CONTENTS Page 3 4-7
Editorial The Shape of Water At a top-secret research facility in the 1950’s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.
8-11
Phantom Thread Set in 1950’s London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young strong-minded woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
12-15
Lady Bird In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl comes of age in Sacramento, California.
16-19
Academy Awards A listicle of all the past Academy Award’s Best Picture winners.
20-23
I, Tonya Competitive ice-skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.
24-27
A Woman’s Life A fragmented account of the life of Jeanne as she sets out on the path Of adult life and gradually experiences the harsh realities of a woman’s life in the 19th century.
28-30
FilmFest Follower
Berlin 2018 A look at some of the films scheduled to screen at this year’s festival.
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Extras DVD of the Month Harold and Lillian A Hollywood Love Story.
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Poster: The Shape of Water
PHOTO CREDITS: 20TH Century Fox: 1,4,6,7,32. Universal Pictures International: 8,10,11,12,14,15. Eagle Films: 20,22,23. King Lorber: 24,26,27,31.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: We would like to thank the following for their help in providing images for this magazine: Rebecca Cherry: AR-PR.co.uk Christelle Randell: PremierComms.com Chris Hagen: PremierComms.com
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EDITORIAL The buzz, anticipation, excitement, predictions of the Academy Awards, the highest honour bestowed by the film industry and voted on by its 6,687 members got a little closer when the nominations were announced in Hollywood on Tuesday January 23. The film with the most votes was The Shape of Water, which is our cover feature review this month. We are delighted that the movie won the most nominations of any film – a total of 13: Best in production design, costume design, cinematography, sound mixing, sound editing, original score, film editing, original screenplay, supporting actress (Octavia Spencer), supporting actor (Richard Jenkins), leading actress (Sally Hawkins), director (Guillermo del Toro), and Best Picture. The ceremony will be held and televised worldwide on Sunday March 4. As for Movies by Mills – the wait is over, you can read it now and debate other reviews of Phantom Thread, Lady Bird, I, Tonya and A Woman’s Life. FilmFest Follower looks at the Berlin Film Festival, plus also topically offer a listicle of the Academy Award winners from its inauguration to last year.
DVD of the Month is a film that you probably have never heard about – a wonderful documentary of a true Hollywood Love Story. Enjoy the read. Brian Mills Magazine Editor
Paul Ridler Magazine Designer
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THE SHAPE OF WATER Directed by Guillermo del Toro Starring: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer If I spoke about it. If I did, I wonder, what would I tell you? - Giles. The Shape of Water is anotherworldly fairy tale, set against the backdrop of the Cold War era, America 1962. In the hidden high-security government laboratory, where she works as a cleaner, Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is trapped in a life of isolation until Elisa’s life is changed forever when she and a co-worker, Zelda (Octavia Spencer) discover a secret classified experiment. The journey of Elsa from loneliness and powerlessness to a heroine who takes huge risks forms the beating heart of The Shape of Water, made all the more extraordinary because the role is almost without words. Rendered mute by a childhood trauma, Elisa communicates in American Sign Language, but she is able to express herself effusively when she encounters the strange aquatic creature being warehoused in the government lab. Hawkins knew instantly there has never been and will be a role quite like Elisa. It’s so rare that you get a role that asks you to put it all out there. Where it’s about unadulterated expression and words are not needed, and you have the freedom to express so much through your eyes, breath and body. That is Elisa. The first read of the script beckoned to Hawkins so powerfully it sparked a few anxieties for her. It was so moving. It was interestingly familiar to me, yet it was like nothing I’ve encountered. I felt like Elisa was a deep part of me or like I knew her in another life. I also felt it was the ultimate fairy tale. At first, I was convinced that Guillermo had the wrong person for the role. It’s the kind of romantic lead I really didn’t ever think I would play, so It’s been a dream gift for me.
