Berlinale 2019 7-9 Feb 2019

Berlinale 2019 - 8-9 February 2019

Berlinale Palast

Hi all! Here we are again at the 69th Berlinale Film Festival!

As always it's a pretty hectic schedule from the minuter you hit the ground - early rises to get into the queue to book onto screenings for Festival films (that's all the films that are in one of the competitive sections -see the Festival website for information on the various sections and what they are here





So far I've seen 6 films (arrived too late on Thursday night to see anything so just a late supper and up early on Friday) - so this is from the first couple of days at the Festival:

Queing to get into the Friedrichstadt Plast

In Competition  
Sytemsprenger (System Crasher)
Grace a Dieu
Ondog


Panorama Section
Temblores (Tremors)
La fiera y la fiesta (Holy Beast)



Forum Section
Querencia







Hot films for me from the above are:

Systemprenger (System Crasher) *****
Director: Nora Fingscheidt, Germany 2019

Q&A with Director and Cast Members

Radio Berlin interview with
Director and Albrecht Schuch

Incredibly gripping and moving film from Germany led by young actor Helena Zengel who is totally captivating in the role of a 9-year-old protagonist, 'Benni' (Bernadette). Zengel's Benni is a troubled child who is as disturbing (following earlier trauma and abuse) as she is endearing. Now in a temporary group home (her mother unable to cope with her boundless energy and sudden bursts of anger), the dedicated, but increasingly despairing professionals who surround her are fast running out of options to provide her with a stable environment in which she can hope for a more settled emotional state. Benni, however, persistently kicks out in the hope that the failure of the 'system' to contain her will result in her being returned to the mother whose affection she longs for. Several relationships become increasingly important to her - her case worker, Mrs Bafane (Gabriella Maria Schmeide) and youth worker, Micha (Albrecht Schuch) who undertakes to offer Benni a 1:1 survival holiday in the forest - which could turn out to be a total disaster or the experience of a lifetime ..... Interesting cinematography and use of editing to create a sense of 'psychological' impact; stunning performance by Helena Zengel and altogether excellent handling of difficult subject matter in a sensitive and insightful way.
See Press Conference highlights here. See trailer here. See Variety review here.

Grace a Dieu *****
Dir: Francois Ozon, France 2019

From inside Berlinale Palast

Compelling dramatisation of the campaign to bring justice for the victims of a paedophile Catholic
priest in Lyon who was finally charged in 2016 (based on the real case of Father Bernard Preynat charged with the sexual assault of some 70 young boys in the 1980s).  This moving film creates drama through deft empathetic portrayal of the adults who gradually overcame the range of emotions which prevented them previously reporting the abuse they experienced by this predatory priest. A searing critique not only of the abuse itself, but of the hypocritical institutional cover-up by the Church which failed to take action to sanction and eradicate the behaviour it officially censures, and allowed the perpetrator to continue working with children until this campaign brought the matter to trial. Excellent acting and chillingly restrained treatment of flashbacks to the memories of the priest's young victims.
See trailer here. See Press Conference highlights here. See Hollywood Reporter review here.

Ondog *****
Dir: Wang Quan'an, Mongolia 2019

A very original film from Mongolia in which a minimal narrative presented with role humour and stunning cinematography delivers a unique movie.

The discovery by local police of a body in the freezing wilderness of the Mongolian steppe leads to the encounter between the rookie cop who is left overnight (!) to guard the scene of the crime (and the corpse) overnight and 'Dinosaur' as she is known - a local woman who leads a solitary existence as a herder of sheep and wild horses, and who is a crack shot at dealing with the wolves that roam the steppe. Their encounter becomes an unexpected learning experience for the rookie cop, and an opportunity for the self-sufficient 'Dinosaur'... A delightfully unusual film which has attracted a lot of attention at the Festival and seems to be the leading favourite for the Golden Bear award.

See Press Conference highlights here. See Variety review here.

Great place for late night street food near the Berlinale Palast!

A word or two about the other films seen to date:

Temblores (Tremors) ***
Dir: Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France/Luxembourg 2019
Managed to get into a Press screening of this on Friday.

Berlinale Radio broadcast live from the cafe in the Cinemaxx
multiplex which is one of the main Berlinale venues.
A good place to see and hear interviews with directors, actors, local journalists each evening live.

