get closer again and again, but they never manage to really come together. The problem of the film is that it mostly lacks both tension and emotions. There is an oppressive atmosphere right from the beginning that does reflect the inner life and the increasing isolation of the protagonists quite well. But unfortunately, this state of inner emptiness transmits to their outside so it is quite difficult to feel any sympathy for the characters. After a while, you stop caring whether they end up together or not.

It's a shame because there would have been some pre-conditions for a thrilling movie experience: a bestseller as a template, a talented director ("Private" - the feature debut by Saverio Costanzo - won several awards) and a quite appropriately chosen cast which includes such fine actresses as Isabella Rossellini in supporting roles. But ultimately "La solitudine dei numeri primi" shares the fate of many well-produced, but ultimately soulless literary adaptations. Quality cinema? Yes, but without a heart. There are only a few moments that show the potential the film could have head. The film offers some visual pleasures even if Costanzo's kicks over the traces with his directorial ideas from time to time. This is mainly due to the unnecessary stylization and the sometimes annoying use of music in the film.

To conclude, let us hope that the condition of love in the 21st century is not as bad as films like this suggest. It remains very doubtful, however, whether this film is able to rescue any moviegoers from their own lethargy...

7/10

Lonely together: Luca Marinelli, Alba Rohrwacher 

A Dangerous Method (UK 2011)

"A Dangerous Method" has been called David Cronenberg's most conventional film so far. And indeed, elegant settings, lush cinematography, meticulously designed period costumes and an all-star cast are not what you usually expect from the director of such idiosyncratic films as "Videodrome", "Naked Lunch" and "Crash". But even if it lacks his signature morbid style, "A Dangerous Method" is still very much a Cronenberg film. Only this time, his flair for dark obsessions are firmly hidden beneath a polished surface. However, it does not take long for them to come out in his adaptation of the true story about the relationships between psychoanalysts Sigmund Freud and Carl Gustav Jung and their patient, the young Sabina Spielrein who would later herself become one of the first female psychoanalysts.

But nevertheless something is lacking in a film that tries too hard to be perfect - or please the Academy Award voters. It may sound implausible but the Oscar may indeed have been in the mind of both David Cronenberg (who never won one) and producer Jeremy Thomas (whose win for "The Last Emperor" lies back 23 years). Even the trailer for the film looks trimmed for it. And while "A Dangerous Method" is a well-made, intelligent film it never really elevates beyond quality entertainment. Despite all the nice period details, it also never feels truly authentic. Partly this is due to the casting where the major flaw of the film is to be found in the person of Keira Knightley. Starting with her fake Russian accent and her whole appearance, she feels wrong for the role. Especially in the beginning, her interpretation of the character's hysteria is anything but subtle. What's even more problematic is the fact that she should evolve as the strong independent woman by the end of the film who stands up against the two dominant male figures. But comparing her performance to the ones of such fine actors as Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen, it is inevitable that she comes off as the weak link.

"A Dangerous Method" is still a welcome rarity in the territory of mainstream cinema in the sense that it does challenge the audience intellectually. Its tension derives from words, not action. But the words here are not enough to make the film great. As a matter of fact, for a film based on a stage play called "The Talking Cure" about two of the most important psychoanalysts, "A Dangerous Method" has surprisingly little to say...

7/10

(Viennale)

Coffee and cigars

Le gamin au vélo (Belgium 2011)

Among the films in this year's Cannes competition, there were two that shared the spotlight: Terrence Malick's ambitious epic "The Tree of Life" which eventually won the legendary director the Palme d'Or and Lars von Trier's "Melancholia", not least thanks to its controversial press conference.

But there was at least one other film that would have deserved more media attention not for the über-ego of its director but because of the quality of the actual film. And if I would have to choose one film, among all the strong competitors, it would have to be "Le gamin au vélo" by the Dardenne brothers. It is one of their best films so far which almost automatically makes it one of the best films of the year. The reason they "only" won the Grand Prize of the jury in Cannes was probably because they already received the Palme d'Or twice for films similar to this one. But even if there is the feeling that they have made this kind of film before, "Le gamin au vélo" is still a revelation.

A simple tale of a young abandoned child, it is authentic and rough, but also sincere, tender and touching. It is the kind of film that no one makes as good as the Dardennes. The performances are great and even even a big name star like Cécile De France blends seemlessly into the ensemble. I didn't even realize it was her until about 30 minutes into the film. A piano concerto by Beethoven is used occasionally during the film in key moments. Some may find such dramatization - which is somehow atypical for the Dardennes - unnecessary but it worked perfectly for me and even made me cry. Even the Dardennes, however subtly, seem to have their tricks to create emotions...

Le gamin au vélo is a simple yet flawless film. It is the best film about a father, a son and a bicycle since "Bicycle Thieves". In a running time of just 87 minutes, it has everything that cinema needs to have. Nothing more, nothing less.

9/10

(Viennale)

Thomas Doret and Cécile De France in "Le gamin au vélo"

Melancholia (Denmark 2011)

"Melancholy is not negative, it is a positive feeling. It's not about depression. It's a feeling of longing." - Ville Valo

If Lars von Trier's verbal derailments in Cannes would have been part of a publicity campaign, it would have been a brilliant one. A new Lars von Trier film is already an event that the whole film world is awaiting about but now it has become a film that the whole world is talking about. But nevertheless it still proves a difficult film to market since it can not be easily categorized due to its status as an "Arthouse blockbuster" somewhere between "Festen" and "Armageddon".

Kirsten Dunst's character in the film works in advertising and has to come up with a tagline in the course of the film. Which somehow seems ironic since there has rarely been a tagline that better described a film than the one for "Melancholia" which is simply called "a beautiful movie about the end of the world". This absolutely gets to the point because "Melancholia" is - like the word itself - above all beautiful, gorgeous, mesmerizing. Its excessive stylization is a million miles away from the unfiltered purity of the Dogma 95 films. The first part of the film may still recall "Festen" but instead of the shaky handheld video camera we now get gracefully composed shots set to the music of Wagner. No wonder that even Lars von Trier complains that the film has turned out too beautiful. Apparently he didn't control his cinematographer Manuel Alberto Claro enough because of his own depression during the shooting of the film.

