THE ZONE OF INTEREST (2023)

December 15, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. I’ve always had an issue with movies that portray the human or “normal” side of Nazis. Of course, we understand these were human beings – many caught in a no-win situation of self-preservation; however, we just find it so difficult to accept that decent people could carry out these orders of atrocities. Writer-director Jonathan Glazer (UNDER THE SKIN, 2013, SEXY BEAST, 2000, and numerous music videos) has loosely adapted the screenplay from the 2014 novel by Martin Amis, who passed away the same day the movie premiered at Cannes.

Glazer opens the film with a totally black screen. It lasts 2-3 minutes, and feels longer. He purposefully sets us up to fine tune our listening skills for his film that is every bit as much about sound as it is visuals. As the picture comes into focus, we find a family enjoying a day of sun and swimming at a river. When the dad stumbles on something, he immediately gathers up the kids and everyone heads home to bathe.

The man is Rudolph Hoss (played by Christian Friedel), the commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland during WWII. He and his wife, Hedwig “Heddy” Hoss (Sandra Huller, who also stars in ANATOMY OF A FALL, another outstanding film this year) are raising their kids in a beautiful home with a backyard that borders the wall of Auschwitz. While their servants clean and cook, Hedwig tends to her lush garden while the kids play in and out of the house. Once I realized this family was living an ordinary life in this extraordinary setting, a knot formed in my stomach … a knot that took a couple of days to subside, and has returned as I write this review.

Background sounds include periodic screams of terror and pain, as well as distant gun shots blending with the sounds of kids chirping and women chatting. When cinematographer Lukasz Zal (IDA, 2014) shoots a certain angle, we see the smokestacks rising above the wall, though we don’t venture inside the camp gates, even for Rudolph’s birthday when the other Nazi soldiers pay their respects to him. Hedwig is seen picking through items seized from those slaughtered mere feet from her front door. She takes pride in her nickname, “the Queen of Auschwitz”, even as she readily nabs a luxury coat.

Plot and drama are not big players here. We briefly see Rudolph in meetings with Nazi officials as they brainstorm on methods of improving efficiencies of mass extermination. The closest thing to family drama occurs when Rudolph is promoted to Berlin, and Hedwig refuses to go, claiming “This is our home.” It’s an incredible statement highlighting the mental block (or acceptance?) she has of the proximity to horrific actions, and the fact that evil and cruelty is the family business.

The sound design from Johnnie Burn (NOPE, 2021) and score from Mica Levi (JACKIE, 2016) play vital roles in setting and maintaining the atmosphere in a movie that rarely shifts tone and is never in a rush. By offering a different perspective, director Glazer provides a haunting film that will stick with you. He ends things with a glimpse inside the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum where we see piles of shoes, suitcases, etc. The whole film is chilling, and painfully contemporary despite its WWII setting.

Opens in theaters on December 15, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023, France)

October 27, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. It’s not really possible to combine a murder trial with divorce proceedings, but this year’s Palme d’Or winner at Cannes comes about as close as we can imagine. Writer-director Justine Triet and co-writer (and husband) Arthur Harari wrap a ‘did she or didn’t she’ murder mystery in a relationship drama that plays out in a gripping courtroom drama. As for the title, there is an actual fall which leads to the dissecting of the slow fall of the marriage, as well as the emotional fall of having one’s entire life laid bare in a public setting.

Sandra Huller was brilliant in TONI ERDMANN (2016), a film that you should see if you haven’t already. She also starred in director Triet’s film SIBYL (2019), which led her to be cast here as Sandra Voyter, a German writer, wife, and mother. If Huller’s performance isn’t the best of the year, it certainly is in the top three or four. She is stunning as a complex character grappling to hold on to the life she wants despite the obstacles beyond her control … including an indictment and trial for murdering her husband.

There are so many pieces to this storytelling puzzle that it’s quite challenging to paint a proper picture without giving away any of the minutiae surrounding what is the film’s core: we never really know another person, and even knowing ourselves requires an honesty and perception most lack. Some of these pieces include jealousy, the motivation of a writer, guilt, blame, a child’s view of his parents, the French courtroom process, and the need for understanding and closure. These aspects (and more) weave a tangled web over an extended runtime of 152 minutes that not only keep us focused on the trial, but also on the behavior of Sandra, and the excruciating thought process of her 11-year-old son Daniel (a remarkable Milo Machado Graner).

