Critic’s Notebook: At Berlin, New Talents and Youthful ‘Dreams’ Signal a Fresh Chapter for 75-Year-Old Fest

by

To find an edition of the Berlin Film Festival as powerful as this one, you would likely need to go back approximately 25 years, specifically to the year 2002. That’s when “Bloody Sunday” and “Spirited Away” shared the festival’s top award, a remarkable coincidence indeed.

For as long as I can recall, Berlin has always been considered the third among the trio of major film festivals, lagging significantly behind Cannes and Venice in terms of prestige and ability to draw top-tier films that drive industry discussions. However, under the leadership of incoming festival director Tricia Tuttle and her team, I recently sensed a hint of anticipation emerging from beneath the icy chill and freezing temperatures – something Berlin hasn’t felt in quite some time.

Attending the Berlin International Film Festival after a three-year hiatus, I was curious to observe the changes under new director Mariette Rivière, who took over from Carlo Chatrian in 2020, just before the world locked down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rivière had previously shown a more accessible approach during her tenure at BFI London Film Festival, and I was eager to see how this translated into Berlin. Fortunately, I was present for her inaugural festival, which she co-curated with Jacqueline Lyanga and Jessica Kiang from EbMaster’s. Upon arrival, it became clear that several improvements had been made.

Five years ago, the heart of the festival was situated at Potsdamer Platz, a once eerie, desolate spot smack dab in the middle of Berlin. In 2020, it seemed like a ghost town: The fest had been cut off from the massive Sony Center megaplex, and the three-story Arkaden shopping center was undergoing renovation. Today, many of those empty screens still remain, but life has found its way back to this area. The festival’s main CinemaxX venue continues to feel cutting-edge, a true movie theater in contrast to the makeshift venues used by numerous other fests. An old Imax screen once used by the Blue Man Group now serves as an attractive addition. To top it off, the festival introduced HUB75, a temporary social gathering spot, right in front of the Palast. Here, journalists and festival-goers could engage in lively movie discussions and network well into the night.

Regarding the program at hand, it’s important to note that comprehending a lineup – particularly one as extensive as Berlin – without viewing every film is quite challenging. Similar to the story of blind men trying to understand an elephant by touching different parts, your experience will be influenced by the segments you personally choose to watch, but not the entire picture. Consequently, for the first time, I decided to watch all 19 films vying for the Golden Bear this year, along with a multitude of movies selected across various sections of the festival.

I had never come so close to experiencing the entire Berlin festival, but from my vantage point, it’s clear that the event has made a significant turn for the better. The film “Drømmer,” part of the “Dreams Sex Love” trilogy, seems poised to resonate with global audiences. As the last installment in this series (which began with “Love” in Berlin’s Panorama sidebar last year), it cleverly employs cinema to depict an adolescent girl’s realization of her emotional and imaginative power. Unlike other directors, Norwegian writer-director Dag Johan Haugerud embraces voiceover narration, allowing his teenage character Johanne (Ella Øverbye) to recount her personal “awakening” – a burgeoning crush on a female teacher (Selome Emnetu) that takes on its own momentum – while other characters express doubts about the veracity of what we’re hearing.

From my personal perspective, Berlin’s festivals historically favor unconventional and avant-garde films that are rarely distributed in the U.S. Out of nearly 200 films screened, it’s safe to say that only a handful, perhaps six, resonate with American audiences – this year, there might even be double that number. My ability to predict these hidden gems among so much mediocrity has been somewhat poor because I tend to focus on well-known directors, overlooking the fact that if their projects were exceptional, they likely would have been selected by Cannes instead.

Sometimes, the calendar works in Berlin’s advantage, such as when it got to host the first showing of Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” this year. Generally speaking, though, the selection committee is limited to picking from what remains after Venice and Cannes have finished their selections. (Berlin often shares a handful of films with Sundance, providing those films with an international debut, like Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You.”))

This year’s Berlin film competition featured an unconventional lineup, showcasing standout films from two prominent directors: Richard Linklater and Radu Jude. The former’s masterpiece “Blue Moon” offers a unique perspective on the night that “Oklahoma!” premiered on Broadway, as seen through the eyes of lyricist Lorenz Hart, who sadly watches his former collaborator, Richard Rodgers, enjoy the show’s immediate success. Meanwhile, Radu Jude continues to provoke with “Kontinental ’25,” a film in which the suicide of a homeless ex-celebrity triggers a crisis of conscience for a social worker.

Why did those films vie for the Golden Bear instead of aiming for the more illustrious Palme d’Or? Interestingly, it seems both directors are preparing a second film to premiere at Cannes: Richard Linklater’s “Nouvelle Vague,” focusing on the production of Jean-Luc Godard’s “Breathless,” could kick off the French festival, while Jude’s “Dracula Park” is rumored to be nearing completion. It’s possible that Berlin ended up with a more compelling choice.