But what could be even less expected than the visual feast from a) Lars von Trier and b) a pessimistic film about depression and the apocalypse is how enjoyable the film is in its own kind of way. Which is also the film's main problem because it can not really taken seriously. Beneath all the splendor there is surprisingly little substance left. Even the great cast, above all Kirsten Dunst in her best performance ever, can only add a certain depth to what is, if judged objectively, a rather ridiculous movie.

But cinema is not mathematics, it is about emotions rather than sense. "Melancholia" may be mostly another ego project from Lars von Trier and his ultimate guilty pleasure but it is nevertheless an enormously cinematic experience. 

8/10

(Viennale)

Sadness is a blessing: Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg

The Color Wheel (USA 2011)

There are films that we love even though we know that they're flawed. For me, such a film is Alex Ross Perry's "The Color Wheel", the kind of American independent film that truly deserves to be called "independent". I recently discovered it at the Viennale where it was the film that gave me the most pleasure.

I love it because it is called "The Color Wheel" but is actually a black and white film. I love it because it has the look of 16mm even though it was shot digitally. I love it because the main actress looks like Anna Karina in Godard's films. I love it because it has a lot of dialogue and awkward situations. I love it because I can somehow relate to the characters. I love it because of its nostalgic credits. I love it because of the immoral ending. I love it because it is not perfect.

I love it.

7/10

(Viennale)

Mutual appreciation: "The Color Wheel"

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai de Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Belgium 1975)

"There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness."Frank Capra

I highly doubt that Frank Capra ever saw Chantal Akerman's "Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai de Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles". He might not have liked it since it embodies values exactly opposite to the ones his own cinema stood for. Capra's sentimental films usually had a charming male hero, fast-paced scenes with lots of dialogue and a happy ending full of optimism. "Jeanne Dielman" on the other hand has a rather boring female main character, painfully long scenes with almost no dialogue and action and an ending that is anything but optimistic. So Capra is for people who see film as entertainment and whereas Akerman is purely for feminists and serious film fans who dress all in black and loathe capitalism. And even for them, "Jeanne Dielman" may be more a "cultural vegetable" rather than a film they actually enjoy. So that's it, right? Why discuss the matter any further?

Because luckily, things are not that simple. There is no cinema that is, by itself, better than the other. There is only cinema. But there are certainly good and bad directors. Frank Capra and Chantal Akerman are both good directors, albeit for different reasons. It is, in fact, quite possible to appreciate both of them as I myself do. I would even go so far as to call them the "ying and yang of cinema". We are complex human beings and we need them both.

As far as "Jeanne Dielman" is concerned, it is certainly a demanding film - if not a particularly difficult or inaccessible one. Watching the main character, a prostitute working from her own apartment, peeling potatoes and washing up for almost four hours can be nerve-wrecking. But the great thing about the film is that after a while, after you get used to it, you start noticing the small details and the visual delights of the cinematography. Like the recurring symmetrical compositions and the ubiquituous use of the colours brown and green.

Most films shy away from daily routine actions. Even those that apparently aim for realism do not show what people actually do most of  the time. Mundane, ordinary things that are quite boring but nevertheless make out large portions of our lives. "Jeanne Dielman" is a film that dares to focus on these mundane things. The film could indeed be called dull but it needs to be. Dullness is its main point and the reason the provocative ending is so effective.

My viewing advice is: watch it at home and make a short pause after every "day" (the film tells - in full detail - three consecutive days in Jeanne Dielman's life). Do some grunt work in between to get in the mood. And I promise you that you will, by the end of the film, feel what it must be like to actually be the main character. Which is not something that is likely to happen when you're watching a Capra film...

The Vienna Film Festival "Viennale" is currently devoting a retrospective to Chantal Akerman.

9/10

"The Housewife": Delphine Seyrig as Jeanne Dielman

La piel que habito (Spain 2011)

It often happens in the careers of great directors that once they have received awards and reached their peaks, they arrive at a point where they struggle to get back to that level. Often these later works feel forced despite technical mastery. Judging from his last two films, Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar seems to have reached that point and lost some of the spirit that made him a household name on the art film circuit.

Even if his latest film "La piel que habito" still bears his signature style as well as familiar topics and situations. But as with "Los abrazos rotos", he fails to make the film emotionally engaging. The story of a plastic surgeon that starts experimenting with skin grafting after the death of his wife is well constructed but the characters remain shallow. The film also shifts too much between serious drama, thriller and horror. Almodóvar's fondness for the eccentric - some would say the perverse - is once again on display. His hardcore fans might like it, other viewers will find it distasteful. But then, this seeming contraction between beautiful images and disturbing content has always been a trademark of Almodóvar's cinema and a large part of its fascination.

"La piel que habito" is - despite the nods to Georges Franju - a unique work from a unique director but it has the same problem that fake skin has: it might look nice but it is just not the real thing.

6/10

Eyes without a face: "The Skin I live in"

Le cercle rouge (France 1970)

In an interview Jean-Pierre Melville gave in 1971, he predicted that all cinemas would vanish in 50 years because of television and believed that his films would probably age terribly. His only hope was that his work was important enough so that he would at least be mentioned in film encyclopedias.

Well, there are still 10 years to go but chances are his predictions won't come true. Cinema may not be flourishing and is going through some radical changes but it is still alive and well. Melville, despite still being a rather underrated director, has earned himself an important place in film history and an ever-growing fanbase. And as far as his films are concerned, they have aged beautifully. With their existential themes and Melville's rigourous focus on style rather than substance, they fit quite well in our superficial modern world.

