I finally caught up with Maren Ade's _Everyone Else_. I really don't care for streaming on my desktop unless it is light entertainment I watch while working. But I don't care for paying a premium for new DVD either! I finally bought
a used copy from a public library. It is perhaps optimal that I ended up watching this after Ade's _Toni Erdmann_. The two films have much in common:
a laconic careerist paired with a prankster and extrovert. In _Everyone Else_ these are idealist/architect Chris (Lars Eidinger) and his long-time girlfriend Gitti (Birgit Minichmayr). The difference is that the two are stuck together in Sardinia on vacation, and the story is centered on the subtle dynamics between the man and the woman -- and the more successful, glamorous coupe
(Hans and Sana) they interact with. Writer-director Ade is absolutely brilliant in creating the very complex and totally believable central couple; her insights into their behavior are nothing short of brilliant. I am surprised to find that Ade is so young; I would have thought the wisdom in
her screenplays comes from a late starter.

The summertime cinematography is beautiful, much more pleasing than the functional camera work in _Toni Erdmann_. But _Toni_ is a much more
enjoyable film. The crazy prankster father-figure stalks her daughter
from afar and shows up once in a while. His pranks are interesting
because we catch them in small doses. The straight-laced daughter
is played by Sandra Huller (_Brownian Movement_, _Requium_), a genius
at embodying tortured, mysterious women who don't talk much. Minichmayr
is present in most scenes in _Everyone Else_, and while she is fascinating
for short bursts, exhaustion sets in quickly (just as such people would
be in real life). And Lars Eidinger is no Sandra Huller. Still, it is
an impressive film. In the DVD extras Ade speaks about making the two protagonists equal, not letting one of them dominate. That's one of
the reasons I buy DVDs instead of stream! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Volker Schlondorff has made more than his share of political films. What sets _The Legend of Rita_ apart is the surprisingly upbeat protagonist, a former callow terrorist who grows up and perseveres through her extended exile in
the GDR. There are very few happy people in the Schlondorff cinematic universe! Biblana Beglau is very good but so are her costars Nadja Uhl and Jenny Schily. This is one of my favorite Schlondorff films, alongside _Coup de Grace_ and _Homo Faber_, adapted from Max Frisch's novel. Still haven't caught up with _Return with Montauk_, which is a tribute to Frisch. I suspect one day no
one will remember Frisch and his books. It is the way things go, but what a sad day that would be.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_In Safe Hands_ is a film about child adoption that unfolds like a murder mystery. The story is not told in chronological order; we only gradually figure out what is going on. The director manages to imbue her story with incredible tension and mystery. The camera work is functional but is very intimate in key moments. The film has a stellar French cast, with hesitant Elodie Bouchez as a potential adoptive parent, Miou-Miou, Gilles Lellouche, Sandrine Kiberlain, and others playing various members of the dedicated adoptive services. I watched the film because of Kiberlain, one of my
favorite actresses. Her screen time is on equal footing with her costars
in this ensemble piece, but she is in absolute top form, playing with
props, unleashing her dry wit. It turns out the director Jeanne Herry
worked with Kiberlain in her feature debut _Number One Fan_. That is
a decent murder mystery but doesn't remotely suggest that the follow-up
will be this good. (By the way, Herry is Miou-Miou's daughter.) Every character has an amazing story. The film references Chekov, and clear
aspires to the heartbreak, hope, and humor found in Chekov's plays.
And it succeeds too. What an inspired, delightful film. I guess when
Brit Marling wrote her famous piece in the NY Times complaining that
"strong female" in movies needs to embody a different philosophy,
this type of film must be what she was thinking of.

(for A.)

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)