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Hawkins was Del Toro’s muse as he was writing. Elisa is not someone who had a horrible existence until the creature showed up. She was not leading a glamorous existence by any means, but she was content. I needed someone who evokes that kind of happiness, whose face is able to express every hue without a word, Sally has that kind of unique energy, so I wrote it for her. Sally is the most genuine, unaffected person and I don’t think she is capable of doing anything that isn’t real. The man who hunted the amphibious creature across the Amazon with relentless determination is Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), a steel-jawed, righteous government agent who views his unusual quarry as nothing more than a ferocious beast to be manhandled into submission – and a ticket to his promotion. Del Toro sees Shannon as having mesmerizing contrasts, exactly what he needed for Strickland. I didn’t want Strickland to be just the bad guy. I wanted him to be a guy you almost feel for because he is himself a victim of the system and his times. I wanted you to see him go through things you wouldn’t normally see a villain go through: self-doubt, reflection and despair. Michael has all those moments in the movie. Shannon defines his feelings toward Elisa this way: I think Strickland is attracted to Elisa because of her vulnerability, and because she can’t talk, but also because she is the exact opposite of him. In an alternative reality, maybe Strickland wishes he could be more like her than he is like himself. Before Elisa meets the creature, her loneliness is kept at bay by her neighbour and dearest friend in the world, Giles, an equally lonely, down-on-his-luck ad-man and avid movie musical lover. The character takes us on a quietly growing strength as portrayed by Richard Jenkins, who says he jumped at the chance to be part of ‘a beautiful story’. He also relished the chance to work with Del Toro. To me, he’s like an old master with a vocabulary all his own. He’s like nobody else I’ve worked with. He creates stories that feel real but also have something that speaks to life and art and love. He’s totally singular and that’s why all of us on set were ready to go to the wall with him. Del Toro explains the character of Giles: I needed someone of great elegance, someone whose symbiosis with Elisa feels second nature. They’re not lovers, but they deeply love and protect one another. Giles is frustrated by an art career seemingly going nowhere, his great escape lies in the Golden Age of movie musicals, an age that was fading by 1962 but the remnants of which Giles hunts for regularly on his TV, with Elisa in tow. When Giles encounters the creature, the creative fire that had gone out in him reignites. It sparks his love of art because he wants to paint this remarkable, creature. Elisa’s journey becomes a journey of salvation for Giles too.
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Elisa (Sally Hawkins) in The Shape of Water.
Giles (Richard Jenkins) and Elisa (Sally Hawkins) in The Shape of Water. 6
Strickland (Michael Shannon) and Dr. Robert Hoffstetler (Michael Stuhlbarg) in The Shape of Water.
Elisa (Sally Hawkins) in The Shape of Water. 7
PHANTOM THREAD Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville. When I was a boy I started to hide things in the linings of the garments. Things that only I knew were there – secrets. - Reynolds Jeremiah Woodcock. This strangely weird film about the fashion world comes with Daniel Day-Lewis’s announcement that it will be his last film. He has played a variety of roles and in many different genres but in Phantom Thread he is in a romantic drama disguised as a comedy. He is cast as a brilliant dressmaker but cantankerous and still haunted by the memory of his dead mother. His character seems to be a caricature of a fashion designer and it is not him that the film focuses on but Alma, (Vicky Krieps) who Reynolds (Day-Lewis) meets and falls in love with when she waits on his table at the hotel where he is staying. He instantly sees her grace and beauty that no one else has noticed and she becomes his model, muse and lover. Alma thinks she can tame him, and it becomes a battle of wills. I don’t like this fabric. Maybe one day you’ll change your taste. Maybe I like my own taste. Just enough to get you into trouble. Perhaps I’m looking for trouble. Stop! Prior to their meeting, the film shows in the opening sequence, Reynolds in the process of discarding his current paramour. Her need for perfection gets in the way of his dressmaking. I have no time for confrontation, I need the courage to deliver a dress. He heads off to the country for some rural respite. But as Woodcock becomes even more impossible and controlling, submissive Alma must find new, more dysfunctional ways to re-establish her emotional mastery over him. What is puzzling and even irritating about the film is that, despite the fine acting from its leads, the dialogue often does not seem realistic. Day-Lewis egotistical and outlandish Woodcock, feels complicated and does not inspire empathy, which perhaps was director’s Paul Thomas Anderson’s intention. 8