The story of "Le Cercle Rouge" - his biggest success - is a rather familiar one and quickly told. Two ex-cons reunite for one last coup but after successfully executing the heist, are betrayed and hunted down by an obsessed cop. A classical tale of male friendships and loyalty. But what the film clearly proves that filmmaking is not about what to tell but how. And there few filmmakers that know how to better employ the means of filmmaking. First of all, he has patience and takes time to create an atmosphere. Autumnal landscapes with lots of blues, greys and browns and a Paris that is even more elegant and cool than the real city. Trenchcoats, hats and American cars. Rarely any women. In short, the world according to Jean-Pierre Melville. In addition, he orchestrates some brilliant moments that are further evidence that we are in the hands of a true master of cinema. The long, dialogue-free heist sequence doesn't have to hide from the various films Melville draw his inspirations from. But best of all - what makes the film truly great instead of just very good - are the the small, subtle details that only perfectionists like Melville pay attention to.

The actors are fine too and - with the exception of Gian Maria Volonté who Melville didn't get along with - embody the classical French bourgeoise gentleman that Melville himself was. Henri Decae's cinematogrophy is superb and the jazzy score does what good film music should do: enhance the mood rather than create it. But overall - as the initials "JPM" that appear in a key scene suggest - there is never any doubt that this is Melville's show.

I predict that it will still be watched by film conaisseurs in 50 years.

And I hope there will be some cinemas left then...

9/10

Men at work: Yves Montand, Gian Maria Volonté and Alain Delon

Le diable probablement (France 1977)

"Le diable probablement" or "The devil, probably" - is one of my all time favourite film titles. It is enigmatic but also getting very much to the point once you hear it spoken out casually in a scene of the film. It also sums up the film perfectly without giving anything away.

We as humans watch the world slowly but steadily falling apart and while we are conscious of that fact, we seem to be unable to do something against it. Most of us are not bad people but we have resigned inwardly in the face of the sheer amount of social injustice and the irrevocable destruction of our environment. But we don't take any responsibilty, we always blame someone else. And we might even be better off for it: if we really would face our failures we might end up like the main character in the film.

Bresson made the film in the late 70s which in a not-so-distant future will be called the time when the world finally got of balance. Unlimited consumption, capitalism and industrialization took over while nature became increasingly threatened. The growth of the world's population got out of control while CO2 emmission were starting to skyrocket. The sad thing is that what was only suggested back then has gotten much worse in the meanwhile. Bresson's bleak vision now seems shockingly real - at least if you look as closely as he does.

The young people in the film seem to be the only ones that still care about the future despite their apparent lack of feelings. Some still try to fight for a better world while others just can't handle it anymore. Bresson's spare style and his preference of "non actors" has rarely been more appropriate than here. In a world without values, there is hardly any room left for emotions either. The young people today seem to be different than this generation. Now the prevailing attitude is "the world is going to hell so we might just as well have some fun." Maybe because there is no more Bresson to remind us that maybe we shouldn't...

I'm usually an optimistic person and if my review seems to be overly negative then this is only due to the strong impact the film had on me. I can't help feeling otherwise after watching this devastating film. From a cinematic point of view, it may not be the best film in Bresson's ouevre but it is still close to a masterpiece. And it certainly gives me the shivers.

8/10

Youth without Youth: "Le diable probablement"

Le Quattro Volte (Italy 2010)

"Le Quattro Volte" was among the films mentioned in a recent New York Times article refering to critically appraised but supposedly boring contemplative dramas as "cultural vegetables". Films that you don't really want to see but that you feel you have to because of their cultural value.

My personal view on this subject is that vegetables can taste just as good as anything else if you prepare them right and should make out a large portion of your diet. Which doesn't mean that there shouldn't be some room for meat and sweets too if you feel like it. You shouldn't force yourself to eat something you don't want to just because it's healthy - but it can't hurt trying out something new from time to time. In cinematic terms, I also believe that "cultural vegetables" like "Le Quattro Volte" can indeed enrich you culturally and stimulate your thoughts. That is, if there's an able "chef" on the director's chair and the ingredients are rights. And that's certainly the case here even though the meal may not appeal to everyone's taste.

"Le Quattro Volte" is an extraordinary film and a welcome diversion to the increasing uniformity of Arthouse films: an austere and quiet meditation on the last days of an old shepherd in a secluded mediaval village without a conventional narrative and without any dialogue. It is a deceptively simple film that shows a world where there is still a natural balance between man, animals and nature. Just the right film for our hectic age, in my opinion. The film will certainly be a challenge to the Internet generation and their limited attention spans. I don't want to deny that you have to be in the right mood to really get into the film but if you are willing to let go and open up your mind, the film will be an immensely rewarding experience.

"Le Quattro Volte" is the perfect film if you are - like myself - sick of the McDonaldisation of cinema.
 
8/10

Goats who stare at men

Atmen (Austria 2011)

Since German is my native language, reviews to German language films are in German.

Hat jeder gute Schauspieler auch das Zeug zu einem guten Regisseur?

Wohl kaum. In der Filmgeschichte gibt es zahlreiche Beispiele von Regie-Versuchen anerkannter Schauspieler aus denen lediglich Akte der Selbstbeweihräucherung wurden. Auch wenn die Stars ihr übergroßes Ego zurücknahmen und auf ihren Auftritt vor der Kamera verzichteten, entstanden bei diesen Ausflügen ins Regiefach nur selten eigenständige künstlerische Werke. Meisterwerke wie „Die Nacht des Jägers“, der einzige Film bei dem Schauspiellegende Charles Laughton Regie führte, sind ohnehin Ausnahmeerscheinungen.

Nun, Karl Markovics ist zwar nicht Charles Laughton aber er liefert mit seinem unaufdringlichen Film „Atmen“ dennoch ein sehr überzeugendes Regiedebüt ab. Auch wenn die Einflüsse der jüngeren österreichischen Filmgeschichte und auch des britischen „social realism“ Genres deutlich spürbar sind, so muss er sich mit seinem Film vor den etablierten Regisseuren definitiv nicht verstecken. Und im Gegensatz zu den Vorbildern gibt es auch eine (wenn auch  wohldosierte) Portion morbiden Humors. An ein Debütfilm erinnert der souverän inszenierte Film in keinster Weise. Maßgeblichen Anteil daran hat Kamermann Martin Gschlacht, der wie schon zuvor bei „Revanche“ und „Women without Men“ dem Film seinen Stempel aufdrückt und seinen weniger erfahrenen Regisseur unterstützt. Seine großartigen Kompositionen tragen viel zur Atmosphäre des Films bei der ohnehin mehr in Bildern als in Worten erzählt wird. Dennoch sind diese oft symbolträchtigen Einstellungen nie Selbstzweck, sondern stets der Geschichte untergeordnet.

