THE REVENANTS and KALIFORNIA – Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany
April 18th, 2013 by chocko
Die Wiedergänger (The Revenants)
Director: Andreas Bolm
This film clocks in at about an hour and halfway through I was searching for a narrative or a hint of reason to be watching this movie. The opening shots features breezy, lush forests with the gentle sounds of birds chirping and traffic in the distance. There is a scene where a boy is walking through a cornfield and through the woods. Two other characters: a chain smoking older woman and her pony-tailed husband chopping wood are introduced along with a sloppy two-piece band playing rock songs in the forest. Through the voice-over narration and radio transmissions we learn that the population is living in a danger zone and must evacuate. The boy appears again building what appears to be a shelter. The couple spend some time driving in the dark. There is little to no dialogue in this movie to explain what is going on. The voice-over narrates a story that sounds interesting…why is the movie not about that? Instead what you get are bunch of slow-paced scenes, shot beautifully and perhaps would work better as a series of photographs.
Kalifornia
Director: Laura Mahlberg
Kalifornia is a charming short film about an old Russian man named Pavel who lives in a mobile home out in the quiet German countryside. He calls his friend about his decision to pack and head out for California. Nothing much happens in this film, but Pavel runs into characters along the way: a man with a broken scooter, a burly truck driver and a taxi driver who pokes fun at the film’s protagonist. The film also looks great, wished it was longer! This movie will be shown with the film mentioned above, The Revenants. Check out the trailer to Laura Mahlberg’s Kalifornia HERE.
Die Wiedergänger (The Revenants) and Kalifornia are part of the Kino! 2013: New Films from Germany series hosted at MoMA in NYC from April 18–24, 2013. The short films screen on Saturday – April 20, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. and Wednesday – April 24, 2013 at 4:00 p.m. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is located at 11 West 53rd St. in New York City.
Tags: Die Wiedergänger, german film, Kalifornia, kino!, moma, the revenants
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