Not a bad near-end result for a virtual & pandemic edition of my #BerlinaleBingo 2019, here's a day 5 capture:
☆ Yes to more outstanding films by women, often about strong & struggling women: Annika Pinske's "Talking about the Weather," Natalia Sinelnikova's "We Might As Well Be Dead," Ruth Beckermann's "Mutzenbacher," Isabelle Stever's risqué "Grand Jeté"...
☆ Notable debuts: Insert some of same names above for ones-to-watch: Pinske, Sinelnikova, plus Max Linz...
☆ Neither Quebec nor Toronto cinema disappoint: Berlinale darling Denis Côté competes with "Un été comme ça" with German actress Anne Ratte-Polle (review to follow); Lina Rodriguez' emigration/immigration meditation "Mis Dos Voces" received a coveted Forum invitation. Plus 12 more works from Canada @ Berlinale across all sections and six Berlinale Talents.
☆ Has Covid humbled filmmakers? I only saw one 200min. movie, when over the last years there was no ending films apparently. As "Once Upon a time in Calcutta" (in the market section) is a Bengali film, it was actually short, and worth every minute thanks to Aditya Vikram Sengupta's brilliant direction and Gökhan Tiryaki's breath-taking camerawork.
☆ TIFF 2022 prediction, pending early theatrical or VOD releases: Hoping for a North American premiere of François Ozon's Fassbinder revamp "Peter von Kant" with Isabelle Adjani & Hanna Schygulla of "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" on the red carpet at Roy Thomson Hall please!
☆ I will largely refrain from Bear speculation --statistically as well as qualitatively speaking there is a good chance the Golden Bear will go to France-- beyond that I would be happy to see Cologne comedienne Meltem Kaptan rewarded with a Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance for lifting the entire two hours of "Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush."
☆ Kudos to everyone at Team Berlinale, who willed a nearly impossible live Berlinale into being amidst a lot of the usual hostility and then some, notwithstanding an interrupted opening screening and having the EFM studio equipment stolen on day 2. "Neustart Kultur" --Restarting Culture, Germany's official government slogan for current arts support-- indeed. So overall more "Everything Will Be OK" (Rithy Panh in competition) than "We Might as Well Be Dead."
I didn't and won't tell you about the not-so-good films (and some high-profile films locked online), but overall I saw very good new films you can look forward to at festivals throughout the year and in global cinemas as titles I liked seemed to be selling nicely (plus some great Euro TV).
As for happy endings, well, it is the Berlinale, but there seemed to be a fair number of at least hopeful glimpses and lots of quirky humour out there this year, whether due to pandemic mellowing or my benevolent and grateful viewing mood.
A few more reviews of films I've already seen & liked but that are still embargoed to follow.
by
@JuttaBrendemuhl
images: Jutta Brendemuhl