Das von Markovics selbst verfasste Drehbuch kann aber ebenfalls überzeugen. Ein jugendlicher, im Waisenhaus aufgewachsener Straftäter nimmt nach seiner Haftentlassung eine Stelle bei einem Bestattungsunternehmen an. In seiner Lethargie ist er zunächst nicht viel mehr als ein Toter unter den Toten bis er bei seiner Arbeit eine Entdeckung macht die ihn dazu bringt, nach seiner Mutter zu suchen. Doch es scheint niemand zu geben der sich ernsthaft für ihn interessiert. Dass wieder einmal die äußeren Umstände als Begründung für eine Gewalttat herhalten müssen mag zwar dem gängigen Klischeebild entsprechen, dennoch bleibt die Geschichte – nicht zuletzt aufgrund der Aussparung gewalttätiger oder allzu emotionaler Szenen - stets glaubhaft.

Auch bei der Besetzung beweist Markovics Gespür, wohl vor allem aufgrund seiner eigenen Erfahrung als Schauspieler. Der 17jährige Laiendarsteller Thomas Schubert ist großartig und vermittelt überzeugend eine latente Gewaltbereitschaft unter den untedrückten Gefühlen seiner Figur. Man hat Mitleid mit ihm und zugleich fürchtet man sich vor einem möglichen erneuten Ausbruch seiner aufgestauten Aggressionen. Auch die Nebenrollen sind gut besetzt, Georg Friedrich etwa überzeugt auch in der x-ten Variation seiner gewohnten Rolle.

Der in Cannes und Sarajevo ausgezeichnete Film ist vor allem deshalb so gelungen weil sein Regisseur nicht tut was Schauspieler (und auch so manche Regiekollegen) normalerweise machen: sich in den Mittelpunkt stellen.

8/10

Im Angesicht des Todes: Thomas Schubert als Roman

The Tree of Life (USA 2011)

The American filmmaker Terrence Malick is an almost mythical figure in the international film scene. Often referred to as a poet, the director, screenwriter and producer rarely makes films but if he does, the resulting works are almost always extraordinary. His new epic "The Tree of Life" received the Palme d'Or in Cannes this year despite strong competition. The somehow abashed justification from Jury President Robert de Niro was: "it had the size, the importance, the intention, whatever you want to call it, that seemed to fit the prize." To be sure, the size, the importance and Malick's intention can't be denied. But this raises the question whether the will alone to make a big and important film is enough to win the most highly regarded international film prize.
 
Certainly "The Tree of Life" is filmmaking at the highest stage. Yet there is the feeling that it is the effort of an aging great director eagerly wanting to make his definitive masterpiece. Malick mostly does not follow a classic narrative structure, but the film is overloaded with topics spanning from the patriarchy still prevailing at the time the film is set (the 50s) to the current economic crisis. Likewise, there are a multitude of religious symbols and allusions. The relationships do not always reveal themselves - at least for that part of the audience that does not have the acquired wisdom of the director who has studied philosophy at Harvard and Oxford. It therefore depends on your point of view whether you think Malick is a genius or just pretentious.

The visuals of the film are as ambitious as the content. But as breathtaking as the images are, they also seem artificial sometimes which may be due to digital effects. This is quite a paradox for a film that - like all the films of Terrence Malick - celebrates natural beauty. The soundtrack is very emotional and seems to compensate for the suppressed feelings of the protagonists. The actors are quite convincing, especially Brad Pritt as the strict father and Jessica Chastain as his more emotional wife.

One must be grateful that there are still filmmakers like Terrence Malick and films like "The Tree of Life." Films that deliberately break the rules and refuse to use well-tried narrative patterns. Films that have the potential to elevate the viewer to another level of consciousness. One such film was Stanley Kubrick's "2001" which was then equally misunderstood by many critics. Not least because of the metaphysical level and the expressionistic animated sequences (which are, as in "2001", by Douglas Trumbull) a comparison is inevitable. But there is one significant difference between the two films: Kubrick's film is directed with confident ease while Malick's direction seems forced.

Open-minded moviegoers will still be able to find a lot in the film, which is essentially an elegiac farewell to the American dream. People exepecting the new Brad Pitt film will most likely be disappointed. Without a doubt, "The Tree of Life" is a must-see film. If only for being capable of going back to somewhat less weighty films with a good conscience...

7/10

The quintessential "Terrence Malick shot"

Stand by Me (USA 1986)

"I never had better friends than the friends I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

When I saw "Stand by Me" for the first time in the 90s, I was a young kid myself, not much older than the characters in the film but still growing up, discovering the world and my passion for cinema. Growing up in a rural area, my life was very similar to the ones of the boys back then. The film is set in 1959 but it is actually much closer to my experiences than to the ones of the Internet generation. Together with my friends, we often went to the woods to smoke secretly or just to have fun and talks about the things we couldn't or didn't want to share with the adults. The woods were a perfect place for that, a fascinating world within the world. We even had built a tree house which at least partially survived to this day. I didn't realize back then of course but I do now how very true the above quote from the film is. The film is my lost innocence captured on celluloid. And judging from the comments and reviews on various blogs and Internet sites, I am not the only one who sees it that way...

The universal nature of the film is also the main reason why it works so well. Not only for the male audience - it rates higher among females on IMDb - does it touch something in every one of us and makes brilliant use of one thing that movies do so well: connecting us with others and the world and giving us the feeling that we are not alone. The fact that the movie is superbly told (based on a great short story by Stephen King, a hero of my adolescence) as well as beautifully shot and acted only enforces that. The disappearance of River Phoenix at the end of the film is especially heartbraking given the circumstances he later left our world. Watching his great performance painfully reminds you what an extraordinary actor he would have become.

