18. März 2024

WHITE BIRD

The past that is still present. Pain, romanticism and fantasy.

by Mercedes Ortego

It's a tale from World War II about hiding Jews. The narrative is already familiar to us, aimed at a teenage audience. WHITE BIRD by Marc Forster mixes reality with fantasy and the past with the present. A contemporary subplot is intersected by the main story where two teenagers lead us to escape from the Nazi occupation in France. They use their imagination as a way out of the horror and oppression they are experiencing. 

Very well-produced film WHITE BIRD features two young talents (Ariella Glasner as Sara, Orlando Schwerdt as Julien) as its protagonists, who guide us through the movie in the development of the relationship between their two characters, initially antagonists but ultimately finding they have much in common.
Using visual effects that could be somewhat better achieved, the filmmakers want to transport us from the Europe occupied by the Nazis to the world of fantasy with a romantic imagination. A tender teen romance evolves in the barn, where Sara hides for a long time.

Aside from the production and good photography, the lighting stands out, which is very well achieved in numerous night-scenes where the illumination is very subdued, something that happens frequently throughout the film. Additionally, the performances of supporting characters Helen Mirren (as narrating grandmother Sara in the present time) and Gillian Anderson (as Vivienne, the foster-mother of the Jewish girl Sara in the 1940s), contribute to elevating the film's quality.
There are also some nods to other great films with similar themes. Like the treatment of the colour of the protagonist's red shoes, which could well be those that want to take us to the world of Oz or remind us of the girl in the red coat from Schindler's List.
WHITE BIRD offers few surprises, but boasts a high production value. Its novelty lies in its approach to the teenage audience and the mix of genres of reality with surrealism. A warning against fascism and exclusion.

* * *


Die Vergangenheit, die immer noch gegenwärtig ist. Schmerz, Romantik und Fantasie.

von Mercedes Ortego

Dies ist eine Geschichte über versteckte Juden im Zweiten Weltkrieg, die wir bereits kennen und die sich an ein jugendliches Publikum richtet. WHITE BIRD von Marc Forster vermischt Realität mit Fantasie und Vergangenheit mit Gegenwart. Eine zeitgenössische Nebenhandlung wird von der Hauptgeschichte überschnitten, in der uns zwei Teenager zur Flucht vor der Nazi-Besatzung in Frankreich führen. Sie nutzen ihre Fantasie als Ausweg aus dem Schrecken und der Unterdrückung, die sie erleben.
Der sehr gut produzierte Film WHITE BIRD zeigt zwei junge Talente (Ariella Glasner als Sara, Orlando Schwerdt als Julien), deren Beziehung sich entwickelt. Zunächst Antagonisten in der Schule, entwickeln beide Zuneigung zueinander, als die Juden in der kleinen französischen Stadt gejagt werden.
Mit visuellen Effekten, die etwas besser hätten umgesetzt werden können, wollen die Filmemacher uns aus dem von den Nazis besetzten Europa in die Welt der Fantasie mit romantischer Fantasie entführen. In der Scheune, in der Julien Sara lange Zeit versteckt, entwickelt sich eine zarte Teenager-Romanze. 

Abgesehen von der Produktion und der guten Fotografie sticht die Beleuchtung hervor. In zahlreichen Nachtszenen, in denen das Licht sehr gedämpft ist, was im gesamten Film häufig vorkommt, wirkt die Lichtsetzung sehr gut gelungen. Darüber hinaus tragen die Leistungen der Nebencharaktere Helen Mirren (als erzählende Großmutter Sara in der Gegenwart) und Gillian Anderson (als Vivienne, die Pflegemutter des jüdischen Mädchens Sara in den 1940er Jahren) dazu bei, die Qualität des Films zu steigern.
Es gibt auch einige Anspielungen auf andere großartige Filme mit ähnlichen Themen. Wie etwa die Behandlung der Farbe der roten Schuhe der Protagonistin, die durchaus solche sein könnten, die uns in die Welt von Oz entführen wollen oder uns an das Mädchen im roten Mantel aus Schindlers Liste erinnern.
WHITE BIRD bietet kaum Überraschungen, weist aber einen hohen Produktionswert auf. Seine Neuheit liegt in seiner Herangehensweise an das jugendliche Publikum und der Mischung der Genres Realität und Surrealismus als Mahnung vor Faschismus und Ausgrenzung.

