At Filmfest München Newcomer Jan-Ole Gerster won the prize as best young Director for his second Film “Lara”. In a DW Interview, he tells about the pressure of expectations after his debut.
“Lara”: a mother and son in seemingly relaxed conversation: Corinna Harfouch Tom Schilling
There has been in recent years no other German debut, and can look back on such a success with audiences and critics, such as “Oh Boy”. As of 1978 in Hagen-born Director Jan-Ole Gerster presented seven years ago in Munich, his high-school-graduation film at the Festival, no one had any idea of what was to come still. Also Gerster itself. At the Filmfest Munich in 2019, he has been awarded with the German cinema New talent award for best young Director. The prize is endowed with 30,000 euros.
“Oh Boy” was a worldwide art house Hit
Like a fairy tale it was, remembers Gerster, a few hours before the Premiere of his second film “Lara” in an interview with Deutsche Welle: “We must not forget, that was a Low-Budget graduation film, the long time had no rental.
By a hair he would have never seen the light of the screen and would be sometime after midnight, in TV sent.” Still, the Director is amazed when he thinks of “Oh Boy” back: “things have really developed in the last few meters are quite different.”
Pensive: Tom Schilling in Oh Boy
The movie was a rental, was in the world invited by Festivals, collected the dozen prices, and came in around 40 countries in cinemas, in the US, Canada, Japan, Russia, Australia. For the coronation, there was the “European film award for the best debut”. “I am very grateful that I was able to make this a great experience and I now believe that this can be now with each Film repeat.”
International Premiere of “Lara” in Karlovy Vary
However, the expectations were great when the audience and the press. At the Festival in Karlovy Vary in 2019 in the Czech Republic, Lara “world” celebrated its premiere, two days later, the German Premiere at the Filmfest Munich followed.
How has Gerster experienced the world premiere in Karoly Vary, where “Oh Boy” for the first Time in front of an audience was shown? “I must confess that I have been in the first in, first out nervous and ran bin,” says Gerster. The first reactions were good: “I am satisfied and happy.”
World premiere on the Red carpet in Karlovy Vary: Gerster (5 from left) and his Team
How is he to deal with the enormous expectations after the huge success of “Oh Boy”? “It would be a lie, if I hadn’t felt a bit of pressure after the debut of the film”, confesses Gerster: “There are of course expectations: the, you, but above all expectations from the outside. Shake off, to ignore and to push away that’s a task.”
“Oh Boy” appeared to be great French movie role models
Jan-Ole Gerster has mastered them, so much can be revealed. “Lara” is a very different Film than “Oh Boy”, showed the young Tom Schilling as a melancholic-dreamy Drifter. The had aborted his studies and left then drift. A small Black-and-White Film shot with a cool Jazz Soundtrack and a tremendous amount of atmosphere. A Film whose action on a day of plays and the reminded of the early works of the French Nouvelle Vague.
A woman the Talent of your son: Corinna Harfouch at the concert in the “Lara followed”
Also “Lara” takes place in one day, and connects at least both films. “Lara” is filmed in color and tells the story of a woman in advanced age. The German theatre and film actress Corinna Harfouch (our picture above) plays insistently this Lara monster.
In the first scene you see them on the Morning of your 60. Birthday at the open window of their apartment. She climbs on a chair and appears to be going down to topple. But then there was a knock at the door, Lara will open and things take a different course.
Corinna Harfouch on “Lara” and not to show off the stamp
Lara has a son, a young, gifted pianist (Tom Schilling), and in the evening, his first big concert, when he wants to bring a composition to the performance. So Lara decides to visit on the evening of the concert, to buy any remaining tickets and distributed them to friends and Acquaintances.
Joy to the world premiere: Corinna Harfouch with Director Gerster (R) and actor Volkmar Kleinert
What has irritated Gerster to the substance that was created according to a script of his Slovene friend, the author and Director Blaž Kutin,? “I was curious and fascinated to the book of Kutin, ‘ve read it and was thrilled with a strange, odd way, and touched by this woman and the story of this woman.”
Jan-Ole Gerster: “Lara has to do anything with me”
After the first read, he didn’t know really what had him so fascinated, so Gerster. He had been sure, it was just that “a good indication that I was upsetting Because it means that it has anything to do with me.” It fascinated people with a great passion: “I find per se to be very interesting.” Lara has followed the efforts of her son, a Music career, always suspicious – it quickly becomes clear.
In the course of the story the portrait of a woman emerges who has even once dreamed to be a piano virtuoso, but of teachers and their environment to unsettle him. Layer by layer, exposes Gerster this psycho gram of a sensitive woman: Instead of leading a life with music, has Lara for many years in an office Job worn: bureaucracy instead of notes, files instead of music. Lara has lived her big dream never. The own Fears, you will transfer to your son.
“Lara” is a Film about art, dreams, and expectations
A little Lara reflects the processing of the own history, the Gerster has travelled up to his debut seven years ago: “I’m glad I handled this completely different and daring, to make a first Film.” Lara stands for “conflict and anxiety are not foreign to me – because I was a film student ever in a Situation that almost killed me, I was thinking: If I fail now, it will forever remain a bad experience.”
Jan-Ole Gerster in the DW-interview in Munich
Him “do it infinitely sorry that Lara needs to realize that it was the right decision,” adds Gerster: that is a great tragedy, but also a great Affection, I perceived the figure opposite for him”.” He was interested to watch in this character of yours: “As is often so with man, the act is based on the usually a big pain and a disappointment.”
A second film, the wonders of waiting for the Director?
Now you may be curious as to what travel Jan-Ole Gerster after the world premiere in Karlovy Vary and the German Premiere in Munich with “Lara” is. First invitations to other Festivals were already being made, the distributors of the film will take care of the worldwide distribution. A second miracle is waiting for Jan-Ole Gerster?
In Germany, Lara starts at 7. November 2019 in theaters.