Kajillionaire is Miranda July’s return to the director’s chair after a nine-year break. Photo: UCI
Three distinct new films have landed in Berlin cinemas, but which one should you catch this weekend? Our film editor shares his take.
Our three picks of this week’s general releases aren’t must-sees by any means, but they all impress in their own unique ways. The strongest is Kajillionaire, Miranda July’s return to the director’s chair after a nine-year break. It’s an offbeat comedy about overcoming stunting family ties in order to forge meaningful connections, wrapped in a deadpan heist film. Think Mission Possible, and you’re on your way. Also decent is The Beach House – what could have been a run-of-the-mill indie horror benefits from newcomer Jeffrey A. Brown’s directorial flair, and his low-budget, Lovecraftian bio-terror feels uncomfortably suited to our current global predicament.
Arguably the weakest of the bunch is Ema. This is something of a shock, as Chilean director Pablo Larraín rarely puts a foot wrong, having proven time and time again with his previous films No, The Club and Jackie that there isn’t much he can’t excel at. Ema, however, is a step down. It’s a distinct, visually stunning piece of work that had bags of potential, but the film ultimately feels like an extended music video that grasps at profundity with its themes of polyamory and guilt, and ends up feeling hollow. Worse, the last act makes it comes off as irritatingly smug.
Take your pick, but if you’re looking for much more memorable fare, we recommend you catch up on Babyteeth, Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Horror Noire: A History Of Black Horror, which are all still showing on Berlin screens in OV. This week might also be your last chance to catch The Personal History Of David Copperfield and And Then We Danced on the big screen, so head to Hackesche Höfe Kino and Rollberg for the first, and to Kino Krokodil for the second.
Festival wise, the PornFilmFestival is in full swing, until the 25th. The streamlined 15th edition is, for the first time, also take place online: six feature films and over 30 shorts will be available for streaming after the festival week, from 26th – 1 November, so don’t fret if certain screenings are sold out. Make sure to check out our full preview.
That’s it from us this week. Brave the kinos, and keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming festival previews for the anniversary edition of Litauisches Kino Goes Berlin and Filmfest Frauenwelten, both starting next week on the 28th.
