A sign of culture – or is it an irresponsible risk game? The 72nd Berlinale starts this Thursday and tries to make everyone forget all the shadows of the pandemic.
It is often more snapshots than grand speeches that are associated with actors or actors in politics. When I think of Claudia Roth, a late Berlinale opening comes to mind. The shrewd green cultural manager smiled and let me a stranger take the taxi she had obviously been waiting for – simply because she was in no hurry to get home. You could see that she had really enjoyed the party and just wanted to let it have an effect.
Now, as the new Minister of State for Culture, she could even invite herself to the same party – but unfortunately it doesn’t take place. The 72nd Berlin Film Festival presents itself as an officially celebration-free zone, even if the red carpet for the opening this Thursday is, as usual, at Potsdamer Platz.
Claudia Roth sees the face-to-face event without online offers as a “sign of optimism, hope and encouragement”; she is quoted by the German Press Agency. “We won’t let them take them away from us. On the contrary, we are making a statement for culture, for cinema, for film and for all those who work in this area, the creative people and all the people behind the scenes.”
In fact, in the past few days, comments from several media have called for the film festival to be canceled because of an uncontrollable infection situation there. “We have reasons to take the risk,” said the management duo Mariette Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian in the “Berliner Zeitung” (see also the interview with Chatrian on the right).
However, they are not only taking the risk personally. They also expect others to do it, especially journalists who have to come together in a confined space. It was the carelessness of a colleague who was jointly responsible for the Berlinale program of “Criticism Week” that suddenly robbed me of my own: He firmly assumes that he will become infected with omicron during the Berlinale.
On the official Berlinale posters, a bear with sticking plasters advertises vaccination (that is, the unvaccinated are not allowed in). But even those who have been vaccinated must be taken seriously in their concern about the consequences of an infection – a “vaccination breakthrough”; an “infestation” of Berlin must not tacitly become a corona political program. And what role does the most popular German cultural event – after the documenta – play in this? Caution is advised whenever culture is exploited for anything other than its own content. And as far as this 72nd Berlinale is concerned, they are already in the shadow of Corona. Will the program succeed in making you forget the tiresome circumstances surrounding its presentation?
Maybe this Thursday evening: Frenchman François Ozon, one of the most popular auteur filmmakers of his generation, is showing his tragic comedy “Peter von Kant”. 22 years ago, the 54-year-old presented his film adaptation of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s play Drops on Hot Stones at the Berlinale. Now he has rewritten a classic by the admired German for a male title character. The lesbian has become a gay relationship story about the abusive love life of a director (Denis Ménochet). Nevertheless, it should be two female veterans who – if they come – promise real premiere magic: none other than Isabelle Adjani and Hanna Schygulla.
One can also bask in faded glory, at least in the latest pitch-black farce by the Austrian Ulrich Seidl. A former pop star finances his life with poor performances offside, the venue is, among other things, the eponymous, wintry “Rimini”.
There aren’t too many world-famous filmmakers in this year’s festival. Among them is at least one of the best with the French Claire Denis. Juliette Binoche stars in the love triangle Both Sides of the Blade.
The two German contributions also arouse curiosity: “AEIOU – The Fast Alphabet of Love” is the name of the new directorial work by Nicolette Krebitz about the unequal approach between a former actress and a young pickpocket.
Finally, from Andreas Dresen, whose films never really disappoint, one can hope for a politically and emotionally moving drama: His courtroom film “Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush” stages the mother of Murat Kurnaz, who was wrongly deported to Guantanamo. On paper, that already sounds like a potential winner; but who knows whether this year’s jury president will share the traditional Berlinale love of politics: With Hollywood director M. Night Shyamalan, a master of fantastic cinema, which is so rare here, has flown to the Spree. It would take a sixth sense to guess your preferences in this entirely Hollywood-free competition.