* * *

El pasado que sigue presente. Dolor romanticismo y fantasía.

de Mercedes Ortego 

Es una historia sobre la ocultación de judíos en la Segunda Guerra Mundial que ya conocemos, dirigida a un público adolescente. WHITE BIRD de Marc Forster mezcla la realidad con la fantasía y el pasado con el presente. Una trama secundaria contemporánea se cruza con la historia principal donde dos adolescentes nos llevan a escapar de la ocupación nazi en Francia. Usan su imaginación como una salida al horror y la opresión que viven.
La película muy bien producida WHITE BIRD presenta como protagonistas a dos jóvenes talentos (Ariella Glasner como Sara, Orlando Schwerdt como Julien), que nos guían a lo largo de la película en el desarrollo de la relación entre sus dos personajes, inicialmente antagonistas pero que finalmente descubren que tienen mucho en común.
Utilizando efectos visuales que podrían lograrse un poco mejor, los realizadores quieren transportarnos desde la Europa ocupada por los nazis al mundo de fantasía con una imaginación romántica. Un tierno romance adolescente se desarrolla en el granero, donde Sara se esconde durante mucho tiempo.

Aparte de la producción y la buena fotografía, destaca la iluminación, muy bien conseguida en numerosas escenas nocturnas donde la iluminación es muy tenue, algo que ocurre frecuentemente a lo largo de la película. Además, las actuaciones de los personajes secundarios Helen Mirren (como la narradora de la abuela Sara en la actualidad) y Gillian Anderson (como Vivienne, la madre adoptiva de la niña judía Sara en la década de 1940), contribuyen a elevar la calidad de la película.
También hay algunos guiños a otras grandes películas con temas similares. Como el tratamiento del color de los zapatos rojos de la protagonista, que bien podrían ser esos que quieren trasladarnos al mundo de Oz o recordarnos a la chica del abrigo rojo de La lista de Schindler.

WHITE BIRD ofrece pocas sorpresas, pero cuenta con un alto valor de producción. Su novedad radica en su acercamiento al público adolescente y la mezcla de géneros de la realidad con el surrealismo. Una advertencia contra el fascismo y la exclusión.

***

2. Januar 2024

2023 LIST OF FILMS

 Our 2023 yield of cinematic encounters. Sorted by our quality rating from high to low.

Kinofilmliste für 2023, sortiert nach Qualität.

Details: https://boxd.it/qJPGW 

 









27. April 2023

EEVA - a mysterious grotesque animation from Berlinale Shorts 2023

by Darina Alexeeva

Ukrainian text below 

Deutsche Übersetzung siehe unten

A funeral. A woman stands in the rain among identical-looking men in suits holding umbrellas. She is the only one who doesn't cry, although for her, it should be the saddest day in her life, because now she is a widow. Then the plot begins to develop rapidly and unexpectedly, taking the audience into a vortex of events and their consequences, which start creating a closed circle. The funeral feast evolves in to a performance.

Sarcastic, sometimes theatrically grotesque, and sometimes very serious and creepy scenarios come to life in this extraordinary animated short film. EEVA was shown in the Berlinale Shorts section 2023 after premiering at Tallinn Black Nights. The directors are the Croatian-Estonian directing couple Morten Tsinakov and Lucjia Mrzljak. It's not their first collaborative animation project.

This animation reminds me of a melody, the authors use parallel montage, combining all the characters into one rhythm, into one whole, making them part of the constant process of changing the life and death of the earth.

The genre of this 2D animation could be described as black comedy or sarcastic tragedy. At the same time, the episodes of the work can be compared with acts in the theater, but without intermissions. While watching, you barely have time to realize some events, as already in contrast something new begins, and it's fascinating.