Looking at "Stand by Me" now 25 years later the film is also a portrait of an innocent generation. In a world without constant without Internet and video games, you still had to be actively looking in order to find something remotely exciting instead of having the kicks delivered comfortably to your living room. Kids were still in contact with nature back than and playing outside. New experiences were made in a frequency that still gave you time to process them. I seriously doubt that today's kids would be that excited about finding a body - they have seen too many of them on TV already. 

But even they will sooner or later be able to enjoy "Stand by Me". It is a film that transcends generations and a film that will never come of age. Many bigger and seemingly more important movies from the 80s are now forgotten but "Stand by Me" - in all its authentic simplicity - will never be.

8/10

The life-changing moment in "Stand by Me"

Caro Diario (Italy 1993)

Suppose you're a director with no money and no ideas for a new film? Why not make a film about your own life with you as the protagonist? It can't possibly be that boring, right?

This situation has led to some painful exercises in ego boosting and the mini genre of the autobiographical diary film only occasionally resulted in a cinematic landmark like "David Holzman's Diary". More often than not, these films turned out to be nothing more than just vanity projects.

Nanni Moretti, however, is not vain. Instead he is authentic and has a sincere interest in people and the world around him. He notices things that other people don't see which is a major quality for a director to have. His 1993 film "Caro Diario" for which he won the award for best director in Cannes, is straightforward and deceptively simple. By showing himself in various situations of his life he gradually reveals some universal truths. Nothing at all is stylized and even though the film is certainly scripted, everything feels real.

The film consists of three episodes. The first (and best) one starts off rather light and becomes the saddest and most moving of the three. The third one reverses this dramaturgy by casually introducing a serious subject only to become increasingly comic. It ends with a wonderfully ironic twist that - like the whole film - celebrates the simple things in life. The middle episode may be the least sophisticated one but is nevertheless quite entertaining and equally genuine.

"Caro Diario" was Nanni Moretti's breakthrough film. He is now undoubtly one of the most important European directors but despite him being a regular at the major film festivals, his popularity outside of his home country is still limited. Maybe because he doesn't provoke with nazi statements at press conferences, maybe because of the nature of his cinema.

An unpretentious cinema that carries humanism in its heart and is all the more precious for it.

8/10

On the road of life: Nanni Moretti

Midnight in Paris (USA 2011)

"His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings."

This quote from Ernest Hemingway's Paris memoirs "A Moveable Feast" refers to another great American author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. But it could just as well be applied to the comedic talent of one of the great film authors of our time, Woody Allen. Hemingway's book is also the main reference point for his latest film "Midnight in Paris", in particular the scenes set in the 1920s. The butterfly comparison could also be used for the film itself. It is just as light, beautiful and bursting with life and its main character has the same urge for freedom and self-actualization.

The film starts with a picture postcard montage of Paris images - set to his trademark jazzy score - that will already put off the more cynical viewers who can't bear such an idealized portrait of a city that has gang riots going on in its suburbs. But unless you're willing to indulge in such fantasies, you won't be able to enjoy "Midnight in Paris". Pretty soon the main character, a dreamy Hollywood screenwriter on vacation with his snobby fiancée, will travel back in time to the era of his dreams, the 1920s, where he will meet such legendary artists as - besides Hemingway and the Fitzgeralds - Cole Porter, T.S. Eliot, Pablo Picasso and Luis Bunuel. To the latter one, in one of many delightful references, he even suggests the idea for a film Bunuel would eventually make in 1962. Such moments of exuberant imagination may be too much for some viewers. But maybe those people should consider stop going to the movies then because movies are, after all, made both by and for dreamers...

At least for people like myself  "Midnight in Paris" is a wish-fulfillment-fantasy which is why I can't hardly be objective about the film and its apparent lack of a "deeper meaning" that some critics in Cannes complained about. I certainly know how Owen Wilson's character feels like when he is walking the streets of Paris at night. One of the best moments of my life happened in the fall of 2002 in a city that rivals Paris in beauty: Rome. We were out with some friends from my student exchange program having a great time after a delicious dinner in a wonderful trattoria when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, heavy rainfall was setting in. Did that do any harm to our joyful mood? Absolutely not. We sought shelter in an old alley where we watched the raindrops falling on the centuries-old cobblestones. We even stopped talking. It was great. So yes, I believe that magic exists - especially in cities like Paris or Rome. We only have to be open enough to find it...

The other thought in the film that is not entirely unfamiliar to me is the nostalgic feeling of being born in the wrong time. The only difference to Woody Allen is that - would it be my screenplay - I would not travel back to the 20s but to the Paris of the early 60s to meet Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut and the other legends of the then flourishing Nouvelle Vague. I would probably sitting in a sidewalk café on the Left Bank right now smoking a cigarette and - wait a second? - writing a review to a film I have seen recently at the Cinémathèque...

Woody Allen has not been taken seriously anymore recently but anyone who - at that age - has such a consistent output of charming, entertaining and intelligent films deserves nothing but the utmost respect. Not without any reason does Roger Ebert call him a treasure. As soon as he will stop making films (let's hope not that soon), the loss will be deeply felt. His films are the most beautiful celebrations of life, love and art - and "Midnight in Paris" is another prime example.

8/10

Night and the City: Marion Cotillard, Owen Wilson

Michael (Austria 2011)

Since German is my native language, reviews to German language films are in German.

"Michael" ist ein stinknormaler, unauffälliger Mann mittleren Alters. Er lebt zusammen mit dem 10jährigen Wolfgang in einem biederen Reihenhaus am Rande von Wien. Sie sehen sich "Herr der Ringe" im Fernsehen an, bauen Puzzles zusammen und schmücken gemeinsam den Weihnachtsbaum. Alles wenig aufregend - wäre da nicht die Tatsache dass Michael nicht der Vater von Wolfgang ist...

