By Markus Tschiedert
It’s rare enough that a star comes to the cinema with two new films at the same time. Barbara Sukowa manages to do this completely unintentionally this week with the artist portrait “Dalíland” and the comedy “Advanced Grandchildren”.
Children are also the main actors in the shocker “Skinamarink” and in the family film “New Stories from Franz”. Let’s see which of these reboots will influence the upcoming cinema charts.
“Advanced Grandchildren” – pensioners in the school shop
THE STORY: After Karin (Maren Kroymann) is back from New Zealand, new tasks are needed. So she persuades Philippa (Barbara Sukowa) and Gerhard (Heiner Lauterbach) to run a school shop. But this time it’s teenagers who don’t necessarily want to be told anything by the three old people. And then there are personal worries.
3rd v. left Heiner Lauterbach, 2nd from re. Maren Kroymann and next to him Barbara Sukowa in “Advanced Grandchildren” Photo: Studio Canal
THE STARS: After the success of “Grandchildren for Beginners”, Maren Kroymann (“Love Things”), Barbara Sukowa (“We Both”), Heiner Lauterbach (“Welcome to the Hartmanns”) are three years later at an advanced age for a sequel.
THE DIRECTOR: Wolfgang Groos already directed the first part. Before that, he shot Cold Feet with Lauterbach, several episodes of Pastewka and children’s films such as Rico, Oskar and the Heartbreak.
BG RATING: With “Advanced Grandchildren” the pace of the previous film is even increased. The gags are fired every minute and even remain substantial. Because in addition to situation comedy, there are always existential themes between love and death (110 min., free for ages 6 and up).
“Skinamarink” – Kevin is not alone at home
THE STORY: Siblings Kaylee (Dali Rose Tetreault) and Kevin (Lucas Paul) are home alone. They call for their parents, who have somehow disappeared. The four-year-old and his six-year-old sister try to distract themselves with television and toys. But doors and furniture suddenly disappear in the dark. Until a voice speaks to them.
Scene from “Skinamarink” Photo: Capelight
THE STARS: The film was cast exclusively with amateur actors. Ross Paul is also Lucas Paul’s father in real life. In the mini-series “Moby Dick” (2011) Ross Paul was previously used as an extra.
THE DIRECTOR: Kyle Edward Ball made his feature film debut for the paltry sum of $15,000. “Skinamarink” achieved cult status through TikTok. Previously, Ball only delivered the short film “Heck”.
BG RATING: The director almost exclusively adopts the perspective of his two main actors, which awakens his own primal fears from childhood. The whole thing seems too experimental at first to be captivated by it. The horror only comes over time – almost imperceptibly, but all the more shocking (100 min., free from the age of 16).
The special film: “Dalíland”
THE STORY: New York 1973: The young gallery assistant James (Christopher Briney) meets the surrealist Salvador Dalí (Ben Kingsley). He gets the order from him to help with his next exhibition. The 19-year-old gets to know the extravagant life of the painter and, above all, his wife Gala (Barbara Sukowa). She pulls all the strings, which threatens to break up the marriage.
THE STARS: 40 years ago, Ben Kingsley received the Oscar for his role as “Gandhi” and became world famous. His appearances in “Schindler’s List” and “Sexy Beast” are also unforgettable. Barbara Sukowa made it to the top as “Lola” and “Rosa Luxemburg”. Born in Bremen, she now lives in New York.
THE DIRECTOR: Mary Harron first gained attention in 1996 with “I Shot Andy Warhol”. She attended the Berlinale 2000 with her next film “American Psycho”.
Ben Kingsley here in a scene from the movie “Daliland” Photo: Square One
BG RATING: Due to their eccentricity, Salvador Dalí and his wife are made for two actors who can be in ecstasy. Sukowa and Kingsley argue, yell, and offer grand gestures that at times seem bordering on the ridiculous. But despite the tragedy, that is exactly what has a high entertainment value (97 min., free from the age of 16).
Cinema for kids: “New stories from Franz”
THE STORY: Again and again Franz (Jossi Jantschitsch) has to mediate between his two best friends, who are always fighting. In order to become a great trio again, the boy suggests convicting a burglar who is wanted all over Vienna. The trail leads the three detectives to Frau Berger (Maria Bill) of all places. Because why does Franz’s neighbor need so much jewelry?
THE STARS: In 2022, Jossi Jantschitsch played Franz from Christine Nöstlinger’s children’s books. With this, the now 12-year-old Viennese made his film debut. His parents were cast again with Simon Schwarz (“Rehragout-Rendezvous”) and Ursula Strauss (“Maikäfer flieg”).
THE DIRECTOR: Johannes Schmid was at the Berlinale in 2007 with his first feature film, Stupid Hat! This was followed by “Winter’s Daughter”, “Agnes” and “Tales of Franz”.
BG RATING: A lovable children’s film that will not only inspire young viewers. This is ensured by the cheeky kids, who are repeatedly exposed to darn concatenations, which then guarantee both humor and excitement (71 min., free from 0).