Berlinale #4: Reinate Rensve conquers Berlin

by Elisa Giudici

A DIFFERENT MAN © Faces Off LLC

Watching her in Norway's international hit The Worst Person in the World (2021), it was clear that Renate Reinsve was destined for great things. Three years later, we find her at the Berlinale starring in two international films and shining brightly in both. Is it finally becoming easier for non-native English-speaking actors to break through internationally? It certainly seems so!

A DIFFERENT MAN by Aaron Schimberg
The title is cleverly crafted and the film has the potential to go far internationally. Writer/director Aaron Schimberg tackles a Lynchian theme (a man's facial deformity reflecting his inner self), and adds a touch of Kafka in a contemporary key. Despite the influences and references, he makes it entirely his own...

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Berlinale #3: "My Favourite Cake," "Suspended Time", and "From Hilde with Love"

by Elisa Giudici

MY FAVOURITE CAKE © Hamid Janipour

Three more movies from Berlinale to discuss including a great Iranian film, the latest from Olivier Assayas, and a World War II picture. 

MY FAVOURITE CAKE by Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghadda
Once again, Iranian cinema, amidst the myriad challenges of filming in a hostile political environment, offers a memorable title. My Favourite Cake is a brilliant bittersweet romantic comedy, addressing universal themes with sudden, precise glimpses into Iranian reality...

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Berlinale #2: "Cuckoo", "La Cocina," and "All The Long Nights"

by Elisa Giudici

There are days when every film starts off more than promisingly. Your heart races because you think you're about to watch a great movie, but movies don't always live up to their promise.

CUCKOO © NEON

CUCKOO by Tilman Singer
This year's Berlinale promises a wealth of intriguing horror films. Unfortunately, the first one to be presented, one of the most anticipated this year, turns out to be a classic case of a film with a phenomenal start that derails just as spectacularly while seeking its development and conclusion. Despite the film being far from successful, there's a clear impression that, with a bit more experience, writer/director Tilman Singer is destined for a very bright future...

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Interview: "The Taste of Things" Director Tran Ahn Hung

By Ben Miller

Image courtesy of IFC FilmsI was fortunate enough to sit down with Award-wining Vietnamese director Tran Ahn Hung to talk about his wonderful new film The Taste of Things. We spoke about his film's themes, making a film without conflict, and shooting cooking scenes like action sequences.

This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.  THIS INTERVIEW CONTAINS SOME FILM SPOILERS

BEN MILLER: I loved your film.  Thank you so much for having it.  I was curious, more than anything else, how the story came about as far as how it relates to the food...

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Berlinale #1: Cillian Murphy in "Small Things Like These"

Elisa Giudici, TFE's frequent festival friend is in Berlin for the 74th annual Berlinale...

SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE © Shane O'Connor

by Elisa Giudici

"If you want to get on with life, sometimes you have to ignore things" Billy Furlong's wife remarks to him. It's 1985, and life in the Irish town of New Ross is modest yet dignified, for the most part. It's in the subtleties and the fine line between two worlds that the agony and suffering of Berlinale's opening film unfolds.  

Adapted from Claire Keegan's novel, Tim Mielants' Small Things Like These portrays the story of a "soft-hearted man" named Billy (Cillian Murphy, teased by his wife for his unwavering tendency to aid those in need...

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