The centrepiece of the whole film are the costumes which are stunning. The costume department created over 50 original wardrobe pieces. The costume designer, Mark Bridges said that most of the work in creating them was hand done and each dress was made with an average of 8 yards of fabrics, each dress was different. Production procured an authentic piece of 17th century Flemish lace. It was unique. The moment you had to cut into that lace is heart stopping because there is no more of it. The lace’s age was written into the script for Daniel Day-Lewis’s character. The characters Nana and Biddy are played by actual couturiers from the 1950’s. Biddy (Sue Clark) taught fashion all her life. Nana (Joan Brown) said that that they went through workroom in a quite disciplined way and we were saying what should be and what shouldn’t be. Sue Cark added: We were wearing white gloves at one point when handling the wedding dress. The other dressmakers would not have been wearing white gloves, just us, who were handling the wedding dress. Though they may seem to be small details, but in that situation, it had to be right. And it was. Addressing the issue, I raised at the beginning of this review Of its weirdness, we really need to look no further than its director’s strong influence. Paul Thomas Anderson. He has directed a smorgasbord of 37 films, only 9 of which have been features, including one documentary, which was about musician Jonny Greenwood. The rest of his films have been shorts, but if we concentrate on his 8 features, we may see a pattern reoccurring. HARD EIGHT, his first feature was about a professional gambler, Sydney, who teaches John the tricks of the trade. John does well until he falls for a cocktail waitress. BOOGIE NIGHTS told the story of a young man’s adventures in the Californian pornography industry of the late 1970s and early 80s. MAGNOLIA was an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning. PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE. A psychologically troubled novelty supplier is nudged towards a romance with an English woman, all the while being extorted by a phone-sex line run by a crooked mattress salesman. THERE WILL BE BLOOD. A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business. THE MASTER. A naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future, until he is tantalised by a cult and its charismatic leader. INHERENT VICE. In 1970, drug-fuelled Los Angeles private investigator Larry ‘Doc’ Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend. All Anderson’s films have narratives which are puzzling and bewildering and though brilliantly acted will invariably leave you with the question: what was that all about? Phantom Thread is no exception.
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Reynolds (Daniel Day-Lewis) in Phantom Thread.
Alma (Vicky Krieps) and Reynolds (Daniel Day-Lewis) in Phantom Thread. 10
Alma (Vicky Krieps) and Reynolds (Daniel Day-Lewis in Phantom Thread.
Cyril (Lesley Manville) in Phantom Thread. 11
LADY BIRD Directed by Greta Gerwig Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Tomothee Chalamet. I want you to be the very best version of yourself that you can be. - Marion What if this is the best version? - Lady Bird Saoirse Ronan who dazzled everyone in Brooklyn as Eilis, a young woman who leaves Ireland for Brooklyn where she has the opportunity for work, for a future, and love when she meets Tony, an Italian American. In her latest film, she plays Lady Bird, a drifter in her final year of college with unrealistic dreams of where she will be heading. At home, she clashes frequently with her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf), who is realistic about life and money and where her daughter will end up. Lady Bird wants to please her mother, but she wants to be true to her own desires, and satisfying her mother is practically impossible as her demands and standards are so high and subject to change at any moment. The film opens with mother and daughter listening to an audiobook of “The Grapes of Wrath” while driving home from a college tour, crying over the novel’s moving final sentences, but is quickly punctuated by an argument, ending with Lady Bird jumping out of the moving car. There are so many wonderfully played scenes that show the relationship between a mother and daughter who love each other but argue to get their own way and because they believe they are right. As Lady Bird’s father tells them that they are both strong-willed people. Moods can change with one word, as in the scene where they are shopping for a dress, which Greta Gerwig, the director explains the set-up here: They are shopping at Thrift Town, which is an actual location in Sacramento. I am trying to make this scene look honest, but beautiful. The location was incredibly beautiful. It has these big windows which give us lots of flare. Also, the silver hangers and the depth and the colours, all the clothes. My cinematographer, he wanted to get, and I wanted to get a lot of headroom and the florescence, which was based 12
on a picture of a grocery store by William Ecclestone. The scene itself is that they’re fighting. Her mother is nice to someone else, but she feels not to her. But then in a moment, she finds a dress and they’re best friends again, because that is how mothers and daughters are with each other; they fight and love, really hard. The weight of the film falls on the shoulders of its star Saoirse Ronan. No superlative is expressive enough to describe the talent of this 23-year-old Irish-American actress, already winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a comedy or musical at this year’s awards, for Lady Bird. At the age of 13, Saoirse won an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress in Atonement. She played the little sister of Keira Knightley’s character. It was Saoirse’s big break. She was cast against type: Briony was supposed to be this brown-haired, browneyes, middle-class English girl, she was supposed to look like she was related to Keira. Ronan is of course fair-skinned, freckled and blonde hair. It was another breath-taking performance.