+ + + +

EEVA – загадкова гротескна анімація з Berlinale Shorts-2023

 Даріна Алєксєєва


UKR: Похорони. Серед однакових на вигляд чоловіків в костюмах та з парасольками в руках, під дощем стоїть жінка. Вона єдина, хто не плаче з усіх присутніх, хоча для неї це найсумніший день у житті, адже вона овдовіла. Далі сюжет починає розвиватися стрімко та неочікувано, забираючи глядачів у вир подій та їхніх наслідків, створюючи таким чином замкнене коло.

Саркастичні, іноді театралізовано гротескні, а іноді дуже серйозні та моторошні сценарії оживають в цьому надзвичайному анімаційному короткометражному фільмі. Анімація EEVA була показана в секції Berlinale Shorts цього року після прем’єри на Tallinn Black Nights. Режисери - хорватсько-естонська режисерська пара Мортен Тшинаков та Луція Мрзляк, для яких це вже не перша спільна анімаційна робота.

Ця анімація дуже нагадує мелодію, автори використовують паралельний монтаж, поєднуючи всіх персонажів в один ритм, в одне ціле, роблячи їх частиною постійного процесу зміни життя і смерті землі.

Жанр цього двовимірного фільму можна було б описати як чорна комедія, або саркастична трагедія. При цьому, епізоди анімації нагадують акти у театрі, але без антрактів, тому під час перегляду ледь встигаєш усвідомити одні події, як вже на контрасті починається щось нове, і це зачаровує.


+ + + + 

EEVA – eine mysteriöse groteske Animation aus den Berlinale Shorts 2023

von Darina Alexeeva

DE: Eine Beerdigung. Eine Frau steht im Regen zwischen gleich aussehenden Männern in Anzügen mit Regenschirmen. Sie ist die einzige, die nicht weint, obwohl es für sie der traurigste Tag in ihrem Leben sein sollte, denn jetzt ist sie Witwe. Dann beginnt sich die Handlung schnell und unerwartet zu entwickeln und entführt den Zuschauer in einen Strudel von Ereignissen und ihren Folgen, die beginnen, einen geschlossenen Kreis zu bilden. Das Trauermahl entwickelt sich zu einer Aufführung.

Sarkastische, manchmal theatralisch groteske, manchmal sehr ernste und gruselige Szenarien werden in diesem außergewöhnlichen animierten Kurzfilm zum Leben erweckt. EEVA wurde nach seiner Premiere bei den Tallinn Black Nights in der Sektion Berlinale Shorts 2023 gezeigt. Regie führt das kroatisch-estnische Regiepaar Morten Tsinakov und Lucjia Mrzljak. Es ist nicht ihr erstes gemeinsames Animationsprojekt.

Diese Animation erinnert mich an eine Melodie, die Autoren verwenden eine parallele Montage, die alle Charaktere zu einem Rhythmus, zu einem Ganzen verbindet und sie zu einem Teil des ständigen Prozesses macht, der das Leben und den Tod der Erde verändert.

Das Genre dieser 2D-Animation könnte man als schwarze Komödie oder sarkastische Tragödie bezeichnen. Gleichzeitig lassen sich die Episoden der Arbeit mit Theaterstücken vergleichen, jedoch ohne Pausen. Beim Zuschauen hat man kaum Zeit, manches Geschehen zu realisieren, da beginnt schon im Gegensatz dazu etwas Neues, und das ist faszinierend.


“Jill, Uncredited”: she got her leading role at Berlinale 2023

 by Darina Alexeeva

Ukrainian text below

Deutsche Übersetzung siehe unten

EN: She is in every frame, sometimes so calm and carefree, in thought of her affairs and life, which is overshadowed by the lives of those who are in the center of the viewer's attention. Her life is only a part of other stories, she is always part of the background. Will we find her on the long shot in the frame, and who is she, exactly?

Anthony Ing's short film, which was premiered at this year's "Berlinale Shorts", tells the story of British actress Jill Goldston's impressive acting career. At the age of 15, Jill ran away from ballet school and soon began appearing as an extra, playing uncredited roles in movies and TV shows. Jill played almost 2000 roles during her career, but the vast majority of them are listed in the credits as "Uncredited".

