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An error has ocurred. Please try againIf you know world cinema, you will know that outside of Hollywood many films are being co-produced by different companies with different fundings - so sometimes its hard to tell what country a movie is actually from. IfI could not make a decision based on 1. producing country or 2. language spoken, I will look up which country submitted the movie to festivals and award ceremonies.
I have now seen 84 out of 93 Best Pictures
There are some notable films in the German language that were produced in Austria or Switzerland. These will not appear in this list, unless they were co-produced in Germany...you see: its going to be complicated!
German cinema may not have the revolutionary tradition of French or Italian cinema in the latest years, but there is nonetheless much to be explored. This will be a work in progress and is sorted randomly.
Reviews
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Must-see performances in a solid Horror debased by too much nostalgia
Doctor Sleep is the 2019 adaptation of Stephen King's follow-up to the legendary novel The Shining which itself was turned into a landmark horror by Stanley Kubrick in 1980 - a film that is seen by many as the quintessential Horror Movie. So does Doctor Sleep come close to the inventiveness and quality of the original The Shining? Does it even matter? Yes and no.
This film really angers me. It angers me because it is a competent Horror with fantastic performances, serious suspense and a tight script that leaves just enough room for the actors to breathe. Why is that angering? Because when you have such a great overall package, you dont need that extra bit of crowd-pleasing shoved down your throat. There are constant visual references throughout the movie, reminding us at every step that we are not only watching a gripping tale of Horror, no, we are watching the actual sequel to this iconic movie, from which you bought a t-shirt once and that you see on each Top-Whatever-List on Youtube. Seriously, there is nothing wrong with nostalgia and me personally, I too love The Shining, but damn, let those movies do their own thing. The ending (which was changed from the book) takes one step too far and basically shows us the original film on a meta level which actually made me downgrade Doctor Sleep. I know that many viewers enjoyed those throwbacks and while they were decent on a technical level, they never worked for me.
Now that I have that out of my system, I can tell you about Rebecca Ferguson. Ferguson plays Rose The Hat, the leader of the villainous cult The True Knot and she single-handedly lifts Doctor Sleep from good to great with her cunning and magnetic performance. The story of The True Knot is the most fascinating part of the novel and director Mike Flanagan makes the right choice to give them enough room (I watched the Directors Cut) and show them as evil, yes, but also as people who are always forced to hunt, always on the edge of survival themselves. You really despise those people, but you are drawn to them, too. I also applaud the decision to cast lauded actor Jacob Tremblay in a cameo for the books most notorious scene that was adapted every bit as intense as it reads on the written page.
So while those scenes work the best, there are also good things to say about our actual protagonists. While I struggled to see how exactly Ewan McGregors Danny Torrance earns the nickname Doctor Sleep, his performance is competent and likeable. The movie is just not that interested in his character. Kyliegh Currans Abra is engaging and her chemistry with McGregor and Ferguson is what lifts the second half of the movie. Her scenes of mind control and floating could have easily come across as laughable, but her earnestness makes them work.
All in all, Doctor Sleep is very enjoyable. While the nostalgia overflow and Jump-Scare-factor are a bit high for my taste, the performances more than make up for those flaws. Mike Flanagan manages to sew together a sprawling story, applying his glossy visual touch to great effect and leaves us with one of the best Stephen King-adaptations in recent years.
Deutschstunde (2019)
Beautifully filmed but rather shallow adaptation of this uniquely german story
Christian Schwochows adaptation of Siegfried Lenz' 1968 landmark novel is a visually striking and competently made movie that sadly misses many subleties that made the story come alive in the first place.
Yes, I have read Deutschstunde not too long ago and was impressed not only by the main story and the quite suspensful thread that runs through it, but also by the honest characterisation of the people of Nordfriesland, their quirks and the subtle description of their beliefs. This was something that was dearly missed here. Of course, several side-characters were omitted from this 2019 movie version, but the main change is that the focus shifts from our protagonist young Siggi, whose thoughts we are told firsthand in the novel, to the depiction of the conflict between his father and the painter Max Ludwig Nansen. And this is where the movie fails: for a story that deals with repressed emotions and the blind need to 'do ones duty', it is played very emotional: there are several instances of flying fists, shooting guns, screaming and crying to the point where it becomes a bit unbelievable. Also, because of the neglect of the highly complex character of Siggi as our focus, we can hardly understand the change he goes through and his actions at the end of the movie can become confusing. This criticism would not be so hard if the movie would try to introduce something new to the story instead of simply retelling the main points and staying closely beneath the surface.
Still there are strong points. The visuals of the raw northern german shoreline are beautiful, but not to the point where some movies lose itself in neverending elegic drone-footage. It is presented more like another character here and this is exactly what this movie needs. Also, some praise must go to Tobias Moretti who as the strong-willed Nansen makes us believe in the need to paint and what it means not only to him but everyone around him. He is the main reason that Deutschstunde is still recommendable and doesn't quite fail as a competent adaptation of one of the most iconic german novels of all time.
Die Unsichtbaren (2017)
Unique and unsentimental blend of Documentary and feature film in this German Holocaust drama
One of the more popular ideas in films that are based on real events or people is to show a small Interview fragment or photos of the actual persons during the credits. But how often do you see those Interviews actually integrated in the film, even driving the story? The interviews with the actual survivors surely are the thing that makes Die Unsichtbaren stand out among WWII/Third Reich/Holocaust-dramas. All of the Interviewees tell their remarkable stories in such a fascinating and humble way, that these segments alone would make the movie worthwhile. But they are so seamlessly edited into the reenactments of those events, that it is a real joy. Of course you could argue that this style is more documentary, less feature film, but the quality of the reenactments and the acting talent of those involved (especially Max Mauff and Alice Dwyer stand out) is enough to convince you, that Die Unsichtbares belongs in the cinemas.
Another factor is the positivity that the film depicts. Of course, its still a movie about the everyday discrimination and persecution of Jews, but it focuses on the witty ideas and lucky incidents that lead to the mostly positive outcomes for our protagonists. You wont see any on-screen-deaths or footage from the camps in Die Unsichtbaren. Still it tries to strike a balance of showing positive and negative actions alike from all parties involved - German Jews, German non-Jews and Russians - making the story a little more varied and complex than usual without ever being patronizing or sentimental.
At its core, Die Unsichtbaren is a polished German production that doesnt take too many risks, but its still a worthwhile movie with an interesting story to tell and good performances all around. The blend of Documentary and feature film works suprisingly well and makes this one a recommandation.