Has method acting consumed filmmaking? That might seem like a question only of interest to those in the “industry”. But Kata Wéber and Kornél Mundruczó, the feted (and married) Hungarian theatre and filmmaking duo – she writes it, he directs it – transform this abstract question into a genre thriller with an answer that leaves a precise body count: seven.
In this shaggy-dog horror story that knows no limits (including a scene of failed resuscitation that involves unsimulated sex acts), Martin Wuttke not only chews on the scenery, but feasts on his fellow actors as an insecure and monomaniacal Hollywood method actor performing in a sci-fi film about an astronaut’s final journey.
Though at times the rhythm of the work can drag as the shooting of the film halts and restarts according to the star’s whim, every performance provides at least one moment of real delight – Soma Boronkay and Maximilian Brauer put it all out there as crew members; Zarah Kofler truly manifests an influencer’s aura; Sir Henry’s cynical American manager is a hoot; Benny Claessens as an acting coach goading Wuttke into ever-greater violence in the name of art channels just the right blend of craven and crafty; Johanna Wokalek’s movie star turn is funny and credible; Ann Göbel’s screenwriter character brings the project’s pathos and poetry. And even as each of these actors bring something different, the attention to Wuttke’s threat brings a method to its madness in its insistence on the madness of the method. ★★★
- Volksbühne, Linienstr. 227, Mitte, Dec 17, German and English with subtitles, details.