She can currently be seen in On Chesil Beach, which is on general release in the UK. Saoirse plays Florence Ponting who is in a melancholic relationship where many emotions remain unsaid, thus conveying the destructive nature of silence. The film was screened at last year’s London Film Festival. About the storyline of Lady Bird, it has been said that the film is semi-autobiographical but the director Greta Gerwig says that is not so: I had nothing embarrassing happen to me. I’m the only person in the world that everybody liked, and I never made a mistake. I made this all up. Lady Bird is Greta Gerwig’s first film as a director. She has learnt and been inspired by Noah Baumbach who has directed three of her films: Greenberg, Frances Ha, and Mistress America. With every likelihood that Lady Bird will win Academy Awards in one or more categories in March: Best Film, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, whatever…it remains an impressive director’s debut for Greta Gerwig.
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Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) and Marion (Laurie Metcalf) in Lady Bird.
Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) in Lady Bird. 14
Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) in Lady Bird.
Lady Bird (Saoirse Ronan) and Danny (Lucas Hedges) in Lady Bird. 15
ACADEMY AWARDS The 90TH Academy Awards will be held on Sunday March 4, 2018 in Hollywood. The ceremony will be televised live in more than 225 countries. Once again there is much speculation about who the winners will be, so MbM thought it would be an opportune moment to look at the past winners of the Best Picture award. 1927/28 1928/29 1929/30
Wings The Broadway Melody All Quiet on the Western Front 1930/31 Cimarron 1931/32 Grand Hotel 1932/33 Cavalcade 1934 It Happened One Night 1935 Mutiny on the Bounty 1936 The Great Ziegfeld 1937 The Life of Emile Zola 1938 You Can’t Take It With You 1939 Gone With The Wind 1940 Rebecca 1941 How Green Was My Valley *Citizen Kane was nominated. 1942 Mrs Miniver 1943 Casablanca 1944 Going My Way 1945 The Lost Weekend 1946 The Best Years Of Our Lives *It’s A Wonderful Life was nominated. 16
1947
1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
Gentleman’s Agreement *Miracle On 34th Street was nominated. Hamlet All The King’s Men All About Eve An American In Paris The Greatest Show On Earth From Here To Eternity *Roman Holiday was nominated On The Waterfront Marty Around The World In 80 Days The Bridge On The River Kwai Gigi Ben-Hur The Apartment West Side Story Lawrence Of Arabia Tom Jones My Fair Lady The Sound Of Music A Man For All Seasons In The Heat Of The Night Oliver! Midnight Cowboy *Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid was nominated. Patton The French Connection The Godfather The Sting The Godfather Part 2 17
1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 18
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Rocky Annie Hall The Deer Hunter Kramer Vs Kramer *Apocalypse Now was nominated Ordinary People Chariots Of Fire *Atlantic City was nominated Gandhi Terms Of Endearment Amadeus Out Of Africa Platoon The Last Emperor Rain Man Driving Miss Daisy *Dead Poet’s Society was nominated Dances With Wolves The Silence Of The Lambs Unforgiven Schindler’s List Forest Gump *The Shawshank Redemption was nominated Braveheart The English Patient Titanic Shakespeare In Love *Life Is Beautiful was nominated American Beauty Gladiator A Beautiful Mind
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Chicago The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of the King Million Dollar Baby Crash The Departed No Country For Old Men Slumdog Millionaire The Hurt Locker The King’s Speech The Artist Argo 12 Years A Slave *Her was nominated Birdman *Whiplash was nominated Spotlight *Room was nominated Moonlight *La La Land was nominated
* Refers to films, which in Movies by Mills opinion, deserved to win the Best Picture Award Our vote for 2017 Best Picture is The Shape of Water.