Pablo (Juan Pablo Olyslager) leaves his wife and well-to-do, devoutly evangelical family to move in with his lover, Francisco (Mauricio Armas Zabadua) who inhabits a very different  world - the liberal Demi-monde of Guatemala City. Pablo's attempts to reconcile the two very different parts of his life and maintain a relationship with his young children meet with a mixture of incomprehension and horror in the family and they turn to their church for help and advice. The film follows their efforts to 'heal' Pablo of what they regard as a 'sin' and an 'illness', and which a strict regime recommended and led by the pastor of their church can 'cure'... Compelling performances by all.
See Hollywood Reporter review here.

La fiera y la fiesta (Holy Beast)
Dirs: Laura Amelia Guzman & Israel Cardenas, Dominican Republic/Argentina/Mexico 2019
An hommage to Dominican filmmaker Jean-Louis Jorge (1947-2000) with Geraldine Chaplin in the lead.
I'm afraid I found this disappointingly pretentious and stagey.......
See Variety article on this film in January here.

Querencia
Dir: Helvecio Marins Jr., Brazil/Germany 2019
A slightly underwhelming film, though quite interesting to have a glimpse of life in a small-town Brazilian community where cattle-ranching is the staple economy and the  rodeo competition is the passion for the locals. Rather disconcertingly starts off in documentary mode but then adopts a rather contrives narrative to structure the film.


We also managed to fit in a visit to the Me Collectors Room gallery in Augustrasse - a gallery which has a range of pieces from private collections. Quite an eclectic mix - and several real curiosities!  They also have a really good cafe!!

Me Collectors Room cafe (from the gallery)

A Gerhart Richter photorealist piece - interesting to see some of his work - an artist that we'd been looking at in the Cambridge Art Workshop recently

Now here's a real curiosity!

More in the next few days!!

Berlinale 2018 Days 4-6

The daily scramble for tickets for the
Festival screenings - have to get there early!

Hi again! Herewith a few notes on Days 4-7 of the Berlinale (Sunday 18 Feb to Wednesday 21 Feb)



As ever, I was particularly keen to see quite a lot of quite diverse Spanish and Latin American cinema at the Festival, all of which were really interesting and several excellent (in a range of ways):





From Latin America:

**** Ex Paje/Ex Shaman (Brazil 2018, dir. Luiz Bolognesi). In Panorama.

Q&A with director and participants in Ex Paje
at the Cinestar screening

Fascinating documentary made with and about the Paiter Surui, an indigenous people living in the Amazon. The film includes footage from the late 1960s when they first had contact with the Western world and shows how their traditional way of life has the changed with the impact of technology, etc., the role of the church in the community, and the threat of ethnocide - and a moving insight into the erosion of the community's culture and spirituality through the perspective of the former shaman. Beautifully filmed with members of the community. See review here: Variety
See trailer here: Ex Paje

Director and cast members in Q&A at the 

Zoo Palast screening 18 Feb  

**** Retablo (Peru/Germany/Norway 2017, dir. Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio) Generation 14plus

A powerful loss of innocence drama set in a Peruvian mountain village where the young Segundo is learning the art of carving retablos (religious and domestic altarpieces) from his father Noe. The film paints an uncompromising portrait of a patriarchal community in which violence and excess are never far from the surface. The drama hinges on Segundo's discovery of his father's secret and the impact of events which profoundly challenge their relationship. Particularly interesting to see universal issues explored within a cultural context which is unfamiliar to most Western audiences. The screening I attended had a huge number of young people in the audience who reacted very enthusiastically to the film – and (post-Festival update) it received a Special Mention from the Youth Jury for Generation 14plus. See Berlinale synopsis and trailer here: Retablo

*** Malambo , el hombre bueno/Malambo, the Good Man  (Argentina 2017, dir. Santiago Loza). In Panorama.

                     Q&A with the director at the 

                  Cubix cinema screening 18 Feb

Documentary following the dedication and determination demanded by the Malambo, a. The film focuses on Gaspar Jofre’s physical, artistic and psychological preparation to participate in the major competitive championship for this traditional Argentinian gaucho dance form.  Fabulous music and cinematography as the passion and strength of the dance and the gruelling process for the dancer are captured in arresting black and white images.

