Film Group
Film Group
Where has the year gone ? In March 2020 , there were hopes that perhaps the pandemic situation would resolve itself soon enough . Yet here we are one year later , the cinemas are still closed , film productions are managing to continue with delays and halts due to infection rates , and film festivals around the globe are utilizing streaming technology while trying to continue when it is impossible to meet in-person . These industry struggles have certainly put a damper on our Film Group ’ s usual activities this year , but we have still managed to attend press screenings , stream upcoming films , and attend film festivals .
In January , we released our Currents Special Film Supplement 2020 with coverage for the Filmfest Hamburg and the BFI London Film Festival . Just this past month , two of our members also attended the online industry event of the Berlin International Film Festival and will be publishing their coverage in the near future . Also , our member Shelly Schoeneshoefer has started up the new Film Lounge monthly event , where AWC Hamburg members are invited to watch a film each month and then meet on Zoom to discuss . It has been a great success and a lovely way to bring the Film Group together virtually and also connect with the rest of the membership . Even in the most difficult of times , there are still ways to come together and connect over the medium of film , and I look forward to seeing how our group continues to grow and thrive into the future , with or without the pandemic wreaking havoc on normal operations .
Please note : the release dates listed in the following reviews in Currents reflect the current hopes of the film industry and are entirely dependent upon the ever-changing pandemic situation in Germany .
Film Reviews Spring 2021
Der Rausch © Weltkino
Another Round ( Der Rausch , Druk ) **** Denmark 2020 Opening April 22 , 2021
Directed by : Thomas Vinterberg Writing Credits : Thomas Vinterberg , Tobias Lindholm Principal Actors : Mads Mikkelsen , Thomas Bo Larsen , Lars Ranthe , Magnus Millang
The Danish Dream Team is back . This moving tragicomedy about a high-proof self-experiment reunites director Thomas Vinterberg ( The Celebration , The Hunt ) with high-profile actor Mads Mikkelsen , who manages to be convincing in everything from Bond and Star Wars blockbusters to quiet costume dramas . Another Round nearly premiered in Cannes before the festival was canceled due to COVID-19 ; instead , it went on to Toronto , London , and San Sebastián .
Winner of the 2020 European Film Prize , the film has been submitted by Denmark to be considered for an Academy Award . It features a superb ensemble cast .
Mikkelsen plays Martin , a high school history teacher who lacks fulfillment in his life . Though once a star teacher and passionate about his subject , in middle age he ‘ s fallen into a permanent funk . Martin often looks like he ‘ s ready to cry . He ‘ s the kind of guy who tells people things that they forget . His colorless personality barely makes an impression on the teenagers in his classroom , who run roughshod over him . To make matters worse , his marriage is crumbling : his longsuffering wife , Trine ( Maria Bonnevie ), is as bored with him as he is with himself .
Things start shaking up at a booze-soaked birthday dinner that Martin attends with his three closest male colleagues . Psychologist Nikolaj , the birthday boy , tells the guys about a Norwegian psychiatrist ‘ s theory that humans are born with too little alcohol in their blood . Latching on to this semi-scientific idea ( and hoping to put some zip back into their humdrum lives ), they propose to drink consistently throughout every day . They call this an experiment in main-
52 In Hamburg