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I, TONYA Directed by Craig Gillespie Starring: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson. They want someone to love. They want someone to hate, and the haters always say: Tonya, tell the truth. - Tonya In 1994 a figure skater named Nancy Kerrigan was badly injured above the knee with a baton by a person hired by the ex-husband of another figure Olympic ice skater, Tonya Harding. The film tells the story of Tonya’s life from the age of three and leading up to the eventual attack on Nancy Kerrigan. Harding became notorious for the assault and consequently one of the most hated women of the decade. A skater since she was three, Harding got no support from her mother LaVona, an outstanding performance by Alison Janney who foul mouths her daughter with expletives that would outdo Frances McDormand’s character in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. LaVona is an obnoxious bitch who takes every opportunity to negate every word that Tonya tries to utter through the incessant cloud of cigarette smoke being exhaled into her face. Lavona uses every trick she can to dissuade her daughter’s aspirations to become a professional ice-skater, including paying people in the crowd to mock her before she performed. By now, you understand what Tonya has had to live through and shows that no matter what, she is more determined than ever to follow her dream to such a degree that nothing will stop her from being the best. So, when years later she fears that a competitor may beat her, she goes to the upmost extreme to stop her and put her out of contention. What makes this film unique is the way it is told by using voice-over and having Tonya talk directly to you. The film looks beautiful thanks to fine cinematography by Nicolas Karakatsanis and production designer Jade Healy. The skating sequences are a combination of low angles and sweeping crane shots. The soundtrack is Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” and ZZ Top’s “Sleeping Bag”. Margot Robbie as Tonya gives a memorable performance in the title role, underscoring her character’s belief that people want someone to love and hate.
Somehow the movie makes you feel sad about Tonya because of her rough beginnings and then when she gets into professional ice skating, being surrounded by so-called advisors and hangers-on that appear to be anything but friending and more often that not - just plain stupid. 20
The supporting players: Julianne Nicholson as Tonya’s coach and Bob Cannavale as a reporter are excellent, but the one real scene-stealer is Allison Janney. I made you a champion, knowing that you would hate me for it. That’s the sacrifice a mother makes. So, what was it like for Allison Janney to play such an unlikeable person? My friend Steven Rogers wrote the role for me. I think he knew that I would enjoy the challenge of finding the humanity in someone like this, who on the page is pretty much a villain. I didn’t get to speak to the real LaVona. So, I had to make-up my own backstory for her. And what was Margot Robbie’s take on Tonya? She’s very young, being scrutinised by the media and the whole world. I feel like if she had been surrounded by a group of people who had her best interests at heart, things could have been very different. Approaching a biopic without judgment, Steven Rogers’s razorsharp script and Craig Gillespie’s bold direction combine to deliver a shamelessly entertaining film, which is part mockumentary and part a tragic comedy.
I, Tonya has been nominated for Academy Awards in three categories: Best Supporting Actress: Allison Janney. Best Actress: Margot Robbie •
Tonya Harding was found guilty of kneecapping and banned from competitive skating for the rest of her life.
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She was the first American woman to complete the triple axel in competition.
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Margot Robbie did most of the skating herself without a double.
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LaVona (Allison Janney) in I, Tonya.
Tonya (Margot Robbie) in I, Tonya.
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Jeff (Sebastian Stan) and Tonya (Margot Robbie) in I, Tonya.
Jeff (Sebastian Stan), Tonya (Margot Robbie) and Dianne (Julianne Nicholson) in I, Tonya.
