The Baader Meinhoff Complex and Still Walking (MOD)
A few words (and I mean a very few because I don't have the time) on two films I just saw.
I saw The Baader Meinhoff Complex in my local arthouse. It is the last of this year's foreign language Oscar nominated films that I saw. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe. Directed by Uli Edel it is the story of the Red Army Faction (RAF) the sprung up in Germany in the 60s and 70s.
Edel has created a powerful film and gets us to understand how this group came to being. While the film introduces us to a number of the group's members it focuses on three main characters. Ulrikhe Meinhoff (Martina Gedeck) is a married with children and also a journalist. She and her husband are on the left. But she is swept away with this group to the point where she is willing to give up her children. Andreas (Moritz Bleibtreau) and Gudrun Easslin (Johanna Wokalek) are lovers who also have a child. They have no qualms about giving him up because their cause is more important.
The Baader Meinhoff Complex is an unflinching look at this group. And, yes, it is quite violent but it has to be. But it is also very real. Here is a group that had high ideals but took the wrong path in trying to achieve them. All of the acting is spot on with Gedeck being really fantastic. I highly recommend this film.
I also highly recommend Hirokazu Koreeda's beautiful film Still Walking. This one I saw on Movies on Demand IFC in Theaters. It is playing at a handful of cinemas but it was easier to see it on MOD.
This film is quite tranquil despite its subject matter. It focuses on one Japanese family. The elderly mother and father live in Yokohama. They are about to honor the anniversary of the death of their eldest son who drowned while rescuing someone else - who survived. The father seems cold and bitter and the mother is sad but tries to help her other children.
The surviving brother and sister arrive with their families in tow. Of course, they cannot measure up to the brother who no longer is here. This is especially hard for the younger brother. All of the acting is terrific. The film reminded me a bit of Ozu's Tokyo Story - which I love.
It may seem like not much happens in this film but in reality it does. It is about real life and it could apply to any family anywhere in the world. There is no need to say more about the plot. Just see this film. I am sure that you will be as moved at the end as I was.
I saw The Baader Meinhoff Complex in my local arthouse. It is the last of this year's foreign language Oscar nominated films that I saw. It was also nominated for the Golden Globe. Directed by Uli Edel it is the story of the Red Army Faction (RAF) the sprung up in Germany in the 60s and 70s.
Edel has created a powerful film and gets us to understand how this group came to being. While the film introduces us to a number of the group's members it focuses on three main characters. Ulrikhe Meinhoff (Martina Gedeck) is a married with children and also a journalist. She and her husband are on the left. But she is swept away with this group to the point where she is willing to give up her children. Andreas (Moritz Bleibtreau) and Gudrun Easslin (Johanna Wokalek) are lovers who also have a child. They have no qualms about giving him up because their cause is more important.
The Baader Meinhoff Complex is an unflinching look at this group. And, yes, it is quite violent but it has to be. But it is also very real. Here is a group that had high ideals but took the wrong path in trying to achieve them. All of the acting is spot on with Gedeck being really fantastic. I highly recommend this film.
I also highly recommend Hirokazu Koreeda's beautiful film Still Walking. This one I saw on Movies on Demand IFC in Theaters. It is playing at a handful of cinemas but it was easier to see it on MOD.
This film is quite tranquil despite its subject matter. It focuses on one Japanese family. The elderly mother and father live in Yokohama. They are about to honor the anniversary of the death of their eldest son who drowned while rescuing someone else - who survived. The father seems cold and bitter and the mother is sad but tries to help her other children.
The surviving brother and sister arrive with their families in tow. Of course, they cannot measure up to the brother who no longer is here. This is especially hard for the younger brother. All of the acting is terrific. The film reminded me a bit of Ozu's Tokyo Story - which I love.
It may seem like not much happens in this film but in reality it does. It is about real life and it could apply to any family anywhere in the world. There is no need to say more about the plot. Just see this film. I am sure that you will be as moved at the end as I was.
posted by Film Fanatic | 3:11 PM
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