Dreileben:Trilogy

In the summer of 2006, film directors Dominik Graf, Christian Petzold and Christoph Hochhäusler began corresponding with each other on the subjects of film aesthetics, the Berlin School, Germany and the film genre (their correspondence was published in German film magazine Revolver). Two years later they decided to continue this theoretical discussion with a joint film project: three individual stories revolving around the same “fait divers”: the escape of a convicted criminal from police custody. Graf’s DON’T FOLLOW ME AROUND tells the story of a police psychologist who meets old acquaintances while investigating a case. In Petzold’s BEATS BEING DEAD a young man doing alternative national service experiences a love story without a future. And in Christoph Hochhäusler’s ONE MINUTES OF DARKNESS an indefatigable policeman hunting the escaped prisoner begins to doubt false certainties. Three films, three styles, three exciting approaches, variations, analyses.
Dreileben 1:Beats Being Dead
Directors: Christian Petzold
Country: Germany
Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes

''Beats Being Dead'' is the first part of the DREILEBEN trilogy.

A big hospital on the outskirts of a small city in the middle of the Thuringian Forest. Here Johannes carries out his alternative national service. The head physician, a family friend, has recruited him. Johannes gets to know Ana. During the night of their first embrace, a sex offender escapes from the hospital. His flight and the police’s hectic search accompany the story of Johannes and Ana – a love story transcending boundaries, without a future.


Dreileben 2: Don't Follow Me Around
Directors: Dominik Graf
Country: Germany
Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes

In the trilogy’s second chapter, Jo, a big-city police psychologist, arrives in Dreileben to aid in the ongoing investigation, whereupon she finds herself greeted cooly by the local authorities but welcomed with open arms by Vera, a college friend who lives nearby with her husband, a pretentious author. As the girlfriends reminisce about bygone days and discover they were both once in love with the same man, director Dominik Graf deftly juxtaposes their personal drama against the search for a killer, a police corruption scandal, and a possible case of interspecies transmutation—all underlining the trilogy’s recurring themes of false appearances and deeply hidden truths.

Dreileben 3: One Minute of Darkness
Directors: Christoph Hochhäusler
Country: Germany
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes

 The Dreileben trilogy comes to a nail-biting close with director Christoph Hochhäusler’s expert thriller, which also brings escaped felon Molosch—a peripheral character in the first two parts—into sharp focus. Hot on the killer’s trail, grizzled police inspector Marcus tries to put himself inside the mind of the criminal, even as he begins to wonder if the condemned man really is guilty as charged. Meanwhile, as Molosch flees deeper into Dreileben’s possibly enchanted forest, he has an unexpectedly tender encounter with a young runaway girl—scenes that echo the Frankenstein story and transform One Minute of Darkness into a dark, memorably strange fairy tale.

The Other Bank(2009)

The Other Bank

Directors: George Ovashvili
Country: Georgia | Kazakhstan
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes



A young refugee and his mother flee ethnic cleansing in the Georgian region of Abkhazia, leaving his father behind. After arriving in the Georgina capital of Tbilisi, the young boy encounters difficulties with his mother, and begins a lonely journey back to Abkahzia to find his father.

Reviews

A 12-year-old Georgian boy embarks on a dangerous mission to find his father behind enemy lines in the breakaway Republic of Abkhazia in Georgian helmer George Ovashvili's moving feature debut, "The Other Bank." Showcasing impressive perfs from nonpro thesps, especially young Tedo Bekhauri as the lead, "Bank" wisely invests in unobtrusive naturalism and powerful but unsentimental storytelling that should ensure further fest play. That said, the pic doesn't quite pack an emotive enough punch to woo (or wow) auds much beyond Georgian and Russian arthouses.
Variety
*
"Gripping and visually impaling in the land of lost". Stranded in a war-torn-worn-down Tsibili in the aftermath of the conflicts between Abkhazia and Georgia in the early 90′s, 12-year-old Tedo and a slightly reluctant mother find themselves living as refugees, trying to make ends meet. As Tedo’s glue sniffing friends are arrested for petty crimes and the mother favor scummy lovers over her son, the young boy embarks on a journey back to Abkhazia to find the father left behind.
The Other Bank much reminisces of Greek director Angelopoulos film Landscape in the Mist where the children also leaves what they call home on a quest to find a missing father. They both encounter various kinds of people who treat them in various ways, some times quite unexpected. What makes The Other Bank interesting in particular is that it is set in such a remote location, showcasing a reality characterized by poverty, uncertainty and everything else that war brings with. The boy moves through desolate landscapes and cross borders where passing may rob you of your life.
Politics strongly pervades pic, but philosophical aspects which goes hand in hand with a few visually impaling scenes and a grand acting by the [amateur] lead performer turns this into a certain winner. A must see.
Mubi.com
*
Stranded in a war-torn-worn-down Tsibili in the aftermath of the conflicts between Abkhazia and Georgia in the early 90′s, 12-year-old Tedo and a slightly reluctant mother find themselves living as refugees, trying to make ends meet. As Tedo's glue sniffing friends are arrested for petty crimes and the mother prefer scummy lovers over him, the young boy embarks on a journey back to Abkhazia to find the father left behind.
The Other Bank much reminisces of Greek director Angelopoulos film Landscape in the Mist, where the children also leave what they call home on a quest to find a missing father. They both encounter various kinds of people who treat them in various ways, some times quite unexpected. What makes The Other Bank interesting in particular is that it is set in such a remote location, showcasing a reality (and the scenes it takes place in) characterized by poverty, uncertainty and everything else that war brings with. The boy moves through desolate landscapes and cross borders where passing may rob you of your life.
Politics strongly pervades pic, but philosophical aspects hand in hand with a few visually impaling scenes and a grand acting by the lead performer turns it into a definite winner.