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A WOMAN’S LIFE Directed by Stéphanie Brizé Starring: Judith Chemla, Swann Arlaud, Nina Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Yolande Moreau. If you marry Julien, your father and I will welcome him into our family as a son. - Adelaide
The story of a wealthy woman in the early 19th century, based on a story by Guy De Maupassant. With a fragmented narrative, switching backwards and forward in time, does not entice the cinemagoer to a comfortable experience, and in fact is a prelude to long periods of boredom. Earlier we see Jeanne (Judith Chemla) marry Julien (Swann Arlaud). He is eloquently attractive but financially less secure than Jeanne. His morals are suspect, soon after they have a child, and truth is outed through the cracks of his lies. Soon, it is revealed to Jeanne that Julien has already sired a child with their maid, Rosalie (Nina Meurisse). Devastated by her husband’s cheating, she must face the facts that her family and religious pressure ensure that she must remain with her husband. But even though we are not halfway through the script, we are lost in the confusing narrative and become aware that there is no way out barring the exit. The problem the film has is that the protagonist Jeanne has so many hardships to experience: affairs, mental and physical illnesses, betrayals, debt, loneliness and death. Misery pervades her life that is not only discomforting for her, but because it is piled on so thickly it is painful to watch and what empathy we had for her becomes ludicrous because it doesn’t ring true. Over the course of the film, everything is taken away from her: friends, family, money. The decision to film in academy ratio, means that the action takes place in a square box which not only lends itself for a smaller area for the actors to work in but gives way to a feeling of claustrophobia and resulting in us feeling trapped in this depressing story. 24
When the few bright scenes appeared, I was so relieved that I felt like cheering! These rare moments show beautiful scenery that you don’t want to leave but just absorb nature’s serenity which is in total contrast to what is to come. Aesthetically the dire scenes of heartbreak are filmed in muted, dull colours. It is true that the title is loyal to its protagonist and it is clear that due to her gender, she is subject to things that a man in the same position would not be subject to. Jeanne is manipulated by various people and after her husband’s first incident of philandering, she is forced into an intervention by her parents and the priest. The priest prods Julien into an apology, and then along with her parents, strongly recommends she forgive him. Julien had done wrong, and it is the woman’s duty to forgive. However, many times he continues to do wrong, there is no way for poor Jeanne to escape Julien. There is a traumatic scene on their wedding night as they are consummating their marriage. The camera stays on Jeanne’s face showing that she not enjoying the act one bit, and asks him to stop, but he takes too long to obey her request, because it is obvious that it is his pleasure that’s important, not hers. Further proof of her husband’s infidelity is when he cheats on her with her best friend, the only female friend she had. Then she is betrayed by Rosalie who sleeps with her husband too. There is really no respite for Jeanne’s suffering as the pain goes on and on and on. If there was an award for the feel bad movie of the year, then A Woman’s Life would be an odds-on favourite to win. Undoubtedly the film is very well acted and Judith Chemla cannot be faulted and proves what a fine actress she is. The cinematography is exquisite, but neither are enough to save the film from its bleak narrative. Films that are this morbid are fine, as long as they have a point to make, but it’s hard to decipher what the meaning of A Woman’s Life is. The final line of dialogue offers a marginal explanation, but after witnessing life brutally beat away at Jeanne for two interminable hours, it’s hard to accept the sudden turn towards optimism You could say that this film will ground you perhaps like no other – but unfortunately, like the film, in a cinema cemetery.
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Julien (Swann Arlaud) and Jeanne (Judith Chemla) in A Woman’s Life.
Jeanne (Judith Chemla), Rosalie (Nina Meurisse) and Julien (Swann Arlaud) in A Woman’s Life. 26
Julien (Swann Arlaud) and Jeanne (Judith Chemla) in A Woman’s Life.
Jeanne (Judith Chemla) in A Woman’s Life. 27
FILMFEST FOLLOWER BERLIN 2018 Opening Film: ISLE OF DOGS Directed by Wes Anderson Featuring: Scarlett Johansson, Greta Gerwig. An animated film set in Japan which follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his dog.
Competition DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT Directed by Gus van Sant Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Jonah Hill. About John Callahan, who became paralyzed after a car incident at age 21 and turned to drawing as a form of therapy.
DOVATOV Directed by Alexey German Jnr. Starring: Maric Danila Kozlovsky, Helena Sujecka. Charts six days in the life of brilliant an ironic writer who saw far beyond the limits of 70s Russia.
EVA Directed by Benoit Jacquot Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Gaspard Ultiel, Julia Roy. A playwright encounters a mysterious woman when he takes shelter in a chalet during a violent snowstorm.
