Victoria.

If there is a problem with Sebastian Schipper fourth feature film its the movies plausibility, if you can ignore its rather incredible plot then I’m sure you will enjoy the movie. Victoria (2015) is really the story of how a wee Spanish girl, Victoria of the title, who loses her innocence over a 24 hour period. She has recently moved to Berlin and has got a job doing the early shift at a coffee shop in Mitte area of the German capital. When this rather lonely young woman leaves a nightclub in the early hours of the morning she meets up with four young lads who are out on the razzle and offer to show her the 'real Berlin' One of which Sonne (Frederick Lau who you may of seen in Die Welle 2008 or 2012's Oh Boy) takes an immediate liking to her. The five of them steal alcohol from an all night shop in which the owner has dropped off to sleep and then go on a tour of the late night city streets and visit their rooftop hideaway to smoke some dope. The movie now develops a change of pace when one of the four lads, Boxer (Franz Rogowski) an ex-con has to repay a debt to a gangster who protected him while he was inside. They are tasked with an armed bank heist in which Victoria (played by the wonderful Spanish actress Laia Costa) is persuaded to drive the getaway vehicle.  When the robbery inevitably goes wrong we witness how this shy lonely young girl take's command of the situation during a bloody shootout with the German police.

 

Victoria and Sonne.

Other than being an enjoyable cinematic experience, well acted by a great young cast where most of the dialogue is improvised, winning lots of awards in a country that makes great movies, it's main claim to fame is the fact that it was shot at night in one long continuous take by Sturla Brandth Grovlen, certainly a difficult task for a film that has a running time of 138 minutes but it work’s and draws you into the story and does not let you go until the credits appear. But as the director has said his movie was intended as a film not a stunt and in my humble opinion he has succeeded.

The Samurai (Der Samurai).

The central image of Till Kleinert debut film is an androgynous figure roaming the empty streets of a village in the middle of the night dressed in a wedding dress and holding a samurai sword! It’s an intriguing bloodthirsty fairy tale with a difference. Berlin born Kleinert not only directed Der Samurai (2014) he also wrote the screenplay. Shown at the Leeds International Film Festival it missed a general cinematic release and went straight to DVD in the UK.

This is the second German film I have seen recently involving the return of wolfs across Germanys Eastern borders. The first Wild (2016), which I saw in Berlin in April, was about a young woman who shares her appointment with a wolf and forms a relationship with the animal that crosses the line between love and lust.  

 

Something more in the darkness!

In Kleinert’s movie a wolf wanders the woods on the edge of a small village on the German-Polish border. Jakob (Michel Diercks), a young boyish and unassuming local police officer tries to befriend the animal by leaving raw meat hanging in the trees.  But while in the woods he senses something more in the darkness. When he takes it upon himself to deliver a package to a part derelict house on the edge of the village he comes across a man (Pit Bukowski), who has a wild gaze, a wiry body and shoulder length hair, dressed in what would appear to be a wedding frock. The package contains a Japanese sword with which this stranger intends to wreak havoc on both the village and its inhabitants. He invites Jacob, whose parents are dead and who lives with his aging grandmother, to join him.

 

Jacobs right of passage.

Is there a connection between the wolf and our violent transvestite? We get to witness an erotic dance scene between the two men which in it self forces the viewer to ask if these two men are a different side of the same character and have we been observing a dream sequence or are we meant to be questioning the young police officers sexuality?

 

The androgynous figure of The Samural. 

The movie has what I would describe as symbolic violence as most of it is implied and not actually seen on screen.  That is until the final scene when The Samurai appears naked, his erect penis turned on by the thought of death. A very dark and surreal DVD that was definitely worth liberating from the bargain bin at HMV.  

The Colony (Colonia).

Although it stated at the beginning of the film that it was based on real life events my initial thoughts while watching the movie was that what I was experiencing on screen was too far fetched to be true.  Then during the end credits we were shown actual pictures of Colonia Dignidad followed by director and co writer Florian Gallenberger stepping up to explain that this place really did exist and was still in existence today, admittedly a milder version designed to attract tourist’s and was now called Villa Baviera.

 

Colonia Dignidad.

The movie is based on the real life events that took place in the Colony which was run from 1961 by an ex Nazi preacher Paul Schafer who was attributed by his followers to have spoken the word of God (credibly portrayed by Michael Nyqvist who played Mikael Blomkvist in the Dragon Trilogy) and located in a remote part of Chile. At the time it had 300 residents mainly Germans who were said to be fundamentalist Christians with men and women living mainly segregated lives behind high barbed wire fences, watch towers and spotlights. This authoritarian regime ran all elements of its member’s lives, even regulating the birth of children who as it turned out were open to sexual abuse; later Schafer was actually charged with sexual abuse of children and sent to prison. Other criminal activities were discovered which included weapon sales and money laundering.

 

Paul Schafer with some of his victims.

