Film Festival Berlin opens under turbulent Gesternte with ‘hardcore political’ satire on left gutmenschen

With a film about a “typical dysfunctional German family” that, due to the arrival of a mysterious Syrian domestic help, realizes that they actually do not communicate with each other and have “shit to each other”, opens the 75th edition of the Berlin film festival on Thursday evening. Director Tom Tykwer (Lola Rennt) described Tie in trade magazine Variety As a “hardcore political” statement.

The Berlinale takes place this year under a turbulent star. Germany chooses a new parliament next week and a series of attacks, on Thursday morning still in Munich, migration became the core theme of those elections. All in all a challenge for the new director TreCia Tuttle, who is careful with the reputation of the Berlinale as the more political brother of the film festivals in Cannes and Venice.

Salonactivist

Tykwers Film is an explicit satire on the left Gutmenschen Have those noble talks, but above all being busy with themselves. Father and salon activist Tim (Lars Eidinger) would prefer to make air travel forbidden, according to his son, and arrives everywhere in a soaked bicycle suit – in the Berlin of Tykwer, the meaningful permanent.

Tim’s own wife constantly takes the plane to Nairobi. She wants to build a theater for the local youth there, but is busier with hanging on the phone about subsidies and self -pity than talking to local employees. Their two teenagers now flee in Hedonism and Gamen. A new, from Syria, household help with a special, flickering LED lamp that brings people to a sort of near-death experience, takes on the role of family therapist. It is significant that both the characters and the viewers only let them discover what her story really is.

It produces a witty film at times, especially Lars Eidinger as a pseudo-intellectual mansplainer Who wants a pat on his wife’s ball. And the film makes attempts to avoid the beaten track on this subject with dance and dream intermezzos. But the whole sometimes feels briefly through the bend and seems to be limping on two legs. Hopefully the entire festival succeeds better this year to merge entertainment and engagement in a less artificial way.

If you look at the impressive line-up of the first edition under Tuttle, that could just be. The American, who previously led the BFI London Film Festival, took over from Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian and has succeeded in snagging slightly more Hollywood names and international award lovers. The Berlinale, the first major European festival of the film year, missed some glamor compared to Rivals Cannes and Venice.

Catch -up

Tuttle is working on a catch -up. This is how Richard Linklater (Boyhood) This year in the main competition. He comes to Berlin with a film about song text writer Lorenz Hart, the man who, together with Richard Rodgers, was responsible for songs such as ‘My Funny Valentine’. There are leading roles for stars such as Ethan Hawke and Margaret Qalley.

Between the nineteen films in the main competition that have a chance to win the coveted Golden Bear or one of the silver bears, is also the Mexican director Michel Franco. He has after his acclaimed dementia drama Memory A story made about a ballet dancer who has fled from Mexico who hopes for support from his beloved, an American socialite and philanthropist. Franco gave Jessica Chastain just like in Memory A leading role. Both links and Franco’s previous films premiered in Venice.

The Berlinale jury who distributes De Beren led by the American director Todd Haynes, this year also has a choice of the new feature films of Roemaen Radu Jude and of the South Korean ‘Woody Allen’ Hong Sang-Sooo or from Kateryna’s documentary Gornostai, about how in Ukrainian schools an attempt is made to maintain an appearance of normality.

Oscarlieverslagen ‘Parasite’

It is also very striking that director Bong Joon-Hoo his first film since Oscarlievers Parasite Let Berlin premiere. In science fiction film Mickey 17 Robert Pattinson plays someone who goes on life -threatening aliens and every time he is dying. It is one of the films worldwide that this year is most bored with.

Despite the extra star material that Tuttle added to this edition, it is clear that Berlin also wants to continue to profile itself as a festival that does not shy away from politics. The Berlinale was the subject of quite a few controversies last year. For example, the festival in Germany came under fire after the Israeli-Palestinian registry duo of the award-winning documentary No other country During the Israel closing ceremony and the war in Gaza criticized. German politicians then accused them and the festival of anti -Semitism and one -sidedness.

Since then, Tuttle is carelessly laving between supporting filmmakers, politics and criticism from various angles, but does not seem to be going to choose the easy way. In a statement and bill On the festival website she once again announced that “the Berlinale welcomes different views, even if this creates tensions or controversy”. Immediately it follows that an attempt is made to “create an environment in which we can listen and learn to each other, and we ask for a respectful dialogue and a certain cultural sensitivity.” What that will look like this year will show the next ten days.

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