In Jewels – recently restored by Filmarchiv Austria and presented to the audience on the new channel Filmarchiv On – Hans Brückner adopted a courageous and rather innovative directorial approach, drawing heavily on what had been made in the past, but at the same time treasuring numerous influences from the rest of the world.
Ene Mene Muh – Und tot bist du! is a delightful comedy in which the murders that take place inside the aforementioned retirement home never take on dark or dramatic connotations but, on the contrary, end up being a true ode to life and, in particular, to those who have had the opportunity to live a particularly long life.
Das Schweigen der Esel, while boasting a tension-filled narrative development, further enhanced by a sophisticated parallel editing, also presents a touch of welcome, typically Austrian irony, as well as, of course, numerous references to feature films of the past, as well as to literary classics.
Who was Edgar Allan? is a sophisticated detective story with a noir character in which a Venice that is often quite different from how we are used to imagining it acts as the perfect co-star. Michael Haneke, for his part, has succeeded perfectly in staging an intriguing yet twisted and highly controversial story.
An exciting and extremely topical thriller, Cold Hell is a much more complex and layered work than it may at first seem. Stefan Ruzowitzky has made not only a fresco of the city of Vienna in all its multiculturalism and controversial aspects, but also – and above all – a film that brings up complex and sensitive issues such as racism and patriarchy.
Everyone has something to hide. Michael Haneke knows this well. And he also knows that certain secrets and faults from the past can also have a strong, very strong impact on the present. In Hidden, therefore, the protagonist’s past returns in the most devious way.
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.
Dark atmospheres, bleak landscapes and interpersonal relationships full of burning secrets are the absolute protagonists in Dunkle Wasser. The Riahi brothers, for their part, have mastered an impeccable and multifaceted screenplay, the highlight of which is the two detectives. At the Diagonale’23.
Goldfish have very powerful eyesight and are able to see what humans often miss. Who is the mysterious killer? Das letzte Problem cleverly takes its cue from what has been made in the past while at the same time creating an enjoyable, adrenaline-fuelled detective story with a welcome retro touch.
Der Schutzengel stands out immediately for its evocative noir atmospheres, for places almost isolated from the rest of the world and for an intelligent and never predictable reflection on the nature of human beings. Götz Spielmann’s unmistakable approach did the rest. At the Diagonale’22.