No snow has fallen yet here in Stockholm which means that November has been rather dark, glum and gloomy. But mercifully my week has been brightened up enormously by a stupendous film at our film club at Bio Reflexen and a really top notch gig at the Fasching jazz club. And by complete coincidence, both are from Germany. And well worth looking out for.
The film was Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck’s Never look away (Verk ohne autor). He won an Oscar for The Lives of Others and this is in the same class. It is the story of a boy growing up in Dresden during the 1930s and experiencing the horrors of Nazi intolerance at first hand and then becoming a successful artist in West Germany. That synopsis may not sound so original or exciting but I promise you the director is a marvellous story-teller. The film is three hours long with no pee break but I was spellbound. Deeply moving, thought-provoking and at moments very amusing. A masterpiece.
When the audience stands around outside the cinema talking about the movie they’ve just seen, you know that the screening has been a success. This was one of the most popular » Continue Reading.