Simultaneously, another notable filmmaker, Michel Franco from Mexico, introduced his newest thought-provoking piece titled “Dreams” at Berlin. This work, like many of his others, has sparked debate – it explores the intricate power struggles between a driven American philanthropist (played by Jessica Chastain) and a dedicated dancer (Isaac Hernández) from her Mexico City-based charity, whose border crossing disrupts their relationship dynamics. Interestingly, Franco’s previous film, “Memory,” initially premiered at Venice, as Cannes declined it for the competition. However, Franco’s choice to participate in Berlin was not due to a lack of ambition; instead, he was drawn by Tuttle’s vision for the festival.

Last year, Tuttle assumed the role that Chatrian held before, who had been the head of the Locarno festival and had brought a certain aesthetic uniformity to an event which, under Dieter Kosslick for many years, prioritized political concerns over strict curation. The issue with Chatrian’s taste was that it leaned towards the experimental and avant-garde – a preference already evident in Berlin through the Forum and Panorama sections. While his leadership might have enhanced those sections, filling the main competition (and the new Encounters competitive section) with rule-breaking filmmakers could potentially diminish Berlin’s most significant aspect: its ability to connect with local Germans on a more popular level.

The Berlin International Film Festival stands out as Europe’s most extensive film event, yet what sets it apart is its focus on the general public rather than the industry alone. Despite this, a significant number of professionals attend due to the European Film Market, a substantial platform for co-production and business transactions that coincides with the festival’s initial phase. In stark contrast to Cannes, it lacks the elitist allure and formal black-tie atmosphere.

I’ve been intermittently visiting Berlin since 2011, when Asghar Farhadi’s “A Separation” was awarded the Golden Bear over films like “Margin Call,” Miranda July’s “The Future,” and Béla Tarr’s last film, “The Turin Horse.” Looking back, that year’s festival was quite impressive. However, a competition lineup shouldn’t be evaluated solely based on its best movies, but rather by the overall quality of the entire selection. This is where Tuttle and her team have an opportunity to express their values, promoting a wide range of perspectives and creators, all while keeping their audience in mind.

At Berlin, unlike some other festivals that disregard or late-night slot genre films, “What Marielle Knows” by Frédéric Hambalek, a unique high-concept sitcom about a girl who can read her parents’ thoughts, was warmly welcomed. Additionally, there was the unconventional psychological thriller “Mother’s Baby,” which benefited greatly from Marie Leuenberger’s compelling performance. The festival also showcased fresh, visually captivating works from Lucile Hadžihalilović and French directing duo Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani. Their work, “Reflection in a Dead Diamond,” while somewhat shallow in content, boasted some of the festival’s most striking visuals, including clever camera tricks and visual gags, serving as a tribute to ’60s-era James Bond imitators.

Among the 19 films competing, just a handful left me questioning their selection. The Argentine director Ivan Fund’s black-and-white film “The Message” showcases a charming child psychic who performs bogus seances with ill and deceased animals. Although it didn’t resonate strongly with me, it won the Jury Prize, suggesting that at least seven individuals found merit in it that I missed. Furthermore, apart from being Michel Blanc’s final performance, “The Safe House” seemed like an awkward selection for inclusion.

At least seven out of the twenty directors competing were female, and while only Hadžihalilović among them received an award, it’s evident that Tuttle and her team are upholding Berlin’s legacy of striving for gender balance (the number matches the 2017 record, in which over a third of Golden Bear contenders were women). This demonstrates the expectation for Cannes to improve in this area.

Among the movies I watched, many didn’t suit my preference, especially those in the more obscure Forum section. However, the film that truly disappointed me was the opening night selection, “The Light” by Tom Tykwer. With Tuttle being new here, it’s understandable she might feel compelled to showcase a big German movie, but I would have preferred if she had chosen “Islands” instead. Although this film isn’t in German, its director, Jan-Ole Gerster, is a native of Germany and the festival overlooked him previously. His debut film, “A Coffee in Berlin,” premiered at Karlovy Vary and won six Lolas.

As a movie enthusiast, I must commend Tuttle for an outstanding innovation: the establishment of the Perspectives section, dedicated to debut films. Highlighting fresh talent is undoubtedly the toughest yet most crucial task for any film festival selection committee, and the half-dozen newcomers I encountered in this segment – such as Kahlil Joseph’s awe-inspiring “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions” – are all directors who, with this platform, have been catapulted into the prestigious “A Category” festivals. This means that their future projects will undoubtedly be gracing the screens of Venice, Cannes, and Toronto. And when that day comes, we’ll proudly recall where these promising talents first made their mark.

Read More

2025-02-24 17:18