See Berlinale synopsis and trailer here: Malambo

                                       

From Spain:

***** La enfermedad del domingo/Sunday's Illness... (Spain 2018, dir. Ramon Salazar). In Panorama.

Director and lead actors at
Zoo Palast screening 20 Feb

Hugely impressive drama about an estranged mother, Annabel (Susi Sanchez) and daughter Chiara (Barbara Lennie) who are reunited when Chiara, now in her late 30s, seeks out the mother who abandoned her when she was 8 to make a strange request: that she agree to go away and spend 10 days with her. Annabel eventually agrees to this and spends time with Chiara in her remote house in the mountains. Their strained relationship develops in unexpected ways as they learn more about each others’ totally different personalities lifestyles as the narrative moves towards unexpected dramatic territory. Superb acting,  and totally engaging and moving film. Absolute must-see!

See Variety review here: La enfermedad del domingoSee Berlinale synopsis, trailer and other material here: La enfermedad del domingo


*** Trinta Lumes/Thirty Souls (Spain 2018, dir. Diana Toucedo). In Panorama.

Q&A with director (2nd from left) and team members
at Kino International on 20 Feb

Film exploring the way of life in a small and remote rural community in Galicia, north west Spain and seeking to capture the sense of spirituality and the proximity of the supernatural. I was particularly interested as I lived in Galicia for some time in the late 70s and still have links there. In the Q&A after the screening, the director, for whom this is a first feature, explained that the project had begun as a documentary but, during the editing process she had decided to introduce narrative fiction elements which helped to 

draw out the spiritual connectivity. An enjoyable film with some fascinating insights into rural life (e.g. how to pluck a chicken, how to slaughter and prepare a pig!) although there is some unevenness between the documentary and ‘fictional’ narrative elements.
Berlinale synopsis and trailer here: Trinta lumes

                                                               Kino International in Karl Marx Allee 
                                                             - first time I'd been to this cinema
                                                               

*** Con el viento/ Facing the Wind... (Spain/Argentina/France 2018, dir. Meritxell Colell Aparicio). In Forum

Another very atmospheric film on the theme of revisiting the past as dancer, Monica, (Monica Garcia) returns from Argentina where she has lived and worked for a couple of decades. Following her father’s death she stays on with her mother to help her sell up the family’s rural home in the harsh conditions of the northern Spanish Burgos area. The film blends evocative images of the location with sequencs focused on family relations – including the intimacy of Monica’s relationship with her mother, plans for the sale and moments where Monica works through her emotions through dance. Beautifully filmed. 

......and a reminder about the other excellent documentary 
*****El silencio de los otros/The Silence of Others - which I wrote about in my previous post - really excellent and much needed documentary - forgot to point out that this film was produced by Pedro Almodovar.

Other films seen over these 4 days:

***** Utoya 22. Juli/U - July 22 (Norway 2018, dir. Eric Poppe). In Competition.

Extremely powerful film which had the entire audience riveted as it portrays the experience of the horrific attack on young people camping on the Norwegian island of Utoya in July 2011 by a politically motivated gunman also responsible for the bombing of xx earlier the same day. The film is entirely from the point of view of the young people caught up in the terrifying attack – fictional characters based on the actual experiences and accounts of the young people who survived. Powerful performance by lead Kaja (Andrea Berntzen).

See Guardian review here: Utoya
See Berlinale synopsis, trailer and other material here: Utoya

***Dovlatov (Russian Federation/Poland/Serbia, 2018, dir. Alexey German Jr.). In Competition.

Atmospheric slow-paced portrayal of Dovlatov, a writer who remained unknown until after his death, and the artist-writer circles he frequented in late C19th Russia.

Berlinale synopsis and trailer here: Dovlatov

**Eva (France, Belgium 2017, dir. Benoit Jacquot). In Competition.

Always great to see Isabelle Huppert. Here a young writer (Gaspard Ulliel), who achieves fame by stealing a manuscript from the successful playwright he is paid to care for, falls for the high-class prostitute-femme fatale she plays in a layered narrative thriller which holds attention but is not the best of her work. Apparently it was booed at the press screening and poor reviews.

