And suddenly, the Berlinale is already halfway through . It feels like we were just excitedly watching the trailer for the first time in the cinema when the Berlinale bear appeared in the starry sky, and now the first guests are already leaving. But the competitions and other sections are still in full swing and have a few surprises in store for us.
And winter is still in full swing, too, so that you trudge from one cinema to the next, wrapped up warm in the snow flurries, then sit buried under your thick coat in your armchair, quietly dreaming of a spring festival.
Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut
The film Ich verstehe Ihren Unmut (I Understand Your Discontent) takes an almost documentary-like look at work in the low-wage sector. Heike works as a site manager for a building cleaning company. Constantly rushed, she is torn between the demands of her customers and the working conditions of the cleaning teams and subcontractors. The hard, little-recognised work, the rush and the constant pressure are also reflected in the nervous handheld camera that accompanies Heike through her daily stress. Only when she quits her job and attempts to gain control over her own life and working conditions does the film slow down and the camera become calmer.
The film shows worlds that are otherwise rarely seen in the cinema and forces us to question these working conditions. The cast also includes amateurs who work as cleaners, which further underlines the documentary character of this film, which is well worth seeing.
Yön Lapsi
From bitter reality to the fantastical forests of Finland: Saga and her English husband Jon move into her late grandmother's remote house in the middle of the Finnish woods. Here they want to realise their dream of a happy family, but after the birth of their son, motherhood and marriage increasingly become a nightmare for Saga. Her son is not cute, he cries through the night and sucks her dry – or so she feels. She is increasingly overcome by the feeling that she has a monster, a forest spirit, in her cradle. And so the horror slowly begins to creep out of the forest and into the house – and the blood begins to spurt.
Kuru effortlessly joins the ranks of Damien, Rosemary's Baby and other creepy children in films.
Rupert Grint ( formerly Ron Weasley in Harry Potter) is convincing in the role of the sympathetic but overwhelmed husband who has to watch his wife turn away from him and the real world more and more. Finnish actress Seidi Haarla also plays her role as a mother who cannot love her child really well, and yet one would have expected the film Yön Lapsi to be shown at the Fantasy Film Fest rather than in competition at the Berlinale. There, it is certainly one of the weaker entries and probably has little chance of bringing a Bear back to Finland.
40 years of the TEDDY AWARD
Happy Birthday TEDDY AWARD: The queer film award celebrates its 40th birthday with a big party (unfortunately already sold out) at the Volksbühne on Friday. And to mark the occasion, there will also be a series of selected films from the last 40 years, including Tomboy by Céline Sciamma, who will receive this year's Special TEDDY AWARD.
By the way: there are still tickets available on the Berlinale website and at the box offices. So, if you want to see a special film that is not otherwise included in the regular programme, you still have the perfect opportunity to do so at the Berlinale until Sunday.