FIGLIA MIA Directed by Laura Bispuri Starring: Valeria Golino, Alba Rohrwacher, Sara Casu. A daughter torn between two mothers, one who raised her with her love and her biological mother who instinctively claims her back. 28
IN DEN GANGEN Directed by Thomas Stuber Starring: Franz Rogowski, Sandra Huller, Peter Kurth. Christian begins to work as a shelf stacker in a supermarket and finds himself in a new, unknown world: the long aisles, the bustle at the checkouts, the forklifts.
MY BROTHER ROBERT Directed by Phililp Groning Starring: Jose Maties, Julia Zanor, Urs Jucker. Robert and Elena are twins entangled in a time of puberty and incest.
FACE Directed by Malgorzata Strumowska Starring: Mateusz Koslivkiewicz, Agniezka Podsiadlik. A man undergoes a face transplant and experiences ensuing identity issues.
Berlinale Special Gala *THE BOOKSHOP Directed by Isabel Coixet Starring: Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson. Set in a small town in 1959 England. This is a story of a woman who decides, against polite but ruthless local opposition, to open a bookshop, a decision which becomes a political minefield.
THE SILENT REVOLUTION Directed by Lars Kraume Starring: Leonard Scheicher, Tom Gramenz. Lena Kienke. A group of sixth-grade pupils decide to show their solidarity with the victims of the 1956 Hungarian uprising by staging a minutes silence during lessons. 29
PANORAMA ANIMALE Directed by Katharina Muckstein. Starring: Sophie Kathein, Sofia Stocklein. Forces that guide our lives, desires, passion, and reason.
MALAMBO, THE GOOD MAN Directed by Santiago Lozh A Malambo dancer prepared himself all his life for the tournament. If he achieves victory, it will be his end. The winner can no longer compete. They must retire. They may only train others.
THF: CENTRAL AIRPORT Documentary Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport was opened in 1923 and, under Adolf Hitler, extended to become the world’s largest airport which was finally closed in 2008.
PERSPEKTIVE DEUTSCHES LOST ONES Directed by Felix Hassentratz Starring: Maria Dracus, Anna Bachman. An urban fantasy set against the backdrop of hip hop and street art.
AFTER-WORK BEER Directed by Ben Brummer. Starring: Tilman Straub, Julia Dietze. A barkeeper has come to terms with his past: he’s separated from his ex -wife and their son and spends more of his time with his beloved Youngtimer car, but one night it is stolen.
RA Directed by Sophia Bosch Starring: Sofia Aspholm, Lennart Jahkel. Autumn in Northern Sweden. Linn is 16-years-old and finally allowed to join her father on the Elk Hunt. She wants to prove herself in the group of hunters, but the wilderness itself turns out to be her actual test.
AWAY YOU GO Directed by Phillip Eicholtz Starring: Victoria Schultz, Alexsander Radenkovic. The young Berliner schoolteacher Charlie (Victoria Schultz) no longer wants to continue as usual on her chosen path and asks herself what she wants and what she needs. NB: All the aforementioned films are world premieres, excepting for THE BOOKSHOP, which is the German premiere. 30
EXTRAS DVD OF THE MONTH Harold and Lillian A Hollywood Love Story Directed by Daniel Raim Starring: Harold Michelson, Lillian Michelson, Mel Brooks, Francis Ford Coppola, Danny DeVito.
Movie fans know the work of Harold and Lillian, even if they don’t recognize their names. Working largely uncredited in the Hollywood system, storyboard artist Harold and film researcher Lillian left an indelible mark on classics by Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Stanley Kubrick, Roman Polanski and many more. Through an engaging mix of love letters, film clips and candid conversations with Harold and Lillian, Danny DeVito, Mel Brooks, Francis Ford Coppola and others, this deeply engaging documentary from Academy Award nominated director Daniel Raim offers both a moving portrait of a marriage and a celebration of the unknown talents that help shape the films we love.
SPECIAL FEATURES •
Deleted Scenes
• Lillian’s Life Lessons • Harold’s Film School Seminar: Camera Angle Projection • Bonus Short Film: Storyboarding “The Graduate” • Booklet Featuring Original Art and Filmmaker Magazine Interview with Director Daniel Raim • U.S. Theatrical Trailer 31
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