Trailer here: Eva

**** 3 Tage in Quiberon/3 Days in Quiberon (Germany/Austria/France 2018, dir. Emily Atef). In Competition.

Fictionalised account of a short period spent by Romy Schneider (Marie Baumer) to de-tox in a spa in Quiberon just a year before her untimely death at 43, based on interviews carried out at the hotel which were published in Stern magazine at the time. A powerful, but often excruciatingly difficult watch as the vulnerable Schneider is drawn into emotional self-revelation by the hard-nosed journalist (Michael Jurgs [Robert Gwisdek]) and photographer Shutterberg Lebeck (Charly Hubner), an old flame, and despite the efforts of her childhood friend who accompanies her (the fictional Hilde [Birgit Minchmayr] in the film) to protect her. Beautifully shot in black and white and the likeness between Marie Baumer and Romy Schneider is strikingly uncanny.

See Variety review here: Quiberon

See Berlinale synopsis and trailer here: 3 Tage in Quiberon

**** That Summer (Sweden/USA/denmark 2018, dir. Goran Hugo Olsson). 
In Panorama Dokumente.

Director Olsson and producer Joslyn Barnes
in Q&A after screening at Cinestar 7 on 21 Feb

Fascinating documentary about the eccentric Edith Ewing Bouvier and her daughter, Edith Bouvier Beale in East Hampton. The film draws on footage from the early 70s when Lee Radziwell’s (sister of Jackie Kennedy Onassis) plans for a film (together with photographer Peter Beale) about her childhood there turned into a document of the two Edies - released as Grey Gardens by Albert and David Maysles.  Olsson’s film uses the newly rediscovered original footage shot by the Maysles in the 1970s together with other original material shot by Andy Warhol and Jonas Mekas to portray the two women as Lee Radziwill and others help the eccentric pair to restore some order to their crumbling, racoon-infested mansion on Long Island. A must-see.

See Berlinale synopsis, trailer and other material here: That Summer

*** RYUCHI SAKAMOTO: asinch AT THE PARK AVENUE ARMORY (USA/Japan 2018, dir. Stephen Nomura Schible). Berlinale Special.

Director and Composer in Q&A at
Haus der Berliner Festspiele screening 

Enjoyed this short documentary of the premiere performance by Sakamoto of his composition in New York – a fascinating piece of music using piano, various electronic sources and an array of objects to produce new sounds.

Sakamoto was a member of the 2018 Berlinale Grand Jury and was accompanied to the screening by the rest of the Jury members.

Haus der Berliner Festspiele

See Berlinale synopsis, trailer and other material here:

Sakamoto

*** Mes provinciales/A Paris Education (France 2018, dir Jean Paul Civeyrac).Panorama.

View from Va piano Potsdamer Platz
- having a relaxing supper after a film-packed day!

Aspiring young filmmaker Etienne (Andranic Manet) moves from the provinces, leaving behind his long-term girlfriend, to Paris to study film directing. This dialogue-based film follows him around Paris in conversation with his successive flatmates and fellow students and filmmakers about cinema, writers and music, focusing particularly on an enigmatic, but elusive friend Mathias Corentin Fila). Very atmospheric cinematography – shot in black and white.

 

See Berlinale synopsis, trailer and other material here: Mes provinciales

And still time for some other activities:

A pretty busy week so far but also managed to fit in some other things which I'd recommend if you're in Berlin any time - 

Berlinische Galerie
Spent a really good half day here enjoying the exhibition from the 
permanent collection: Art in Berlin 1880 - 1980 (upstairs) - fascinating collection curated in chronological order and grouped around key social and political changes that the city/country experienced over the period and ways in which art reflected, responded and shaped these cultural moments. There are also changing exhibitions downstairs - at the moment including Eduardo Paolozzi.
I can also highly recommend the Gallery's cafe where I had delicious home-made soup on a very cold day!
Check the website here:  https://www.berlinischegalerie.de/en/home/

Life Drawing at Atelier 3/4
Also had a relaxing evening at a life-drawing class led by David Hedderman (author of Draw: A Graphic Guide to Life Drawing),  who runs weekly classes at his studio in the Kreuzberg area near Kottbusser Tor U-Bahn. David's own work is fabulous!

Also managed a bit of general tourism in the first few days:


More to follow in my final post for this Festival shortly!