Jill appears as a nurse, then we can see her in a scene during an operation. In one of the scenes, she is standing right next to the performer of the leading role or passes by, and somewhere she appears on the platform.

Among the films in which she appeared, there are many iconic pieces that are included in various lists of the best movies: "Frenzy" by Hitchcock, "Aliens" by Cameron, "Victor/Victoria" by Edwards, "Oh, Lucky!" by Anderson, "The Elephant Man" by Lynch and others.

The scenes with Jill, specially cut from thousands of hours of footage by director Anthony Ing for this short film, make up only 5% of her total filmography. Nevertheless, the overall portrait of Jill's life on the screen consists of small pieces that are thoughtfully assembled into a story.

Gradually she comes to the foreground, we begin to recognize her and even look for her. Until we find her face, the scene seems to be incomplete. So, it really is. Without Jill and the other crowd artists and extras, there would be no central stories for which audiences fell in love with these films. Now we know her - it's Jill, Uncredited. For the first time, she has a leading role in this 18-minute film.

+ + +

“Jill, Uncredited”: вона отримала свою головну роль на «Берлінале-2023»

Даріна Алєксєєва

UKR: Вона у кожному кадрі, іноді така спокійна і безтурботна, понурена у свої справи та життя, яке затьмарено життям тих, хто в центрі уваги глядача. Її життя є лише частиною інших історій, вона завжди частина бекгранду. Чи знайдемо ми її на загальному плані у кадрі та хто вона така?

Короткометражний фільм режисера Ентоні Інга, прем’єра якого відбулася на цьогорічному «Берлінале-2023» розповідає про вражаючий акторський шлях британської акторки Джилл Голдстон. У 15 років Джилл втекла з балетної школи і незабаром почала грати в кіно і серіалах невеликі ролі, не вказані в титрах. Так, за свою кар’єру, Джилл зіграла майже 2000 ролей, проте переважна кількість з них вказана в титрах як «Uncredited». 

Джилл постає в ролі медсестри, далі ми її можемо побачити в сцені під час операції, у якійсь зі сцен вона стоїть прямо поруч з виконавцем ролі першого плану, а десь з’являється на пероні. 

Серед фільмів, у яких вона грала, є багато культових картин, які входять в різноманітні списки найкращих кінострічок: «Безумство» Гічкока, «Чужі» Кемерона», «Віктор/Вікторія» Едвардса, «О, щасливчик!», Андерсона, «Людина-слон» Лінча та інших. 

Сцени з Джилл, спеціально вирізані з тисячі годин матеріалів режисером Ентоні Інгом для цього короткометражного фільму, складають усього 5% з її загальної фільмографії. З маленьких шматочків, які вдумливо змонтовані в історію, складається загальний портрет життя Джилл на екрані.
Але поступово вона виходить на перший план, ми починаємо її впізнавати та навіть шукати. Поки ми не знайдемо її обличчя, сцена ніби є незавершеною. Так і є. Без Джилл та інших акторів масових сцен, які були доповненням, не було б центральних історій, за які глядачі так полюбили ці кінострічки.
Тепер ми знаємо, що це Джилл, не вказана в титрах. Уперше, у цьому 18-хвилинному фільмі вона має головну роль.

+ + +

Sie bekam ihre Hauptrolle auf der Berlinale 2023

von Darina Alexeeva

DE: Sie ist in jedem Bild, manchmal so ruhig und sorglos, in Gedanken bei ihren Angelegenheiten und ihrem Leben, das überschattet wird von dem Leben derer, die im Mittelpunkt der Aufmerksamkeit des Betrachters stehen. Ihr Leben ist nur ein Teil anderer Geschichten, sie ist immer Teil des Hintergrunds. Werden wir sie auf der Totalen im Bild finden, und wer ist sie genau?

Der bei den diesjährigen „Berlinale Shorts“ uraufgeführte Kurzfilm von Anthony Ing erzählt die Geschichte der beeindruckenden Schauspielkarriere der britischen Schauspielerin Jill Goldston. Im Alter von 15 Jahren rannte Jill von der Ballettschule weg und trat bald als Statistin auf und spielte nicht im Abspann aufgeführte Rollen in Filmen und Fernsehsendungen. Jill spielte während ihrer Karriere fast 2000 Rollen, aber die überwiegende Mehrheit davon wird als "Nicht im Abspann" aufgeführt.

