NEGATIVE SPACE

Das alljährliche Wettbewerbs-Bashing hat begonnen: Francois Ozons ("Huit femmes", "Swimming Pool") Babyfilm "Ricky" wird, zumindest im deutschen Feuilleton, schrööklich verrissen. Und auch der dänische Film "Lille Soldat" bekam einen eher lauwarmen Empfang bereitet. Business as usual. Gestern in der ZDF-Kulturschlaftablette "Aspekte" meinte der Moderator, die ausgelassene Schalte zu seiner Kollegin an den roten Teppich ausnutzend, er hätte ja "John Rabe", Florian Gallenbergers Porträt eines Nazis, der in den 1930er-Jahren tausende Chinesen vor einfallenden Japanern rettete, gerne im Wettbewerb gesehen, leider liefe der Film aber nur außer Konkurrenz. Gibt es denn weitere ernsthafte Empfehlungen, neue Filme, die man sich demnächst im Kino ansehen sollte?

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Beast Stalker (“Ching yan”)

"Crying out for a Stateside remake from its opening reel, stygian crimer 'Beast Stalker' grips like a vise, and is unquestionably the finest Asian action-psychodrama since South Korea's 'The Chaser' last year. A major return to form by genre helmer Dante Lam, after his promising start a decade ago with pics like 'Beast Cops' and 'Jiang Hu -- The Triad Zone,' this drama about a traumatized cop hunting down a child kidnapper to exorcise his own demons may have some Western theatrical potential as well as beastly upside on ancillary."
(Derek Elley, Variety)

"Überhaupt wird viel gelitten von allen Beteiligten in diesem verschachtelten Action-Drama von Dante Lam. Mit seinem Fokus auf der Leidensfähigkeit seiner Protagonisten erinnert 'Beast Stalker' manchmal an amerikanische Folterfilme wie 'Hostel' oder 'Saw'. Auch ästhetisch orientiert sich der Film in seiner Grobkörnigkeit mehr am modernen Horrorkino. Der gruselige Kidnapper Hung King bewegt sich zackig wie eine Mordmaschine, ist auf einem Auge blind und hat ein vernarbt entstelltes Gesicht. Doch um beinharte Horror-Fans befriedigen zu können, ist der Film dann doch nicht blutig genug. Sonst wäre er schließlich nicht im Rahmen der Berlinale zu sehen."
(Jörg Buttgereit, epd Film)

Glowing Stars ("I taket lyser stjärnorna")

"The torments of adolescence intensify for a sensitive Swedish teen who learns her mother's cancer is terminal in 'Glowing Stars,' from feature debutante Lisa Siwe. Tenderly adapted from an award-winning novel for young adults by Johanna Thydell, this affecting pic doesn't sidestep or over-sentimentalize its difficult subject matter, but depicts it with a naturalness and honesty that will send audiences of all ages hunting for a handkerchief." (Alissa Simon, Variety)

Love Exposure (“Ai No Mukidashi”)

"Religion, family and sexual mores are satirically skewered and roasted slowly in the iconoclastic, overlong Japanese indie 'Love Exposure.' Evoking an unhinged Ken Russell on a sushi binge, helmer Sion Sono's rep for excess ('Suicide Club') is consolidated by this delirious, hypnotic four-hour marathon about a teenage up-skirt snapper and his sacred love. Sono napalms Nipponese society's sugar coating by drawing on and transcending the trash aesthetic that excites fanboy Japanologists." (Russell Edwards, Variety)

"Ein großer Film und eine jener zu seltenen Erfahrungen, derentwegen sich das ganze Berlinale-Spektakel noch lohnt: Denn wo sonst wenn nicht im Forum und hoffentlich in ein paar Programmkinos wird man 'Love Exposure' noch sehen können?" (Rüdiger Suchsland, FAZ)

Skirt Day (“La Journee de la Jupe”)

"The raw flipside to Cannes Palme d'Or winner 'The Class,' high-school drama 'Skirt Day' marks a blistering return to the bigscreen after five years by French thesp Isabelle Adjani that's sure to generate plenty of ink. Within the framework of an apparent hostage drama in a suburban high school, pic tackles head-on such issues as cultural identity, mixed-race education, teenage anomie, muddling with the establishment and political correctness that are valid way beyond the borders of just Gaul." (Derek Elley, Variety)

