In the years around World War I, the need to defend oneself from the ugliness of a dramatic present and to try to keep every slightest hope for the future was felt more strongly than ever. The seventh art did not remain indifferent and in these years took a totally new direction, becoming the voice of every human being, his weaknesses, his fears, his desperate desire for happiness.
A series of falls from height, but also splatter scenes, close-ups of bloody faces, screams, screams and more screams. Staging Death – ironic, clever, but also incredibly reverent towards the great Udo Kier – represents a milestone in Jan Soldat’s filmography. At the Cannes Film Festival 2022, section Quinzaine des Réalisateurs.
In Benny’s Video, reality is what we see, but also what we can manipulate at will. Michael Haneke knows very well where to direct our gaze, simply letting the images speak for themselves and – through monitors that almost act as a ‘filter’ – showing us a distorted world, a sick world.
Decadentism and modernity find an excellent combination in Corsage. The costumes and elegant interiors of Schönbrunn provide a counterpoint to the pop music. At the same time, Marie Kreutzer opted for a classical mise-en-scène, so that the viewer can focus exclusively on her magnetic protagonist, masterfully played by Vicky Krieps. At the Cannes Film Festival 2022.
Im Augenblick. Die Historie und das Offene plays with sensations and perceptions, is constantly searching for new ways of staging, is not afraid to dare or to exaggerate. The yellow of the cinematography almost suggests imminent danger. What if the danger is represented by humans themselves?
Still Life is by no means a ‘simple’ film. On the contrary, every little facet of the protagonists’ personalities is well rendered by Sebastian Meise’s camera in a never rhetorical or predictable way. The close-ups on their faces, the confessions, the chats in a car or on a station platform, but also the extreme gestures give each of them humanity.
In The Bosom Friend Ulrich Seidl has once again given us a character we will not easily forget. A character who almost seems to belong to a world apart and who – according to some of the director’s own statements – after having renounced all forms of earning a living or social relationships, may also have found freedom in his own way.
The working-class struggle, the need to ‘grow up’, but also – and above all – love torments are the absolute protagonists in Taking it Back. Andreas Schmied, who has always had a great aptitude for entertaining comedies, has attempted a mix of social discourse and sentimental aspects, paying more attention to the latter.
Yesterday, Thursday, May 5, the nominations for the Österreichischer Filmpreis 2022 were announced. Once again, the Akademie des Österreichischen Films, chaired this year by actress Verena Altenberger and director Arash T. Riahi, selected some of the best films made in Austria during the last year. The award ceremony will take place on June 30 in Grafenegg, Lower Austria, supervised by director Clara Stern.
Replay is a sparkling comedy of errors, an evocative and original portrait of Vienna by night, but also the personal drama of a man who has not yet found his place in the world.