Jill tritt als Krankenschwester auf, dann sehen wir sie in einer Szene während einer Operation. In einer der Szenen steht sie direkt neben dem Darsteller der Hauptrolle oder geht vorbei, und irgendwo taucht sie auf dem Bahnsteig auf.

Unter den Filmen, in denen sie auftrat, gibt es viele ikonische Werke, die in verschiedenen Listen der besten Filme enthalten sind: „Frenzy“ von Hitchcock, „Aliens“ von Cameron, „Victor/Victoria“ von Edwards, „Oh, Lucky!“ von Anderson, „The Elephant Man“ von Lynch und anderen.

Die Szenen mit Jill, die Regisseur Anthony Ing speziell und liebevoll für diesen Kurzfilm aus Tausenden von Stunden Filmmaterial herausgeschnitten hat, machen nur 5 % ihrer gesamten Filmografie aus. Dennoch besteht das Gesamtporträt von Jills Leben auf der Leinwand aus kleinen Fragmenten, die sorgfältig zu einer Geschichte zusammengesetzt werden.

Allmählich tritt sie in den Vordergrund, wir beginnen sie zu erkennen und sogar nach ihr zu suchen. Bis wir ihr Gesicht finden, scheint die Szene unvollständig zu sein. Es ist also wirklich so. Ohne Jill und die anderen Crowd-Künstler und Statisten gäbe es keine zentralen Geschichten, für die sich das Publikum in diese Filme verliebt hat. Jetzt kennen wir sie – es ist Jill, nicht im Abspann. Zum ersten Mal hat sie in diesem 18-minütigen Film eine Hauptrolle.

27. März 2023

Berlinale 2023 Panorama

FESTIVAL GEMS

discovered by Tomasz Raczkowski

The 72nd Berlin International Film Festival wrapped a month ago. Let me recollect impressions from this intense event. With time, movies settle in our heads and we gain perspective whether something stayed with us after the screening, or not. For me, longevity marks the quality of a movie.

During my 7 days attendance at the festival I watched 22 films. About half I would classify as genuinely good/enjoyable. From that group I picked five that made the biggest impression.


Infinity Pool (Berlinale Special). Brandon Cronenberg’s third movie was something that I anticipated the most at Berlinale’s 72nd edition. I loved his previous twisted flick, Possessor, so I expected the next one to be at least on the same level. While I think I still would rate Possessor higher than the most recent Brandon Cronenberg film, I cannot say it disappointed me. Given that unlike its predecessor, Infinity Pool did not offer mind-blowing conclusions, it proved to be an original movie with superb composition and  production value. This weird thriller, that plays on the motives of doppelgangers and fatal attraction, provides not only the chill, but also quite interesting reflections on neocolonialism and class. The characters are spending days on vacation somewhere in a fictional, seemingly Asian/Pacific, exotic postcolonial country, enjoying a restricted and guarded luxurious hotel complex. They are driven by vanity and boredom, tempted by the transgressions offered by going out, into the unprotected world outside. Themes of wealth and impunity arise from their encounters and adventures, providing a gripping watch. This movie is also a spectacular clash of actors’ splendid performances. Model-like, apathic and derived from charisma Alexander Skarsgård meets absolutely wild and unpredictably erotic Mia Goth. Their relationship drives us through this movie to somewhat unexpected conclusions (which I will not disclose nor spoil). Overall, Infinity Pool is a movie that stayed in my head for a long time after I finished watching and it is something I would like to watch another time, or maybe more. A movie does not need any better recommendation. 