A wonderfully awkward opening scene sets the stage for us to recognize Sandra’s annoyance and her (unseen) French husband Samuel’s purposeful intrusion. This leads to their partially-sighted son Daniel taking the dog for a walk, and his subsequent stumble upon his father’s dead body in the snow. The police investigation is inconclusive, with an explanation available for three possible causes: an accidental fall from the attic window, a suicidal dive from the window, or a deliberate push from that window. With conflicting evidence, and only theories at hand, Sandra is indicted and faces a trial focused less on her husband’s death, and more on the secrets and arguments – the ups and downs – of their relationship.

It seems the prosecution case boils down to … she must have done it because they had arguments and she wrote about it. The prosecutor is played by a fiery Antoine Reinartz, while Sandra’s defense attorney (and long-ago lover) Renzi is played by a calm Swann Arlaud. It’s only in a crucial flashback that we witness husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) and wife Sandra in the midst of an argument that seems to hold the clues needed to assist viewers in a final decision. However, even that isn’t simple due to the approach taken by son Daniel with his dog Snoop (also remarkable!).

The chalet in the French Alps plays a role in the fall as well as the relationship. Verbal sparring is not limited to the above-mentioned flashback, but also in the courtroom where the lines between solicitors crackle with preciseness as Sandra controls her emotions. Even the language differences between French husband and German wife are part of this, but the odd French courtroom process will likely catch outsiders off guard. This is a gem where we as viewers are chugging right along with Daniel and the judges as words and emotions take the place of physical evidence. Camera work from Simon Beaufils is unconventional yet succeeds in putting us in the chalet as well as the courtroom. Some may see the ending as ambiguous, but listening to the big argument and following the dog and Daniel should provide the clarity viewers seek.

Opens in theaters on October 27, 2023

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Posted by David Ferguson

I’M YOUR MAN (2021, Germany)

February 9, 2022

Greetings again from the darkness. The thing about humans is that we are always looking towards the future to see how we can make things easier, better, or more exciting. This is often with an eye towards more fuel-efficient cars, smaller and more powerful computers, and more effective medical treatments. Writer-director Maria Schrader and co-writer Jan Schomburg have adapted the short story from Emma Braslavsky and turn the lens to relationships and love. Is it possible to advance inter-personal relations to the point of perfection? Would that even be desirable or preferable to the messiness that’s gone on since the beginning of time?

It’s actually the film’s premise that impresses most. Maren Eggert stars as Alma, an Anthropologist who has dedicated years of her life to leading a team documenting the earliest human use of poetry. Alma is a serious and determined woman, and one who bears the scars of a recent breakup. She’s drawn into an extraordinary experiment that blends high-tech with sociology. Advanced robots have been developed to become the “perfect” mate, and are programmed specifically for one person. Alma has agreed to the three-week trial, and her robot is Tom (played well by Dan Stevens, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, 2017).

Their initial interactions are quite awkward as Alma is skeptical and Tom is programmed to constantly and quickly learn and evolve based on Alma’s reactions. Despite Alma’s hope for companionship and recognition of her own biological clock, she seems to catch herself anytime she begins to feel a bit of joy. She never imagined that her pursuit of happiness would be dependent on advanced robotics. To monitor the progress, the program’s director, played by Sandra Huller (TONI ERDMANN, 2016) periodically checks in. And yes, she holds her own secrets.

This is a clever film that delves a bit deeper into human emotions than we originally anticipate. It also contains quite a bit of humor – the initial dance club introductions are pretty funny, as is Tom’s facial expression each time he’s tweaking his algorithms. We do learn flirting is “difficult to program”, although in today’s society, that’s a treacherous path anyway. Of course, Alma slowly comes around to the idea of an artificial relationship – one that by definition can never be real. The film is not at the level of EX MACHINA (2014), although it’s less about technological advances and more about self-realization. Ms. Schrader’s film is plenty entertaining to watch and one that slyly points out many flaws of us human beings, while delivering an unexpected ending.

Available for streaming on multiple platforms

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Posted by David Ferguson

MUNICH: THE EDGE OF WAR (2022)

January 21, 2022

Greetings again from the darkness. It seems reasonable to ask why someone didn’t take it upon themselves to stop Hitler before things went so far. Of course we now have 80 years of hindsight to benefit our thoughts, but surely there were those who recognized the reign of terror brewing. The 2017 international best-selling novel, “Munich”, by Robert Harris, has been adapted for the screen by writer Ben Powers, and is directed by Christian Schwochow. It has the look and feel of a political spy thriller, right down to the clandestine meetings, smoking jackets, and heavy mahogany furniture in the conference rooms.

