Movies

Of old and new Wars: films in competition at the 66. Berlinale

A European Co-production with Hollywood Stars and a Film from Bosnia: At the Berlin film festival competing films for the Golden bear, the from the war to tell and also a lot about the Europe of today statements.

Daniel Brühl in “Everybody dies alone”

At the film festivals in the world, it is often so, that there are films in the competition consecutively run and thus relate with each other and correspond. Invite you to Compare, even if the individual works actually nothing at all to do with each other. This often leads to surprising results.

At the Berlinale the festival organizers an expensive international, in English, turned production over national socialism, and one with a small Budget produced Bosnian Film about Sarajevo into the race for the Golden bear sent.

A German novel served as the basis – has been shot but in English

The one that Romanverfilmung “Alone in Berlin” (original title “Everyone dies for all”), was based on the book by Hans Fallada. Alone the story about the literary template exists, would be a own Film with value. Falladas novel about a German couple from Berlin working class milieu, the in the 2. World war, a son is lost and, therefore, a subversive Widerstandsaktion begins, first appeared in 1947.

However, only in a greatly abridged Version – only five years ago came the novel in its original version. The Translations in many languages contributed to it, that “Everyone dies for himself alone” became a best-seller. Also in the US, where the “New York Times” extensively with author and book workers.

A Couple of handles the loss of the son, with a bold Widerstandsaktion: Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson

The internationally known Swiss actor and Director Vincent Perez has the book now with a prominent cast filmed: From the UK is Emma Thompson, the Irish Star Brendan Gleeson plays the male lead – both are also from Hollywood films. Some German actors, including Daniel Brühl, are also part of the game. The Film was produced with the British, French, and German funds, was filmed, among other things, in the East German Görlitz, whose restored house facades in the last few years been extensively used for Hollywood movies about the time of the national socialism to serve had.

Alone in Berlin: The battle of the little people against Hitler

In his book, wanted to Fallada, as he wrote at that time, to show how “a small man from the people of a from the outset, losing battle against the Hitlersche Staatsmaschinerie”. Exactly this point of view has also Director Perez irritated, like he did in Berlin known. Him have not been so often told Widerstandgeschichte by aristocrats and citizens interested in, and only in the last second on the Widerstandszug popping up. Also, he had no Film about Hitler in his last hours, want to do, the despair about their own demise muses: “I wanted the story of ordinary people talk.”

The Commissioner (Daniel Brühl, left) comes to the author of the postcards on the ropes

Because of the length of the novel had Perez for the filming on some of the plotlines altogether. In addition to the grieving Couple in his very own way of trying to defend themselves (both distribute in Berlin anonymous postcards with the call for resistance), he is one of Daniel Brühl played Kriminalkommissar in focus.

The the mission of the authors of the maps to trace and nail down. This device he himself in Gewissensnöte. Brühl is convinced that there are such characters in Nazi Germany often have given; people, who only gradually became aware, what with your country happens. The least were heroes have been everything, even your life, risks have, in the meantime also internationally successful German Mime.

Murder in Sarajevo – a diverse reflection of the present through history and the present

“Everyone dies for himself alone” follows the well-known Hollywood dramaturgy of historical films, is with a lot of equipment and well-known actors. The Bosnian entry, “murder in Sarajevo” is available in many for the exact opposite. Director Danis Tanovic, three years ago for his Film “The life of a Breaker with two Silver Berlinale bear was awarded, has a surprisingly current Film.

The Hotel in Sarajevo with Spielclubs and Striptease-Bar direct connection to the underworld

In a large Hotel in the Bosnian capital to meet the 100. Anniversary of the outbreak of the 1. World war, representatives of various European institutions, politicians, the press and the intellectuals to each other. In Sarajevo, a plea for peace and understanding is to be started – after a century previously at the same place the big battles was fired. But, of course, turns in the movie, much of the recent Bosnia war.

The Hotel is the iconic place of the encounter of different stakeholders. Ostensibly it is about the different ethnic groups and religions in the former Yugoslavia: Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, Muslims and Christians, but also to various social groups and strata in the city.

Convincing Figurenarsenal give the Film depth and diversity

Tight and breathlessly staged, the Director of his dance, from politics and Private, remains very close to its characters. In a mixture of realistic time-image, melodrama and the Grotesque, he brings viewers the Konfliktstoffe close. In many small Thumbnails, it creates the movie so to show how infinitely difficult it is, from history to learn.

The Hotel, the employees Lamija with many adversities to deal

And yet one thing is remarkable in this Film. It goes on the one hand, to the history of the early 20. Century, the shutter the 1. World war and the consequences, as well as the barely scarred wounds of the Bosnian war, the Film tells a third story: that of the continent of Europe in the year 2016. The Film, at the Berlinale a few days before the EU summit to the refugee crisis, runs, shows on how bad it is currently the understanding in Europe.

Although this is a traurigstimmende knowledge, however, is “murder in Sarajevo” as a political metaphor. The far more expensive historical film, “Alone in Berlin”, the Stars and the English language orientation obvious to a large audience squints, on the other hand, with its conventional dramaturgy and the Watch worn in the equipment quite old.