Michael könnte natürlich auch Wolfgang heissen und Wolfgang auch Natascha. Doch nicht nur aufgrund der Anspielungen auf den Fall Kampusch ist "Michael" ein typisch österreichischer Film. Einer aus jenem "Genre" welches hierzulande gerne als Sozialporno beschimpft wird während es im Ausland aufgrund der realistischen, reduzierten Schilderung von Alltagsmomenten und der Bereitschaft, kontroverse Themen anzugehen, hohe Wertschätzung erhält. Das Regiedebüt von Casting-Director Markus Schleinzer hat es gar auf Anhieb in den prestigeträchtigen Wettbewerb von Cannes geschafft. Niemand geringerer als Michael Haneke hat seinen ehemaligen Mitarbeiter zum Schreiben des Drehbuchs ermuntert. Die Parallelen zum Mentor sind auch nicht von der Hand zu weisen, zu dessen Meisterschaft fehlt aber dann doch noch einiges.

Dies trifft vor allem auf die Inszenierung und die psychologische Tiefe zu. Auch die Dialoge und Situationen im Film sind nicht immer glaubwürdig - etwa wenn die Kellnerin im Skiurlaub ausgerechnet am schüchternen und wenig attraktiven Michael Gefallen findet. Dennoch ist "Michael" ein beachtenswerter Film. Vor allem da der Täter nicht lediglich als Psychopath dargestellt wird sondern als pädophil veranlagter Durchschnittsbürger. Michael Fuith ist dabei die Idealbesetzung - seine mutige Darstellung trägt den Film. Trotz der mangelnden Sympathie wird sich der eine oder andere Kinobesucher in der quälenden Einsamkeit seiner Figur wieder finden und sich mit seinen eigenen unerfüllten Sehnsüchten konfrontiert sehen. In der Beziehung zwischen Opfer und Täter wird das Alltägliche betont. Wie es zu der Entführung gekommen ist, erfahren wir nicht und auch der sexuelle Missbrauch wird nur angedeutet. Überhaupt spielt sich vieles im Kopf des Zusehers was den Film aber nur noch beklemmender macht. Die langen Einstellungen, die monotonen Situationen, die statische Kamera und die harten Schnitte tragen ihren Teil dazu bei dass der Film für einen alles andere als unterhaltsamen Kinoabend sorgt.

"Michael" ist ein verstörender Film, der unbequeme Fragen stellt und mehr ist als nur das Porträt eines Pädophilen. Der Täter wird - sieht man von seinen Neigungen ab - als Mensch wie du und ich entlarvt. Seine aufgestaute Frustration macht deutlich dass wir alle zwar eine Zeit lang mit Lügen und verdrängten Gefühlen leben können. Früher oder später aber müssen wir uns ihnen stellen...

7/10

Familienausflug: David Rauchenberger, Michael Fuith   

Deliverance (USA 1972)

During the opening credits of John Boorman's "Deliverance", the film's main characters, four middle-aged businessmen from the city, talk about the rafting trip they are planning on a river that is soon to be turned into a lake. Even though only their voices are heard, their anticipation of breaking out from the restraints of their ordinary lives can already be felt. But much like the politicians responsible for the destruction of the natural environment, they don't come in peace. They see the river as their natural opponent and the group's unofficial leader, outdoor fanatic Lewis - Burt Reynolds in his best role - even talks about his intention of "raping" it.

As it turns out, someone else gets raped in the picture in the now infamous scene that inspired a similar one in Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction". But even for the characters that don't get physically abused, the adventure trip has traumatic consequences. First it is the masculine Lewis who (with his bow and arrow, appropriately) kills one of the attackers, the kind of creepy hillbillies that by now have become a cliché in hundreds of horror films. But soon even his more sensible friends are forced to kill too in order to survive. What is remarkable is that there is no clear line between victims and perpetrators. And while the survivors get away with their crime, they pay for it with their conscience. The fatalistic ending is typical for the New Hollywood era, that unique period in American cinema when directors were allowed to break rules.

In a film not short of spectacular scenes, the most memorable one is rather simple. The banjo duel at the beginning of the film between Ronny Cox's character and a weird looking local kid who happens to be a gifted musician. This scene has deservedly entered film history and the young actor who plays the mentally challenged kid gives you the chills every time he reappears in the film. But the real best supporting actor here is mother nature. Several stunning locations in Georgia and South Carolina served as the perfect backdrop for the film. Like the characters, nature is presented in a rather complex way: beautiful yet at the same time rugged and potentially threatening. The conflict between civilization and nature and between the urban and rural population has been the subject of many other films but "Deliverance", despite all its sensationalism, remains one of the best and most disturbing ones.

8/10

Human Nature: Burt Reynolds in "Deliverance"

Les émotifs anonymes (France 2010)

Most film lovers are anonymous romantics. They are usually not the most extroverted people so they go to the cinema to experience the emotions they are missing in real life because they are too afraid of getting in contact with other people. Often those film lovers are also nostalgic people who crave for the good old times when everything was a little simpler (and when cinema had its boom time). 

Hence many audience members will be able to relate to the two main characters in "Les émotifs anonymes". Both of them are shy and suppress the feelings they discover for each other. Both of them live in the past and are unwilling to adapt to modern life. Their mutual passion is chocolate, the kind of hand-made chocolate you don't find in modern supermarkets. The predictable story of the film is an old-fashioned fairy tale but as so often with these kind of films it remains very watchable because of its charm. The retro decors and costumes are nicely done and the chocolates make one's mouth watery. The emotions are mostly lacking though. The two lead actors don't have a lot of chemistry and the beginning of their love affair is aptly awkward. For a film that wants to advocate a more tender approach to love than the one we have become accustomed to, they also end up in bed very quickly.
 
Nevertheless "Les émotifs anonymes" is a harmless film. Quite ordinary and in a way representative of the current Euro arthouse mediocrity but one that - for the reasons mentioned above - I find difficult not to like.

7/10

The way to a man's heart is through his stomach

The Endless Summer (USA 1966)

When I was younger, summer was always in a way magical. It was a carefree time of which I have many fond memories. A time that I wished would never end. Now that I am older and more mature, I have become aware of the fact that nothing can last forever and that it was precisely the temporal limitation that made summer so special. I even learned to appreciate the other seasons too. But for a certain period of my life - and I believe I am not the only one with such memories - summer was what it was all about.

