A sense of melancholy, and at times even nostalgia, but also, at the same time, a welcome touch of irony contribute to making Nachts in der Provinz a feature film with a magnetic charm, which also stands out for its excellent characterisation of the protagonists in all their complex facets.
80 Plus deals with delicate and complex topics in a never banal or rhetorical way, attacking every hypocritical convention and staging first and foremost a great, unexpected friendship, with a tender and sensitive look at elderly people.
In Andrea Gets a Divorce, Josef Hader’s second feature film as a director, comedy and tragedy are constantly alternating, mixing and merging within a mature and intelligent work. At the Berlinale 2024, Panorama section.
With Die Vermieterin, Sebastian Brauneis has once again made something totally unique. A hilarious and moving work, in which there is also – and above all – an important social discourse. At the Diagonale’23.
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.
Kurdwin Ayub is not afraid to dare and experiment with new film languages. This, after all, is what she has always done in her previous works as well. In Sonne, therefore, the director also finally feels free to develop and explore themes close to her heart from the perspective of teenagers who live in a big European city, but who come from all over the world. What, then, does homeland mean?
In autumn, overripe things fall. And similarly, there seems to be no certainty for the relationships between the protagonists of 1 Verabredung im Herbst. Yet at the same time, Sebastian Brauneis stages the complexity of feelings and interpersonal relationships with an uncommon lightness.
Pastel-coloured cinematography and an almost naïve characterisation of the protagonists and their gestures immediately give Fische a light, sensitive, almost carefree atmosphere, as if they were in a sort of dimension suspended in time. And this is the perfect counterpoint to the first lines of dialogue between the two young protagonists. All this because of a conflict that can only be overcome when a much-needed lightness is rediscovered.
3freunde2feinde wants to tell in particular the workers’ uprising and the ‘takeover’ by three long-time friends. In order, then, to remain coherent with what he has staged, Sebastian Brauneis decided to realise his film with a very limited budget (just under €2,500). Still, passion is evident.
Perfectly according to the poetics of Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, The Sinful Women of Höllfall mainly plays with feelings, fears and suggestions experienced by the characters themselves. What is staged is, in fact, the very fear of the Trud and the deep sense of guilt that such a legend has managed to generate in the past.