Gutes kino!

The Goethe screens the best of Germany

SPOOKY SORCERY: Krabat

by MATTHEW HAYS

In the late ’80s and ’90s, German cinema, once regarded as one of the most robust national cinemas in Europe, suffered a malaise. The culture that brought us Fassbinder was suddenly churning out loads of dimwitted comedies, desperately attempting to spin off the charms of Doris Dörrie’s 1985 hit Men (a great film that spawned many mediocre knockoffs).

The new millennium has been good for Germany, though. The past few years has seen several truly imaginative cinematic visions emerge. And the German government continues to support its cinematic talent, in part through the Goethe Institutes that operate around the world.

For the next month, our own Goethe will screen several of the very best German films of the past few years. Included is Free Rainer—Reclaim Your Brain, a strange conspiracy movie by director Hans Weingartner. Here, we meet a money-worshipping reality-TV tycoon, Rainer, who suffers a near-fatal accident. This experience pushes him to rethink his thoughtless ways, choosing to make cerebral content for the tube. But Rainer is horrified to see the ratings for the quality work he’s made, and now he’s intent on uncovering the fraud that is the German TV ratings system, one that consistently posits the stupidest shows at the top of the charts.

Also screening will be Krabat, Marco Kreuzpaintner’s feature, set in 17th century Germany, which tells the story of a 14-year-old orphan who is led into the dark and mysterious world of sorcery. This film stars David Kross, now famous for his role opposite Kate Winslet in The Reader, and who will be present for the screenings. Nicolette Krebitz takes us on a journey from realism to surrealism in The Heart Is a Dark Forest, about a woman’s realization that her husband has been leading a double life and has another parallel family. A hit at last year’s Berlinale, this film was produced by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run).

And with Eye to Eye: All About German Film, directors Michael Althen and Hans Helmut Prinzler create a love letter to the national cinema. Tom Tykwer discusses his love for F.W. Murnau’s classic Nosferatu, while Wim Wenders talks about Fritz Lang’s M and Michael Ballhaus is interviewed about Fassbinder’s The Marriage of Maria Braun.

GERMAN HIGHLIGHTS SCREENS AT
THE GOETHE AND THE CINÉMA DU
PARC FROM APRIL 23 TO MAY 29.
INFO: GOETHE.DE/MONTREAL