Memory of Love (2009)

Memory of Love (2009)

Director: Chao Wang
Country: China
 Runtime: 92 min













A woman, He Sizhu, and her lover, Chen Mo, are in a car accident. When she wakes up at the hospital where her husband is a surgeon, she has forgotten everything. Her lover has become a stranger, but he wants her back.

Brothers (2011)

Brothers (2011)

Director: Mika Kaurismäki
Country: Finland
Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes









Two brothers take decidedly different paths when they attempt to seek their fortune. One is a responsible married man who opens up a print shop, working arduously to make a living. The other brother is a hippie who has a young girlfriend. When he stays with his brother, he has an affair with his sister-in-law while his brother sleeps with his girlfriend. The two brother attempt to patch things up after the hippie moves out.

The Turin Horse (2011)

The Turin Horse

 Directors:Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky
 Country: Hungary
 Runtime:146 min 




1889. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche witnessed the whipping of a horse while traveling in Turin, Italy. He tossed his arms around the horse's neck to protect it then collapsed to the ground. In less than one month, Nietzsche would be diagnosed with a serious mental illness that would make him bed-ridden and speechless for the next eleven years until his death. But whatever did happen to the horse? This film, which is Tarr's last, follows up this question in a fictionalized story of what occurred. The man who whipped the horse is a rural farmer who makes his living taking on carting jobs into the city with his horse-drawn cart. The horse is old and in very poor health, but does its best to obey its master's commands. The farmer and his daughter must come to the understanding that it will be unable to go on sustaining their livelihoods. The dying of the horse is the foundation of this tragic tale. Written by Anonymous

Tomboy (2011)

                                                            

Director: Céline Sciamma

                                                                     Country: France

                                                                     Runtime: 84 min

                                                                       

There is definitely something boyish about ten-year-old Laure. She has recently moved to a new area with her parents and her little sister, Jeanne. It’s summertime and all the other neighbourhood children are playing outside – only Laure is alone, for she knows nobody of her own age. But then, one day, she meets Lisa, a girl who is exactly the same age. Laure allows her new acquaintance to believe that she is a boy. Laure becomes Mikaël, and, no sooner has she brought about this ‘transformation’ than she begins playing with all the other neighbourhood children. As time passes, Laure’s relationship to Lisa becomes increasingly close, making the ambiguity of her situation ever more complicated.
Céline Sciamma is a proponent of a new generation of filmmakers in France. In an interview with “Cineuropa” in August 2007 she comments: “I became a cinephile as a result of young French cinema of the 90s: Desplechin, Lvovsky, Rochant. But I like Gus Van Sant and Larry Clark a lot too for their work on adolescence, not to forget David Lynch.”

