• About Us
  • Sasha Stone
  • Editor Ryan Adams
  • Clarence Moye
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Awardsdaily - The Oscars, the Films and everything in between.
  • Home
  • Oscar Predictions
    • Best Picture
    • Best Actor
    • Best Actress
  • Good As Gold
  • AD TV
  • Podcasts
  • FYC Gallery
  • Interviews
  • All News
  • Home
  • Oscar Predictions
    • Best Picture
    • Best Actor
    • Best Actress
  • Good As Gold
  • AD TV
  • Podcasts
  • FYC Gallery
  • Interviews
  • All News
No Result
View All Result
Awardsdaily - The Oscars, the Films and everything in between.
No Result
View All Result

Berlin Dispatch – Highlights So Far

by Zhuo-Ning Su
February 20, 2018
in Berlinale
1
Berlin Dispatch – Highlights So Far

Day 4 of the 68th Berlinale. Nine competition films have already screened with ten more to go. For an edition that opened so strong, it’s somewhat disappointing that masterpieces haven’t been landing left and right as hoped.

Which is not to say there hasn’t been some fine films. Besides the absolutely delightful ISLE OF DOGS, my favorite so far is probably the feature debut of Paraguayan writer/director Marcelo Martinessi entitled THE HEIRESSES. The delicate, quietly surprising drama revolves around middle-aged Chela (Ana Brun), one half of a lesbian couple who was born into an affluent household but lately has been forced to sell off furniture and other heirloom to get by. When her partner is sent to jail for fraud, Chela, whose life used to be a set of breezy, self-contained routines, must venture out of her comfort zone to relearn things about this world and herself.

Martinessi’s screenplay touches on the many inexplicable turns that make life such a sweet and sometimes painful mystery. An older lady with no experience behind the wheels could suddenly become the neighborhood’s Baby Driver. A heart that doesn’t seem like it still has the capacity for passionate, reckless love may feel that rush again when you least expect it to. Directed with subtlety and a genuine affection for its protagonist, the film unfolds like a gentle dance, hitting notes of joy and regret without heavy-handed dramatics. It might feel slight to some as a result but the faint traces of melancholy it leaves behind are truly exquisite.

For someone who has adored everything he has done, especially the devastating, outside the critics’ community underappreciated PHOENIX (2014), German filmmaker Christian Petzold’s TRANSIT is a bit of a let-down. The ambitious, formally inventive drama is based on the eponymous novel by Anna Seghers published in 1944. The background and plot of that WWII-themed book, however, are transplanted to present-day Marseilles. And so we see the story about an accidental identity theft play out in a France grappling with the current refugee crisis, while passports of the Third Reich are used and the German Occupation is supposed to be underway.

The audacity of making what’s essentially a Holocaust movie in today’s context is by itself admirable. And Petzold, ever the thinking man’s director, brings his trademark cool, uncompromising intellect to the table. The result is a unique if not entirely successful take on Hitchcockian themes with political undertones. Lead actor Franz Rogowski, potentially the next big thing of European cinema, is wonderful to watch. He has one of those aquiline, at once vulnerable and slightly menacing faces you can’t quite figure out. The brooding intensity he brings to the picture is already drawing acclaim and Joaquin Phoenix comparisons. A Berlin Best Actor prize could be next.

Also featuring a strong male lead performance is French competition entry THE PRAYER, in which Anthony Bajon plays a drug addict/high school dropout trying to get sober at a secluded, convent-like community. Cédric Kahn’s clear-eyed direction highlights the destructive force of substance abuse and the superhuman strength it takes to quit. Using economical but affecting strokes he describes a sanctuary of fraternity, discipline and brutal honesty. Even though there’s nothing spectacular about the story, you’re with these damaged characters and the very human struggles they face every step of the way.

In this day and age where religion is systematically weaponized, I tend to find anything overtly faith-based suspicious. As such, certain scenes in this movie, which has a pretty obvious pro-religion message, leave an icky aftertaste in my mouth. However, considering the filmmaker goes about it from the specific and relatable angle of overcoming addiction, I would give it the benefit of the doubt. Also the quality of the filmmaking itself, including the changed-man star turn by Bajon, is unquestionable. So expect this to be among awards chatter at the end of the festival.

Something else of note is that the Berlinale, as per tradition, once again hosts a great variety of films with prominent female characters. In addition to THE HEIRESSES mentioned above, Sundance cross-over DAMSEL features a brilliant heroine played by Mia Wasikowska that turns the misogynistic western tradition squarely on its head. Italian motherhood drama DAUGHTER OF MINE is carried by two of the country’s best working actresses Valeria Golino and Alba Rohrwacher. The latter, playing a young alcoholic who feels no natural motherly love towards her child, especially, should be considered a hot contender for the Best Actress prize. French erotic thriller EVA and Swedish violent comedy THE REAL ESTATE don’t work on the whole, but both star 60+ leading ladies (Isabelle Huppert and Léonore Ekstrand) as women who are sharp, vital, sexual, and who wield control over others. Here’s hoping the second half of the festival will bring more richly observed (female) characters in even better films.