The Young Victoria

"Anyone who complains they don't make love stories like they used to will get a kick out of 'The Young Victoria,' a biopic of the early years of Blighty's longest reigning queen and, in particular, her courtship with the love of her life, Prince Albert. Tip-top casting and playing, led by young thesps Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend as the royal lovebirds, a succulently crisp script by Julian Fellowes ('Gosford Park') and trim helming by French-Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee ('C.R.A.Z.Y.') combine in well-groomed, upscale, three-hankie entertainment for the Masterpiece Theater crowd." (Derek Elley, Variety)

"Emily Blunt, one of the best and most glamorous actresses to come out of England in recent years, makes an unusual but highly successful choice for the young Victoria. She puts healthy vigor and sexuality into a woman not associated with either. Meanwhile, Rupert Friend catches just the right nuances of a man who must figure out how to be a second fiddle." (Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter)

Burrowing ("Man tänker sitt")

"Using many of the same Swedish west coast locations and collaborators as executive producer Jesper Ganslandt's 2006 'Falkenburg Farewell,' the intermittently mesmerizing, low-budget experimental mood-piece 'Burrowing,' from feature debutants Henrik Hellstrom and Fredrik Wenzel, takes inspiration from the writings of Henry David Thoreau, emphasizing the importance of self-reliance, solitude, contemplation and closeness to nature. Gorgeous, painterly images (shot with a 1920x1080-format HD camera) of fields, forests and running water contrast with the ugly, ordered confines of suburbia." (Alissa Simon, Variety)

Claustrophobia ("Chan Mat")

"Clandestine romance provides sad but pleasurable viewing in the high-quality Hong Kong meller 'Claustrophobia.' Helming bow of Hong Kong scripting vet Ivy Ho ('Comrades, Almost a Love Story,' 'Divergence') has a mastery that recalls Eric Rohmer and Woody Allen at their most sublime. Offering fine drama about and for adults, pic will make a prestige inclusion for fests." (Variety)

"No guns are fired, nor do any car chases occur, in this delicate -- if slightly thin -- story of unrequited love centered in the marketing department of a large Hong Kong corporation. Told backward in eight successive flashbacks, virtually all of the film's dialogue is (purposely, one hopes) utterly vapid. Yet just enough of it -- maybe a tenth -- seems to hint at more unruly emotions that must remain repressed by the sweet and gentle woman at the film's core." (Peter Brunette, Hollywood Reporter)

The Rainbow Troops ("Laskar pelangi")

"All countries eventually make a movie like 'The Rainbow Troops,' Riri Riza's pleasant, attractive heart-string puller about a working-class school and the dedicated teacher determined to mold charismatic moppets into upstanding citizens. With a significant nod to 'Stand by Me' and other rites of passage pics, Riza ('Three Days to Forever') crafts a formulaic crowd-pleaser whose episodic nature hasn't detracted from unsurprising success as Indonesia's reigning B.O. champion for local releases." (Jay Weissberg, Variety)

"Riri Rizas 'Laskar Pelangi' ('Die Regenbogenkrieger') im Panorama der Berlinale schafft nicht nur das, sondern etabliert eine Nation im Weltkino, die da bisher allenfalls eine marginale Rolle gespielt hatte. Die Arthaus-Verleiher müssten sich eigentlich ein Bieterduell um diesen Film liefern, der auf den ersten Blick nicht unsentimental, auf den zweiten Blick aber auch mit viel Sinn für filmhistorische Traditionen von einer islamischen Grundschule erzählt, der langsam die Schüler ausgehen." (Bert Rebhandl, FAZ)

North ("Nord")

"Aptly billed as 'an antidepressive off-road movie,' wry comic drama 'North' follows an anxious, dejected 30-year-old as he reluctantly journeys through spectacular arctic landscapes and reconnects with life. Magnificently visual, with deadpan acting reminiscent of the road movies of Jim Jarmusch and Bouli Lanners and a quirky economy of style, this fiction feature debut by Norwegian docu helmer Rune Denstad Langlo has the makings of a cult hit." (Alissa Simon, Variety)