George Mackay (WOLF, 2021) stars as Hugh Legat, and Jannis Niewohner co-stars as Paul von Hartman. We first see them as 1932 Oxford classmates with their mutual friend, Lenya (Liv Lisa Fries) … one English, one German, and one Jewish. A ferocious disagreement over Hitler sent the three friends off in different directions. It’s not until late in the film that we discover what happened to Lenya, but the bulk of the story features Hugh as an attaché to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (Oscar winner Jeremy Irons), and Paul as a German diplomat under the Fuhrer (Hitler is played by Ulrich Matthes who was Goebbels in DOWNFALL).

The timeline revolves around the build-up to the 1938 Munich agreement, just on the brink of WWII. Chamberlain remains focused on avoiding war, while Paul has secured documentation proving Hitler’s plan goes far beyond taking on the Sudetenland area of Czechoslovakia. Paul remains loyal to his homeland, but understands Hitler must be stopped. Working with Helen Winter (played by Sandra Huller), his co-conspirator and paramour, they devise a plan to get the documents to Paul’s old friend Hugh, in hopes that he will deliver to Chamberlain so that Hitler’s vision of domination can be stopped.

This is a dramatized and fictionalized version of what transpired, and Chamberlain’s legacy is still debated to this day. Did Hitler outmaneuver him or was Chamberlain buying needed time to build up the military and garner strength with allies? It’s great fun to watch Mr. Irons jump into this role, even if this is a favorable and somewhat forgiving view of Chamberlain’s approach. The tension is created as old pals Paul and Hugh secretly unite in cause, and is especially present in a scene where Paul is alone with Hitler. Unlike Chamberlain, the goal of the former classmates is to stop Hitler, not just stop or delay a war.

History buffs may cringe a few times, but for an entertaining political drama inspired by history, the film delivers enough to keep us interested. The weakest links involve Hugh’s struggles at home with his wife Pamela (Jessica Brown Findlay), who doesn’t understand why her husband can’t explain to her what’s happening at work. Performances from Mr. Irons and Mr. Niewohner are quite interesting, as is the provided quote, “Hoping is waiting for someone else to do it”.

Available on Netflix beginning January 21, 2022

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Posted by David Ferguson

TONI ERDMANN (2016, Germany)

February 8, 2017

toni-erdmann Greetings again from the darkness. A list of the best German movies of all time would likely feature very few comedies. It’s not a country or culture that tends to laugh much at its history (for good reason) or itself. A case could be made that this latest little gem from writer/director Maren Ade belongs on such a list, and although it features several laugh out loud moments, whether it should be labeled a comedy is certainly worthy of debate.

Winfried (Peter Simonischeck) has been a mostly absentee dad, but now he is deservedly concerned about his daughter’s well being. He is intent on trying to get Ines (Sandra Huller) to let go of her uptight, high stress corporate persona and enjoy life a bit. It’s the kind of advice only those who have really lived can rightfully offer up … though you’ve likely never seen advice administered in such a creative and cringe-inducing manner.

Winfried’s alter-ego is Toni Erdman, a shaggy wig and false teeth wearing goofball who manages to insert himself into the most inconvenient and awkward moments for Ines and her business. His pranks are designed to illustrate just how ridiculous the workaholic treadmill is and how little joy accompanies such a work-a-day life.

Having been nominated for a Best Foreign Language Oscar, it’s easy to crown this as the frontrunner in the category. Ines’ birthday party shines a new light on the phrase “birthday suit”, and that sequence alone might have generated more laughter than I heard in a theatre all year. Yet despite the laughs and Toni’s shenanigans (and there are many), at its core, this is a film about loneliness and the emptiness of life without happiness. Perhaps you could call it a philosophical comedy, but it’s downright chilling to see the raw emotion of Ines as she belts out Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All”, or finally strips herself (literally) of all pretense.

NOTE: it was recently announced that Jack Nicholson will come out of retirement and join Kristen Wiig in an American remake. As exciting as that seems, don’t let it stop you from seeing this original.

watch the trailer:

 

 

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Posted by David Ferguson