Passages (Panorama). Over the decades, we have seen multiple on-screen love triangles. So, what can be still offered in this regard? Passages with the sparkling trio of Franz Rogowski, Ben Wishaw and Adele Exarchopoulos proves, that there definitely is something yet to be added. This fundamentally sad and complicated, but also brilliantly funny tale of a man who loves to love and jumps between two lovers, brings pure joy of watching young people living their lives like an erotic dream. While the story of a gay couple broken by the arrival of an attractive girl could turn out to be somewhat cliché or full of gay stereotypes, it is not the case at all with Passages. Ira Sachs’ film is light, devoid of artsy bombast and flows like a good soap opera. Yet, it offers interesting character arcs and seductive sequences that among other things, prove that Franz Rogowski is a creature from another dimension and can perform virtually anything and anyone. 


In the Blind Spot / Im toten Winkel (Encounters). Choosing this Encounters screening at Kino International I wasn’t expecting much more than a solid social drama set in troubled region of Turkey-governed Northern Kurdistan. But this projection was one of those unexpected revelations that from time to time happen during a festival with such vast programs as Berlinale. Made by German-Kurdish director Ayşe Polat, the movie starts as straightforward political thriller built around the documentary that a German film crew prepares about local struggles in Kurdistan. But suddenly, Polat hits us with chain of rapid plot twists and breaks the narrative into three overlapping parts that showcase different points of view. On the top of that, to emphasize the subject of hereditary violence and trauma, political plot is mingled with a paranormal story of demon possession of a little girl. This results in a unique mixture of sharp social realism and gripping horror, with the tensions generated by both layers complimenting each other into a fascinating political “horrorama”, brilliantly mixing ethnic background with strong genre cinema motives.  


 Femme (Panorama). Another pleasant surprise of this year’s festival also happened to me at Kino International (it may be argued that it is no coincidence that International is one of my favorite Berlin cinemas). It is rare to see such a strong, well-though debut feature like this. Developed from their 2021 short, Sam H. Freeman’s and Ng Choon Ping’s movie offers a uniquely complex portrayal of a destructive violence spiral. Beginning with a suggestive beating up scene, the screenwriters offer us a sympathetic look into the struggles of a queer man, trying to cope with his shame. This unexpectedly progresses into an ambiguous revenge story that offers no payoff for the characters – but for the viewers it results in a powerful and tragic narrative of aggression, victimhood and being fatally trapped in resentments. While the movie is itself very well-balanced and skillfully crafted, what really makes it so great is spectacular George MacKay’s performance as a conflicted thug, whom we meet as a plain villain and who progressively earns our sympathy, to make the whole story less obvious.

Reality (Panorama). Speaking of tension, few movies play better with it than Tina Satter’s Reality (another debut). The premise couldn’t be any simpler – a young woman named Reality is approached on her driveway by two males, who present themselves as FBI agents. They engage her in a weird, yet friendly conversation and kindly ask a series of questions, through which the actual reason why they came there eventually emerges. Notably, all dialogues in Reality are directly taken from the actual transcription of the encounter which took place in real life back in 2017. If you want to know, what happened and what it was all about, you can search for Reality Winner in the web. But what I would recommend is to experience the movie without any deeper knowledge about its titular protagonist. This way, you may allow yourself to be puzzled by those strange men questioning this girl and be bewildered by where the story is leading. Whether you know what is happening or not, Reality provides a fantastic, gipping narrative. It amazed me how much of almost thriller-like suspense and tension the director was able to extract from simple talk without any spectacular interruptions. Much credit is due to Sydney Sweeney, who portrays Reality. The actress known mainly from Euphoria proves here that she is very capable, with a skill range way beyond being typecast as hot and dumb teenager.

*

You may notice that in my picks from 2023 Berlinale no films from the competition appear. While it is not necessarily the case of the absolute lack of quality in the main section (in fact, I can strongly recommend A24’s Past Lives, the new Christian Petzold piece Afire and Chinese psychological drama Shadowless Tower), it is somewhat typical for this festival (at least in my experience) that the gems of the program can be found in side sections. The main competition retains a solid, but unspectacular level of filmmaking. For me, that is the strange beauty of Berlinale – that special challenge to find unexpected wonder aside from the red carpet. Even though it may be not the best for the festival’s position in the industry overall, I feel that the strength of Berlinale lies in diversity and the audience's ability to create a unique path across different sections, venues, and neighborhoods.

