My Best Enemy is a feature film with an international scope, which draws heavily on mainstream US cinema. World War II and the Holocaust are recounted in Austria in an important film, in which, alongside the story of the two friends/enemies and the dramatic war, there is also a great homage to the art world and to beauty.
Tales of Franz stands out immediately for its extremely simple and linear narrative structure, almost completely devoid of subplots. And if, on the one hand, the story of Franz and his friends is exciting and amusing, on the other hand, one feels the need for a few more twists and turns, as well as necessary insights into some secondary characters.
In her important Fly away Home Mirjam Unger has made everything develop on two distinct levels: on the one hand there is war, poverty, the destroyed city and the army. On the other is Christl with her curiosity about the world and her joie de vivre.
Although Aufschneider stands out immediately for its television-like writing and directorial approach, everything flows in an overall linear way. Every single event, every single story of the characters are somehow connected. Often, however, also in an excessively predictable manner.
In Falling, Barbara Albert, in staging a strong nostalgia for the past, together with the desire to find oneself and one’s affections, skilfully avoids excessive emotionalism, showing a necessary detachment and a mature rationality in observing the five protagonists closely. Detachment and rationality that, in this case, manage to make us gradually get more and more connected with each individual character.
In Nikolaus Leytner’s Half a Life, alongside a clear television character, far more complex moral issues concerning anger, resentment, deep sorrow and, last but not least, a heartbreaking sense of guilt are raised.
At the opening of the festival on March 24, the Diagonale’20 will award the Great Diagonale Acting Award for contributions to Austrian film culture for the thirteenth consecutive year. The Diagonale is happy to announce that this year the prize will be awarded to Ursula Strauss. The theatre, film and television actress will personally receive the award – a piece of art by Daniel Spoerri – in Graz.
With a directorial approach that is as essential as possible – and with evident influences from the cinema of Michael Haneke – Markus Schleinzer – together with Kathrin Resetarits – has opted in Michael for a skilful minimal direction in staging the events of the two protagonists. A minimal direction made up of essential shots, fixed camera and very little dialogue. In competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2011.
There is apparently no way of salvation for the protagonists of Götz Spielmann’s Revanche (as in any other work by the Austrian director). This implicit cosmic pessimism – filled, in its own way, with a subtle religiousness – assumes immediately a universal connotation concerning every historical period.