"The Endless Summer" follows two young California surfers searching for the perfect wave on a trip around the world. It is an inspiring film that changed the life of quite a few people. It shows you how simple and rewarding life can be if you (some financial backup provided) just do what you like to do the most. It inspired me to learn surfing and while it was quite frustrating in the beginning, I can now share at least some of the excitement the film's protagonists have for it. If you don't have any waves close to where you live, "The Endless Summer" will do perfectly in the meanwhile. It evokes that summer feeling so vividly that it makes you feel as if you have taken the journey around the world together with Mike and Robert.

From today's point of view, the innocent time the film was made is mostly responsible for the charm of the film. A time where you could still find deserted beaches everywhere, a time where you could trust on friendly hitchers to show you around and a time where surfers still wore suits and ties. Technically, the film doesn't have to hide from more spectacular current productions. It is inventive and amazingly well done for the time. But it is less the technical acomplishment than the film's spirit that makes it stand out among all the other surf films. This is especially true for the delightful narration of director Bruce Brown.

"The Endless Summer" is a beautiful film that is endlessly watchable. While it is primarily a film about surfing, it manages to transcend the genre with its universal theme of two people following their dream. It offers an escape into a fantasy life that we all sometimes aspire to.

8/10

The Easy Life: "The Endless Summer"

Am Ende des Tages (Austria 2011)

Since German is my native language, reviews to German language films are in German.

"Am Ende des Tages" beginnt mit einer Autofahrt. Ein bürgerliches Paar aus der Großstadt in ihrem Geländewagen auf dem Weg in ihr Sommerdomizil. Bereits diese erste Szene erinnert an einen Film von Österreichs wichtigstem Regisseur, Michael Haneke. In weiterer Folge wird der Mann, ein aufstrebender, aus den Medien bekannter Politiker, von einem Freund aus seiner Kindheit mit seiner dunklen Vergangenheit konfrontiert werden. Auch dies weckt Erinnerungen an Haneke, der sich in „Caché“ auf brillante Art und Weise mit den Themen Schuld und Verdrängung auseinandergesetzt hat.

Doch Peter Payer ist leider nicht Haneke oder um es noch deutlicher zu formulieren: er ist ein Anti-Haneke. Was Haneke auf subtile, meisterhafte Weise zu reduzieren versteht, bringt Payer überdeutlich zum Ausdruck. Alles wird aufgelöst um nur ja nicht das Publikum zu sehr vor den Kopf zu stoßen. Generell bewegt sich der Film auf gehobenem Fernsehfilm-Niveau was ja durchaus nachvollziehbar ist da der Regisseur hauptsächlich fürs Fernsehen arbeitet. Die Geschichte ist vorhersehbar, die Charaktere sind überzeichnet, die Dialoge wirken mitunter hölzern und die Musik ebenso nervig wie der immer wiederkehrende iPhone-Klingelton des Protagonisten. Auch die an sich guten Schauspieler mühen sich ab, ihren Rollen gerecht zu werden. Simon Schwarz ist zwar überzeugend unsympathisch, hat aber wohl schon in zu vielen Wolf Haas Verfilmungen mitgespielt um einen arroganten Politiker glaubhaft verkörpern zu können. Anna Unterberger ist als Millionärstochter ebenso fehlbesetzt. Nicholas Ofczarek gelingt es immerhin, seine am Rande einer Karikatur stehende Figur einigermaßen menschlich zu machen doch auch er kann den Film nicht retten. Ebenso wenig schafft dies Kameramann Thomas Prodinger. Ihm gelingen in den schönen alpinen Locations zwar einige eindrucksvolle Kompositionen, teilweise wirkt das Ganze aber wie ein Werbespot für Tirol oder einen bayrischen Automobilhersteller. 

Wenn der Film schon nicht als realistisches, provokantes Drama à la Haneke funktioniert, dann darf man sich doch wenigstens halbwegs anspruchsvolle Thriller-Unterhaltung erwarten, oder? Aber auch hier enttäuscht der Film - es mangelt schlicht und einfach an Spannung. Für die Unterhaltung des Publikums sorgen Anspielungen auf die österreichische Innenpolitik wie die Bezeichnung des Nachrichtenmagazins Profil als „Wichsvorlage für Mittelstandproleten“. Doch wer solch derbe Sprüche nötig hat, darf sich nicht wundern wenn böse Zungen in Versuchung kommen, den Film als ebensolche zu bezeichnen. Und ob das sehr negative Politiker-Bild, dessen Fraktionszugehörigkeit nicht nur durch die Farbe seines Hemds deutlich wird, im aktuellen politischen Klima sehr hilfreich ist, sei dahingestellt...

5/10

Funny Games: Anna Unterberger, Nicholas Ofczarek, Simon Schwarz

Mononoke-hime (Japan 1997)

"Princess Mononoke" is the kind of film I can really lose myself into. When I am watching it, I am able to forget about my surroundings and the problems of the "real" world. Not that they are not present in the film. The destruction of the environment especially is a main subject and it is even more timely now than at the time the film came out. There is an aura of melancholy in the film that is at heart of all great art but there is room for optimism too. This balance is the great strength of the film. The film does not think in black and white categories and is way more complex than one might intially expect.

"Princess Mononoke" may appeal to children as well but it is primarily a film for adults. It requires a certain maturity to be fully appreciated - which is a rare thing to say about an animation film.When I saw it for the first time at the age of 21, I was not yet ready for it because my artistic sensibilities were not yet fully developed. When I saw it again recently, I was overwhelmed by its graceful beauty, its epic scope and the masterful animation. I have not yet seen all of Miyazaki's films but it is so flawless I can't help calling it his masterpiece nonetheless...

9/10

Dances with wolves: "Princess Mononoke

Mitte Ende August (Germany 2008)

Since German is my native language, reviews to German language films are in German.

Ebenso wie Musik Filme können Filme Stimmungen erzeugen. Aber noch mehr können sie bestehende Stimmungen verstärken. Aus diesem Grunde bin ich der Überzeugung dass man Filme zur richtigen Zeit, im richtigen Moment sehen sollte. Dann erst erreicht das Filmerlebnis die maximale Intensität. Dies gilt auch in Bezug auf die Jahreszeiten: es gibt Filme für den Frühling, den Herbst, den Winter und den Sommer.

