On this page: ENFANT TERRIBLE | POPPY FIELD | TOVE

< < F O R E I G N > >

Much older than Fassbinder was, Masucci plays him as an oily, beer-bellied alpha male, chain-smoking in a leather jacket while bossing everyone around, often in full-throated screams. He's energetic and often magnetic. With his all-or-nothing approach, Fassbinder sees each man who comes along as the love of his life. The three who feature most strongly are played with understated skill by Klammer (as Gunther Kaufmann), Yildiz (as El Hedi ben Salem) and Schropp (as Armin Meier) as lovers-turned-actors caught up in a squalid whirlwind.

Filmmaker Roehler's heightened approach is exhausting but fascinating as it plays with Fassbinder's ideas and iconography while painting an impressionistic portrait of a brilliant man who uses people and throws them away, demolishing himself in the process. It's sometimes jarringly choppy, and many scenes and story strands feel frustratingly incomplete. But by linking his work to each successive breakdown, the film makes a powerful comment about the destructive nature of creation.

themes, language, violence, sexuality, drugs

15.Mar.21 flare

Mericoffer gives a powerhouse performance that's understated and sympathetic. His relaxed, down-to-earth scenes with Leflahi beautifully capture the warm curiosity between Cristi and Hadi, made awkward because their common language is broken English. Then things shift dramatically to Cristi's heated interaction with fellow cops played with layered meaning by Potocean, Niculae, Calin, Matsangos and Pistereanu. The extended theatre sequence bristles with energy that feels like it could veer off in any direction. Their various conversations are expertly written and played.

The filmmakers clearly understand the irony that this movie is precisely the kind of film that small-minded protesters will try to stop. Meanwhile, the journey Cristi takes is staggering, a rollercoaster of emotions that's packed with larger resonance even as it holds us riveted to his internal odyssey of thoughts and feelings. And even though it never shouts a message, this film has a lot of urgent things to say.

themes, language, violence

19.Mar.21 flare

With a mischievous smile, Poysti plays Tove as a woman unusually open to the joys of life and aware that others won't understand. Her willingness to embrace flights of fancy and the various people around her is powerfully engaging, as are her more mercurial moods. Through her eyes, her friends and lovers are both muses and provocateurs, and they're played by a uniformly excellent ensemble with just the right whiff of enigma. Kosonen and Roney are particularly strong in complex roles.

Refreshingly, the filmmakers never try to force Jansson's story into the usual Hollywood movie structure, instead allowing it to find offbeat angles and textures as it meanders through both personal relationships and the complexities of the artist's creative processes. Most potently, the film sharply highlight's the need for affirmation from critics, fans and especially close friends and family who can see the work for what it is rather than what's expected. This film astutely captures this side of Tove's life, offering remarkable thematic depth.

themes, language, sexuality

19.Mar.21 flare