Familiar Ground (2011)

 En terrains connus                                               Director: Stéphane Lafleur

Country: Canada
Runtime:  90 min



Maryse and her husband are desperate to sell a backhoe sitting abandoned in their suburban yard. Her brother, Benoit, is trapped in endless adolescence, sharing their childhood home with their invalid father. Benoit is enamoured with a single mom named Nathalie, and he's hoping to finally grow up by living with her... but Nathalie's son does not approve. A serious accident at the factory where Maryse works, a strange series of coincidences, and the arrival of a Man claiming to come from the future launch Maryse and Benoit on a life-changing road trip. Following up his acclaimed feature film Continental, a film without guns, filmmaker Stephane Lafleur once again brings us an ensemble of compelling characters, in a story where the ordinary and the fantastic collide. Written by Anonymous from imdb

MELANCHOLIA (2011)

MELANCHOLIA

Director: Lars von Trier
Country: Denmark 
Runtime:136 min





The film begins with an intro sequence, with a number of semi-abstract images of the main characters as well as images from space, showing the end of the world. Melancholia is divided into two parts, the first being a family drama about the girl Justine (Kirsten Dunst), who is alienated from her family at her own wedding.
Part two is an apocalyptic drama about Justine and her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who has to deal with the possible end of the world, as a previously unknown Counter-Earth planet, called Melancholia, is on collision course with Earth.
In part one, the young couple Justine and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) are getting married at a castle, but the party is far from successful, as Justine’s divorced parents (John Hurt and Charlotte Rampling) are openly fighting at the dinner. Justine herself is both alienated from her sister, her new husband, her boss (Stellan Skarsgård) and her parents.
She drifts away from the party, and becomes increasingly depressed and desperate during the night. At several occasions, she looks at a specific star, which seems to shine brighter than normal. Claire’s husband John (Kiefer Sutherland) says it is the star Antares, and later in the movie the star disappears. At the end of the party, Michael leaves Justine, implying that their marriage is called off.
In part two, Justine has become severely depressed, and visits Claire and John, who lives in the same castle with their son Leo (Cameron Spurr). To begin with, Justine is unable to do normal everyday things like taking a bath or eat, but becomes more self confident over time.
It has been revealed that the reason for Antares’ disappearance was due to the planet Melancholia, which had previously been hidden behind the sun, had moved in front of the star and blocked it from view.
At the same time, Melancholia has become visible in the sky. John, being very keen on astronomy, is excited about the planet, and looks forward to the so-called fly-by, as Earth and Melancholia are supposed to pass by each other.
Claire is very fearful about the planet, and believes it is the end of the world. On the night of the fly-by, it seems that John was right, as Melancholia passes by Earth, and nothing happens. In the following days, however, it turns out that Melancholia is coming back around. As John finds out, he commits suicide by taking pills.
His dead body is found by Claire, who decides to keep it a secret. She then talks to Justine, who is extremely cynical about the impending doom. However, she tries to comfort Leo by building a crude shelter out of wooden sticks. The film ends with Justine, Claire and Leo sitting inside the shelter, as Melancholia collides with Earth.

                                                            DIRECTORS STATEMENT

It was like waking from a dream: my producer showed me a suggestion for a poster. “What is that?” I ask. ”It’s a film you’ve made!” she replies. ”I hope not,” I stammer. Trailers are shown ... stills ... it looks like shit. I’m shaken.
Don’t get me wrong ... I’ve worked on the film for two years. With great pleasure. But perhaps I’ve deceived myself. Let myself be tempted. Not that anyone has done anything wrong ... on the contrary, everybody has worked loyally and with talent toward the goal defined by me alone. But when my producer presents me with the cold facts, a shiver runs down my spine.
This is cream on cream. A woman’s film! I feel ready to reject the film like a wrongly transplanted organ.
But what was it I wanted? With a state of mind as my starting point, I desired to dive headlong into the abyss of German romanticism. Wagner in spades. That much I know. But is that not just another way of expressing defeat? Defeat to the lowest of cinematic common denominators? Romance is abused in all sorts of endlessly dull ways in mainstream products.
And then, I must admit, I have had happy love relationships with romantic cinema ... to name the obvious: Visconti!
German romance that leaves you breathless. But in Visconti, there was always something to elevate matters beyond the trivial ... elevate it to masterpieces!
I am confused now and feel guilty. What have I done?
Is it ’exit Trier?’ I cling to the hope that there may be a bone splinter amid all the cream that may, after all, crack a fragile tooth ... I close my eyes and hope!

Lars von Trier, Copenhagen, April 13, 2011.

The Cat Vanishes (2011)

The Cat Vanishes (2011)

Director: Carlos Sorin
Country:Argentina
Runtime:  90 min












Luis Romero is a history professor who suffers a psychotic break and assaulted a colleague. Beatrice, his wife, as a neuropsychiatric internal. Later Luis returns home, supposedly cured, but Beatriz doubt his sanity. Especially after the disappearance of Donatello, the cat.

Drive (2011)

Drive (2011)

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Country: USA
Runtime: 100 min 







A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.