Cleo

Cleo, Eric Schmitt, Germany 2019, 99 min, German dubbed, color

The director employs every trick in the book—animated sequences, reverse time, speed, darkness, light, and dreams—to give the surreal the guise of an entirely ordinary reality. And you simply want to believe him. At times, Eric Schmitt's film resembles those of his great predecessors, the first surrealist filmmakers of the 1920s and 30s, Luis Buñuel, Man Ray, or Jean Cocteau. With a grain of salt—and a touch of melancholy.

Cleo works for a tourist office in Berlin and has lived a solitary life since her father died when she was ten years old. Her mother died during childbirth. Since childhood, Cleo has hoped that a magic clock will help her turn back time and save her parents. She's always been able to see and talk to people from the past. Einstein told her about the relativity of time. It all fits. And then she receives a treasure map from two famous Berlin burglars, the Sass brothers. They stole the magic clock in the 1920s. For Cleo, a journey through Berlin's history begins, all the way back to the beginning of time and into a happy ending.

A worthy and delightful treat to conclude the Cinema Surreal 2025 film series at the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection.

Admission and participation are free. No registration required.