By Markus Tschiedert
As expected, the superhero epic “The Marvels” immediately shot to number 1 in the German cinema charts. But the competition doesn’t sleep and shows up this week with the 5th part of “The Hunger Games”.
Not a sequel, but a prequel. Berliners in particular will enjoy this future thriller. Because 65 percent of the film was shot on their doorstep.
“The Hunger Games: The Ballard of Songbirds & Snakes” – Berlin as a city of the future
THE STORY: After a war, dictatorship reigns in Panem. The elite live in the Capitol, the poor population lives in the 13th district. Young Snow (Tom Blyth) is part of the elite and becomes mentor to Lucy (Rachel Zegler) from the 12th district. She must take part in a life and death competition in the 10th Hunger Games. A forbidden love arises between Snow and Lucy, which becomes their downfall.
THE STARS: Tom Blyth, known from the TV series “Billy the Kid”, replaces Donald Sutherland, who previously played Coriolanus Snow as an old man. Rachel Zegler also sings here and already demonstrated her musical talent in Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story”.
THE DIRECTOR: Francis Lawrence directed the last three “Hunger Games” films. “The Ballard of Songbirds & Snakes” takes place 65 years earlier. Suzanne Collins published her novel in 2020.
BG rating: So this time we get the prequel story with a new cast. The focus is on the villain of the earlier films as a young man. This is an exciting approach, but the plot often falters. Our Berlin, where most of the filming was done, offers great value. The Olympic Stadium and Karl-Marx-Allee have been transformed into a dark future city – scary to see (158 min., free for ages 12 and up).
“Thanksgiving” – A bloody Thanksgiving
THE STORY: A serial killer is on the loose in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. The sheriff (Patrick Dempsey) finds out that the ax murderer has a perfidious plan for revenge. He wants to use his sacrifices to prepare his very special Thanksgiving feast.
THE STARS: The role of the sheriff is played by Patrick Dempsey, who became a star with the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy”. In the cinema he was seen in, among others, “Enchanted” and “In Love with the Bride”. Gina Gershon, who reached the peak of her career in the 1990s with “Showgirls” and “Bound,” has a smaller role.
Patrick Dempsey in the thriller “Thanksgiving” Photo: picture alliance / Everett Collection
THE DIRECTOR: Horror is his genre, which is why Eli Roth achieved cult status among his fans with “Cabin Fever” and “Hostel”. He also occasionally appears as an actor. His best-known role is that of the Nazi butcher in Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.”
BG RATING: Tarantino came up with the idea when he put a fake trailer in front of “Death Proof” (2007) that promoted a non-existent film called “Thanksgiving”. Eli Roth now delivers and lets a lot of blood squirt. Even if the irony comes across, you have to be prepared for extremely disgusting scenes. Do you need that? (107 minutes, free from 18).
“The Bologna Kidnapping – Stolen in the Name of the Pope” – The Plight of a Child
THE STORY: In 1858, the Jewish Mortara family in Bologna, Italy, had their seven-year-old son Edgardo (Enea Sala) taken away from them. The wet nurse is said to have secretly baptized him. Now it belongs to the Catholic Church. Despite requests from his father (Fausto Russo Alesi) and great protests, Pope Pius IX wants to. (Paolo Pierobon) don’t give in.
THE STARS: Paolo Pierobon began his career 25 years ago. In this country he is known from supporting roles in films such as “The Full Post” or “The Sweet Greed”. Fausto Russo Alesi is best known as Bruno in “The Hour of Crime”.
THE DIRECTOR: Marco Bollocchio recently attracted attention with the mafia film “Il Traditore – As a key witness against the Cosa Nostra”. The Italian has been making films since 1965, including “With the Fist in the Pocket” and “The Devil in the Body”.
Enea Sala as the young Edgardo Mortara in a scene from the film “The Bologna Kidnapping – Robbed in the Name of the Pope” Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Pandora Filmverleih
BG RATING: The film is coming to cinemas at the right time, as it shows how old anti-Semitism is in Europe. A true story that still shakes almost 200 years later and cries out for justice (135 min., free for ages 12 and up).
The special film: “Cat Person”
THE STORY: In the evenings, student Margot (Emilia Jones) works at the cinema, where Robert (Nicholas Braun) often buys a ticket. He barely responds to her attempts to flirt. Then they start talking, send each other text messages, go out. When they sleep together, Margot has lost interest in him and breaks up with him via text message. At first Robert reacts calmly, but then he runs after her.
THE STARS: Emilia Jones starred in “Coda,” the 2021 Oscar winner. She previously made smaller appearances in “Brimstone” and “High-Rise”. Nicholas Brown played his most famous role to date in the series “Succession”. Isabella Rossellini (“Blue Velvet”) only appears briefly.
Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun in “Cat Person” Photo: picture alliance / ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE DIRECTOR: Susanna Fogel celebrated her greatest successes as a screenwriter (“Bad Spies”). She has also directed several TV series (“The Flight Attendant”).
BG RATING: Where the film is headed is far from clear. The story just babbles along and is neither a drama nor a comedy. Then suddenly it’s about toxic masculinity and thriller moments are incorporated. But nothing works and the audience is left perplexed (120 minutes, free for ages 16 and up).