 

5. Februar 2023

Calxophobia

https://arlesheimerkurzfilmtage.ch/

EN: Kindly vote for Dave Lojek's new short film CALXOPHOBIA from Helsinki by February 10 at this Swiss online contest for the audience award. You can win a surprise as reward!

DE: Endlich könnt Ihr bis 10. Februar 2023 für Dave Lojeks Kurzfilm CALXOPHOBIA abstimmen bei den Arlesheimer Kurzfilmtagen. Vielen Dank! Ein Dankeschön wird auch unter den Wählern verlost.

 


SYNOPSIS:

EN: Helen suffers from a rare fear of chalk. One day she feels encroached by several chalk figures in Helsinki and decides to confront her fear. In the Amos Rex museum, she discovers the works of Keith Haring and adapts his style to her needs for catharsis.

DE: Helen leidet unter einer seltenen Angst vor Kreide. Eines Tages fühlt sie sich in Helsinki von mehreren Kreidefiguren angegriffen und beschließt, sich ihrer Angst zu stellen. Im Amos-Rex-Museum entdeckt sie die Werke von Keith Haring und passt seinen Stil an ihre Katharsis-Bedürfnisse an.
 

 

 

4. Juni 2022

Supernova

critique by Tomasz Raczkowski

Attending an event dedicated to young, aspiring filmmakers, genre movies are not something one usually expects, at least not primarily. The pictures that constitute the overwhelming part of this festival’s line-up are typically down-to-earth, artsy stuff that is expected to prioritize the social message and interpretative complexity above patterns of entertainment cinema.

Is it possible to tell an interesting story about gender and psychological fractures, crafted as a classical science fiction movie? Without a big budget and the prestige that support projects such as Dune or 2001 - A Space Odyssey, it is very unlikely. However, Steve Bache and Friederike Weykamp’s Supernova, a 30-minutes short presented as part of the 51st Sehsüchte Festival in Potsdam proves this very possibility.

The movie starts with a dynamic action. Somewhere – in some space – three female astronauts explore an unknown foggy yellow area. One of them makes a mistake, which from all we know, might be lethal or at least seriously damaging to her and her colleagues. Soon it is revealed that it was just a training exercise, meaning that no harm is done. Or so it seems. As we learn that the three women are in advanced stages of a Mars mission preparation, the misjudgment made in the opening sequence by our protagonist Nova casts a long shadow onto the whole program and the relationships between its participants.

After opening the narrative with a fair action sequence, Bache (the director) and Weykamp (the screenwriter) slow down to focus on emotional and psychological tensions it exposed. Nova, Ivy and Lucia, the astronauts set to pursue a pioneer space mission are simultaneously trying to shape a team and edge the others in a chase for mission leadership. To make it more complicated, in a claustrophobic, sterile and desolated space center, affection and desire are floating around just as much as reluctance and competitiveness. Stuck in a complicated emotional triangle, pushing themselves to succeed in a stereotypically male environment, the characters’ quivers intertwine with subtly suggested, broader social discourses of surpassing gender roles and balancing ambition with self-conscious evaluation of one’s capabilities.

Although Supernova is a student-graduate project, rather underfinanced than drowning in money, it is safe to say that it looks better than some big-studio sci-fi pictures. With close frames, logically tight spaces and regular close-ups on characters’ faces, Bache overcomes the shortage of high-profile scenery. In turn, the astronaut station is creatively animated with (usually warm) color filters that add the uniqueness to Supernova by breaking traditional pale-cold palette of space travel fiction. The degree to which filmmakers can use narrow resources for suggestive effect and turn limitations into advantages is a measure of cinematic talent. The creators of this film pass this test with distinction.

The title brings a clever, ambiguous play of meanings. Derived from the protagonist’s name “supernova” suggest her rising to becoming a true heroine (Nova earing prefix popcultural ‘super’), but with its literal meaning, it also refers to the burning out of the power/energy a star possesses, a cataclysm. This intriguing space for interpretations comes together with sharp narrative and visual cleverness to produce a great movie. It touches some important matters, but most of all it is just fun to watch. Fingers crossed for the future, hopefully cosmic achievements of the team. 

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