By Markus Tschiedert
With “Paw Patrol” and “Checker Tobi”, two children’s films reached the top of the German cinema charts. Horror fare like “The Nun II” and “The Exorcist” were left behind.
Big cinema starts this week with the reactivation of the 3D film by Wim Wenders with his artist portrait “Anselm” and the melancholic action thriller “DogMan” by Luc Besson. This will certainly move the charts.
“DogMan” – Dogs are better people
THE STORY: Even as a small boy, the disabled Doug (Caleb Landry Jones) was beaten by his dad (Clemens Schick) and crammed into a dog kennel. Since then, four-legged friends have been his best friends and protectors. This proves to be the case when Doug is targeted by a gang of gangsters.
THE STARS: So far, Caleb Landry Jones has only been seen in supporting roles (“X-Men: First Decision”). “DogMan” could be his breakthrough. Clemens Schick already played the villain in “Casino Royale” and “Servus Papa, See you in Hell”.
Scene from “DogMan”
THE DIRECTOR: With “In the Intoxication of the Deep” and “Léon – The Professional”, Luc Besson became France’s most successful filmmaker. He also scored hits with history (“Johanna of Orléans”) and science fiction (“The 5th Element”).
BG RATING: The story of a loner who can only defend himself with the help of his dogs is both touching and brutal. Rough action moments alternate with dreamy vocal interludes because Doug also tries out as a drag artist. But the many dogs steal the show (114 minutes, free for ages 16 and up).
“Fearless Flyers – Flying for Beginners” – Fear of flying leads to chaos
THE STORY: The “Fearless Flyers” is a company that treats wealthy people with a fear of flying. After numerous simulations, Sarah (Lydia Leonard), Edward (Timothy Spall) and Alfons (Sverrir Gudnason) board a real plane to Iceland. The flight out becomes torture. But when the return flight is canceled due to a storm, real chaos breaks out.
THE STARS: Lydia Leonard has already appeared as the sister of Tom Hiddleston (“Archipelago”) and daughter of Emma Thompson (“Last Christmas”). Timothy Spall is best known as Peter Pettigrew in Harry Potter. For the role of the painter “Mr. The Briton has received several awards as Turner – Master of Light.
“Fearless Flyers” is about fear of flying
THE DIRECTOR: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson already attracted attention with the black comedy “Under the Tree”. The Icelander was even nominated for an Oscar for this.
BG RATING: Things get pretty weird here and you never know what will happen next. It goes from one faux pas to the next, which fuels the humor of this comedy. The audience swings back and forth between laughter, embarrassment and pity (97 minutes, free for ages 12 and up).
The special film: “Anselm – The Rushing of Time”
THE STORY: Anselm Kiefer caused a stir with his works in the 1970s. He achieved world fame with a traveling exhibition from 1987 to 1989. After that, the now 78-year-old needed more and more space for his gigantic exhibits. In between, his childhood and the early years of his career are also illuminated.
THE STARS: Anselm Kiefer often appears himself, but he remains silent, doesn’t comment anything, but shows himself doing his work. In flashbacks he is played by others: his own son Daniel Kiefer portrays him as a young man, Wim Wenders’ great-nephew Anton Wenders as a child.
THE DIRECTOR: Wim Wenders celebrated his greatest international successes with “Paris, Texas” and “The Sky Over Berlin” in the 1980s. The Berlin-based filmmaker has previously made documentaries about “Pope Francis” and the choreographer “Pina” Bausch (also in 3D).
Anselm Kiefer in his studio
BG RATING: There are only a few words here, the works of art speak for themselves. You’re happy to get involved in this, and in 3D (you should definitely prefer this version) images, sculptures and buildings are particularly effective. Along the way, you learn a lot about Kiefer’s life and what drives him. At the end of the journey through time, you leave the cinema feeling inspired (97 minutes, free from age 6).
Cinema for kids: “The Flying Classroom”
THE STORY: Martina (Leni Deschner) lives modestly with her mother and brother in a Berlin housing estate. She spends the summer at a boarding school in the Alps. Here, however, the ‘in-house high school students’ compete with the students from the village. Teacher Justus Bökh (Tom Schilling) wants to mediate. The kids discover a stranger (Trystan Pütter) in an abandoned train carriage. He was once friends with her timpanist until they had a falling out.
THE STARS: Tom Schilling has been an integral part of the film business for 23 years. First his breakthrough with “Crazy”, then the Berliner celebrated successes with “Our Mothers, Our Fathers”, “Oh, Boy” and “Werk ohne Autor”. Trystan Pütter was also there for “Our Mothers, Our Fathers”. He was also seen on television in series such as “Ku’damm 59”, “Babylon Berlin” and “Das Boot”.
THE DIRECTOR: Carolina Hellsgård comes from Sweden but lives and works in Berlin. Her first feature film “Wanja” was shown at the Berlinale 2015. She shot two episodes of “The Barcelona Crime” for television in 2022.
BG RATING: The fourth film adaptation of Erich Kästner’s classic book wants to be particularly trendy. This often seems artificial and not all new ideas work. But the basic structure remains, and that again seems outdated. So a lot of things don’t add up. The first film adaptation from 1954 remains most faithful to the book (89 min., free from 0).
These are the new kids at “The Flying Classroom”