Tags: Berlin Film FestivalBerlinaleThe Heiresses
Zhuo-Ning Su

Zhuo-Ning Su

Berlin-based freelance festival journalist. Sees too many films for his own good.

Next Post
Justin Paul and Benj Pasek on Writing This Is Me for The Greatest Showman

Justin Paul and Benj Pasek on Writing This Is Me for The Greatest Showman

Sign up for Awards Daily's Breaking News

* indicates required

Diane Warren, Laura Pausini Deserve To Be “Seen” and Recognized For Their Beautiful “Io Si”

Diane Warren, Laura Pausini Deserve To Be “Seen” and Recognized For Their Beautiful “Io Si”

(Photo: Netflix)

by Kevin Dillon
March 4, 2021
0

‘Promising Young Woman,’ ‘Mank’ Among Nominees for 23rd Costume Designers Guild Awards

Promising Young Woman is Disturbing, Original and Unforgettable
by Clarence Moye
March 4, 2021
0

Watch: Scott Wheeler Discusses the Makeup and Prosthetic Work Behind ‘One Night in Miami’

How ‘One Night In Miami’ Screenwriter Kemp Powers Used an Iconic Friendship to Explore Competing Ideas of Activism and Masculinity

Photo Courtesy of Amazon Studios

by Shadan Larki
March 3, 2021
1

Producers Guild Preview – News of the World Remains the Only Big Studio Offering in the Oscar Race

The State of the Race – A Trial Separation Between Critics and the Oscars
by Sasha Stone
March 3, 2021
41

The Globes Ratings Plummet – Hollywood and Film Awards Need a Wake-up Call

The Globes Ratings Plummet – Hollywood and Film Awards Need a Wake-up Call
by Sasha Stone
March 3, 2021
63

Berlin Dispatch – Petite Maman / What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?

by Zhuo-Ning Su
March 3, 2021
0

Predict the Producers and Directors Guild Awards

Predict the Producers and Directors Guild Awards
by Sasha Stone
March 3, 2021
4

Leslie Odom Jr. On Creating Art Alongside the Impact of Sam Cooke’s for ‘One Night in Miami…’

Leslie Odom Jr. On Creating Art Alongside the Impact of Sam Cooke’s for ‘One Night in Miami…’

(Photo: Patti Perret/Amazon Studios)

by Joey Moser
March 3, 2021
0

‘Soul,’ ‘Wolfwalkers’ Lead 2021 Annie Awards

Here Are Your Official Cannes 2020 Titles

(Photo: Disney)

by Clarence Moye
March 3, 2021
0

Jamie Dornan Dances (and Sings) His Way into the Comedic Performance Pantheon

Jamie Dornan Dances (and Sings) His Way into the Comedic Performance Pantheon

Jamie Dornan as Edgar in Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. Photo Credit: Cate Cameron

by Frank J. Avella
March 3, 2021
6

Diving Into The 2020 Golden Globe Television Winners

Diving Into The 2020 Golden Globe Television Winners

(Photo: Netflix)

by Jalal Haddad
March 3, 2021
1

Berlin Dispatch – The Girl and the Spider

by Zhuo-Ning Su
March 2, 2021
0

Coppola, Sorkin, McQueen, More Honored at 16th Annual Final Draft Awards

Coppola, Sorkin, McQueen, More Honored at 16th Annual Final Draft Awards

(Photo: FinalDraft.com)

by Clarence Moye
March 2, 2021
0

Join us Facebook

AwardsDaily Crew

  • About Us
  • Sasha Stone
  • Editor Ryan Adams
  • Clarence Moye
  • Contact Us

ADTV Crew

  • ADTV Home
  • Megan McLachlan, Co-Editor
  • Clarence Moye, Co-Editor
  • Jalal Haddad, Senior Contributor
  • Joey Moser, Senior Contributor
  • Kevin Dillon
  • Shadan Larki
  • Ben Morris
  • David Phillips

Follow on Twitter

ADTV Twitter

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Advertising on Awards Daily

© 1999-2021 AwardsDaily.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Oscar Predictions
    • Best Picture
    • Best Actor
    • Best Actress
  • Good As Gold
  • AD TV
  • Podcasts
  • FYC Gallery
  • Interviews
  • All News

© 1999-2021 AwardsDaily.com