When Pinochet’s Chilean coup, backed by the USA, deposed the democratic President of Chile Salvador Allende in 1973 it put the country under military rule for years. Reprisals followed against Allende supporters and this is where Gallenbergers film begins. A German activist Daniel  (Daniel Bruhl) who has been campaigning for Allende is joined in Chile by his air stewardess girlfriend Lena (Emma Watson) for a four-day break between Lufthansa flights. After her arrival the coup takes place and both Daniel and Lena get arrested. While Lena gets released Daniel is identified as the artist behind pro Allende posters and is taken away.

The results of Pinochet's military coup.

We find out that Paul Schafer is collaborated with the military regime and provides a warren of tunnels under the remote pseudo religious camp were dissidents of the regime are tortured and killed. It’s in these tunnels that Daniel finds himself. Daniels brain function is affected following a long period of horrendous torture sessions and he’s put to work in the camps smithy carrying out menial tasks. Lena finds out where he is held and decides to join the commune with the intention of rescuing her brain dead boyfriend.  

 

Michael Nyqvist with Emma Watson.

The main purpose of this well-intentioned film is to expose the terrible goings on that took place at Colonia Dignidad both above and below ground and the 40 year long complicity and protection offered by Chile’s German Embassy, remembering that the right wing German state had close ties with Pinochet and his brutal regime, believing that they were supporting the fight against communism. To this end the director of The Colony (2015) succeeds and gives us the added bonus of an exciting and fast moving thriller. As usual in a lot of modern films the villain gets the best lines and for this reason the movie is always better when Michael Nyqvist is on screen.

 

The arrest of Schafer. 

Florian Gallenberger told the audience at the 2016 Edinburgh International Film Festival where the film was receiving its UK premiere that he knew about the existence of the camp since he was a child in Germany but it was not until much later that he realised the true nature of the colony. It took him four years to research the story and during that time won the trust of the camps inmates also getting sight of the archives that were finally released well after the 30-year limit. He also explained that he did have a nightmare raising the money for the film because of its subject matter. Also casting initially gave him problems but he did not explain. Asked why he did not go into more detail about the child abuse that was associated with Schafer and other members of the commune he said that he deliberately underplayed both the torture scenes and the child abuse because he wanted to open the film to a wider audience and not put people off of seeing it. The 30000-acre colony is now open as a tourist attraction but this legitimacy can hide its legacy. The original members now in there ninety’s have been offered treatment but most have refused and do not want to leave the commune. Its problematic for those who were the young abused who still have great problems living in normal society. Most of the younger members who avoided the abuse have managed to live normal lives. Even after Schafer left others took over and carried on his cruel and abusive teachings.  Not surprisingly Chile still struggles with this episode of its history.

Look Who’s Back (Er ist wieder da)

When I was recently in Berlin the publicity for the DVD release of the feature film Er ist wieder da (2015) was everywhere. Posters showing the figure of Adolf Hitler were posted in prominent positions all over the city.  This seemed very strange to a visitor, as I had always believed that since the end of the war Hitler was a taboo subject in Germany. In fact the movie had been a great hit on its release and now it looked like the DVD would also be well received.

 

Its really not 1945?

Based on a best selling satirical novel by Timur Vermes published in 2012 and directed by David Wnendt, this spoof movie is described as a comedy but many will find it quite disturbing. It attempts to put across its moral message about the resurgence and the increasing influence of the far right in Europe, and how it would appear that many have not learned the lessons from the Nazi era – clips are shown to prove this at the end of the film.

 

I'm certainly a hit with the media. 

Its 2011 and Adolf Hitler wakes up in a vacant lot in Berlin. He has no knowledge of anything that’s happened since his supposed suicide in 1945. He finds himself homeless and destitute quickly realising that the war is over, the Nazi Party is no more but still looks upon life from the Nazi perspective. Travelling around the city he is instantly recognised but the people he meets think he is comedic impersonator or a method actor practising his latest role.  His appearance is lapped up by the media and is invited to appear on the popular television show ‘Whoa dude’ were video’s of his angry rants go viral on social media. Achieving celebrity it’s not long before Adolf Hitler re-enters politics.

 

Is MyTV worthy of my presence? 

Although the movie is perhaps a little long winded with a running time of just less than two hours it’s a film that does manage to get its message across. As with many German movies the cast is outstanding especially Oliver Masucci who plays Hitler, Katja Riemann (Fack ju Gohte 2013) as the MyTV chairperson Katja Bellini and Fabian Busch as Fabian Sawatzi the film maker who first meets Hitler after his rebirth. Its certainly an interesting take on the subject of modern politics and the best bits are the unscripted moments where Hitler interacts with unsuspecting German citizens, especially those involving Asian tourists around the Brandenburg Arch.  If my wee ramble has made you inquisitive then the movie can at present still be seen on Netflix.

 

Your going to have to practice that salute young man!