"Mitte Ende August" ist so ein Film der die Atmosphäre eines Sommers am Land wunderbar transportiert. Der Film ist ebenso ruhig wie der Schauplatz - ein verlassenes Haus am See - und auch die bedächtige Inszenierung erreicht (im positiven Sinne) die Trägheit heisser Sommertage. Die obligatorischen Sommergewitter dürfen natürlich auch nicht fehlen auch wenn sie im Film nur auf der Gefühlsebene ihren Ausdruck finden. Doch der Titel des Films bezieht sich nicht nur auf die Jahreszeit sondern ist vielmehr eine Metapher für den Status der Liebesbeziehung der beiden Hauptfiguren. Die aufregende, unbekümmerte Phase des Frühlings ist bereits vorbei und ebenso die schönsten Sommertage. Die Sonne scheint zwar noch vom Himmel aber die ersten Blätter fallen bereits von den Bäumen. Denn was der Film auf bedrückende Weise deutlich macht ist die Tatsache dass Mitte Ende August der Herbst und Winter nicht mehr weit ist...

7/10

Schau mir in die Augen, Kleines!

Senso (Italy 1954)

The story of Visconti's "Senso" is pure melodrama with some depth only coming from the political background. An aging Italian countess falls for a young and attractive Austrian lieutentant during the last days of the occupied Italian state and gives up everything for him, even the loyalty to her country. He, on the other hand, only uses her for money but has to pay for it with his life in the end. A classical drama of love an revenge, not really very complex.

But as the title suggests, "Senso" is, above all, a sensual experience. The film is beautiful and the painstaking period detail that Visconti put into the production can be seen and felt in every scene. (He wanted freshly cut flowers each day even in the rooms where they would not film!) "Senso" is quintessential Visconti not only in the lush production values and the classical music included in the film but also as far as the themes of the film are concerned. The cynicism and decadence of some of his later works is omnipresent and the romance seems to be doomed from the beginning. Alida Valli and Farley Granger are both great in their roles, the latter especially giving a surprising turn from tender gentleman to callous opportunist. As in Visconti's masterpiece "The Leopard", there is a nostalgic atmosphere of an era coming to an end and a certain - unspoken - antipathy against the bourgeois, mercenary middle class which is already sawing on the throne of the aristocracy (where Visconti himself descends from)...

A lot of great people were involved with the film: amongst others, Tennessee Williams collaborated on the screenplay, the great Giuseppe Rotunno took over as cinematographer and two of the assistant directors were Francesco Rosi and Franco Zeffirelli. While Rosi became known primarily as a film director in the neorealist tradition, the latter would follow Visconti's footsteps and become one of the most important theater directors of his time. Visconti later directed a lot of operas too which is only logical - "Senso" would have been worthy material for Verdi.

8/10

Don't be mistaken: "Sissi" this is not

Menace II Society (USA 1993)

The ghetto film genre had its heyday in the 90s. In retrospect, only few of them stick in the mind. "Menace II Society", the feature debut by the Hughes Brothers who now successfully work in Hollywood, is probably the best and most realistic of them.

When I recently rewatched it, it has lost none of its impact even though some parts seem a little exaggerated now. It is a powerful film that stands comparison with Scorsese's gangster films not only in terms of authenticity and characters but also as far as storytelling is concerned. Compared to other films of the genre, it is quite radical and not as melodramatic. The directors brilliantly play with the expectations of the viewer when they build some hope for the seemingly lost main character - only to relentlessly destroy it again. The primarily negative portrayal of African Americans in the film has been the subject of some discussion but any happy ending or pseudo-moral message would have meant denying reality. As the uncompromising ending suggests, there is jut not much hope for these people who are caught up in a spiral of violence.

8/10

"Show me the money": Larenz Tate

Cyrus (USA 2010)

"Cyrus" is the first studio-backed film from the brothers Jay & Mark Duplass. Previously, they have been associated with the Mumblecore movement where the main characteristics have been improvised dialogues and amateur actors. This is the first time time they work with "real" actors - and pretty good ones for that matter. The dialogues also seem mostly scripted this time. Nevertheless the semi-realistic atmosphere the Mumblecore films are famous for is still there.

The set-up of the film (a depressed middle-aged guy meets a nice and beautiful woman who happens to have a grown-up son, the "Cyrus" from the title) lets us expect an average independent film or even a more conventional romantic drama but the approach of the directors here is a little different. Usually young directors want to show off with their first films but the Duplass brothers are more modest. They don't seem to have this need for immediate attention. To them, their characters are more important than themselves. Very little seems all-too-obviously staged in "Cyrus". Apart from a few songs, there is no music in the film and the cinematography is reduced as well. Instead they put their actors in the spotlights. They have absolute confidence in them and don't just use them as puppets for their own "creative vision". As a result, there are a lot of awkard scenes in the film that most other directors would cut away from. But on the other hand the performances are mostly natural. We have come to expect that from John C. Reilly and Marisa Tomei but even Jonah Hill shows that he can be much more than just the funny fat guy. His character is still funny but at the same time he makes him mean, desperate and vulnerable.

It is no coincident that the film is called "Cyrus" because he is the main character. The romantic relationship between his mother and the new man is only the trigger for what is primarily a rather serious portrait of a troubled young man who, despite being already 22, is still a big kid that avoids responsabilty and does not yet know what he wants from life. (His passion is music and he has a recording studio at home, but judging from his "performances", there is not really a big market for his kind of music.) This is also where the circle to the mumblecore films closes because most of them also portray the current lost generation of twentysomethings.

The director's approach of realism and credibility doesn't always work though. The plot sometimes feels a little constructed and there are some scenes whose only purpose is to make the film more dramatic. Maybe the producers wanted them for entertainment value but they work against the realism. But these flaws don't really matter in this film that was never made to be "perfect" anyway. Instead the main aim of the directors was sincerity - and with more than a little help from their actors, they achieved it.

7/10

Cyrus the Virus: Jonah Hill