Welcome

"A young Iraqi Kurd stranded in France needs to get across the English Channel in 'Welcome,' an emotionally affecting drama that reinforces Philippe Lioret's reputation for classic Euro filmmaking at its smoothest. A superb director of actors, Lioret blends French professionals with Kurdish amateurs in a seamless mix, papering over moments when the script is weakened by standardizations. Though the issue of illegal immigration is nothing new in French cinema, 'Welcome' makes auds care deeply for its absorbing characters." (Jay Weissberg, Variety)

High Life

"After the disappointment of his second feature, 'Niagara Motel,' Canuck director Gary Yates bounces back with another ensemble comedy of hopeless losers in 'High Life,' which boasts the same preciseness of script and ongoing inventiveness as his 2004 debut, 'Seven Times Lucky.' Headlined by terrific playing from Timothy Olyphant ('Deadwood') and Stephen Eric McIntyre as the leaders of bunch of wannabe bank robbers whose brains are over-fried by substance abuse, pic lasts a mere 78 minutes but packs in more incident and twists than many movies 10 times its budget."
(Derek Elley, Variety)

Bluebeard ("Barbe Bleue")

"Having built a career on provocative, sexually explicit yet cerebral fare ('Romance,' 'Sex Is Comedy,' for instance), Catherine Breillat’s previous, period piece 'The Last Mistress,' shocked auds familiar with her work by being not all that shocking. Now Gallic helmer’s latest, 'Bluebeard,' features considerable blood but no sex and would barely merit an R rating. This offbeat but compelling take on the tale, arguably the first serial-killer yarn, emphasizes sisterly bonds but still gets to the original story’s heart of mysterious darkness with impressive results." (Leslie Felperin, Variety)

"Catherine Breillat's new film isn't for everyone. With its severe, stylized compositions and purposeful lack of realistic action, it might even be unbearable for some. In this retelling of the tale of the wife-killing Bluebeard, drawn from Perrault's classic three-page story, there's hardly an inch of bare skin visible, let alone the erect penises of Italian porn stars that graced some of Madame Breillat's earlier films. (Peter Brunette, Hollywood Reporter)

My Suicide

"Maddening, disarming, undisciplined, incisive, solipsistic: adjectives to describe teen behavior in general and 'My Suicide' in particular. Working closely with son Jordan and lead Gabriel Sunday, helmer David Lee Miller spent four years shooting and in post-production, capturing the extreme disaffection of today’s youth via a fictional video diary of a kid who announces he’ll kill himself on camera. Results are exasperating and yet feel genuine (barring one major slip-up), and though extreme editing will induce headaches in adult auds, its guerrilla style should catapult pic to major cult status in high schools and the blogosphere."
(Jay Weissberg, Variety)

"'My Suicide' ist beeindruckend und überzeugend. Das liegt daran, dass sich David Lee Miller vier Jahre Zeit für diesen Film genommen und seinen Film sehr gut besetzt hat. Vor allem liegt es auch daran, dass zwei kaum Zwanzigjährige den Schnitt besorgten und am Drehbuch beteiligt waren: Jordan J. Miller und Gabriel Sunday, der auch die Hauptrolle spielt." (Detlef Kuhlbrodt, taz)

My Dear Enemy ("Meotjin haru")

"After making a mark with his highly stylized 2004 debut, 'This Charming Girl,' but then going off the boil, South Korean writer-director Lee Yoon-ki delivers his career-best work with the beautifully played, very natural 'My Dear Enemy.' Best described as a Seoul road movie, in which two ex-partners reacquaint themselves while driving around the city on a personal mission, pic rides smoothly on the chemistry between its two leads, Cannes laureate Jeon Do-yeon ('Secret Sunshine') and Ha Jeong-woo ('The Chaser')." (Derek Elley, Variety)

Hilde

"Despite living in the U.S. as well as Berlin and having a truly international career, fame has faded for the late performer everywhere but in her native land. So 'Hilde' should enjoy solid boxoffice when it gets released in Germany next month. Theatrical bookings in other markets may be slim though. Which is too bad, for with director Kai Wessel's steady hand and a standout performance by Heike Makatsch, who is one of Germany's current top singers and actresses, 'Hilde' is one of the better showbiz biopics in a long while." (Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter)