The Lady and the trend.

Serious issues, beautiful women: On the sixth Berlinale day everything comes together, what makes a good film festival. With "The Messenger" and "London River" are two bears in the race favorites, Michelle Pfeiffer as excited courtesan in "Chéri" - and it's raining at last!

 

"So it was full this year, nor at any press conference," whispered my colleague too surprised. It is actually very hot and stuffy in the not at all times small room, which the Hyatt Hotel for the so-called "PKs" has made available. Tight seal to stand, sit and we sit to take a look at Michelle Pfeiffer throw to, which we briefly before in the press screening of her new film "Chéri" could admire. Admire because the 50-year-old sex symbol in the film adaptation of the eponymous novel Colette beguiling theme of their own aging.

Pfeiffer plays the gradually verblühende courtesan Léa de Lonval, their last major affair with the 19-year-old Fred, called Chéri, ie "favorite" experience. Six years is it with the pretty, but unfortunately also very simple and childish Dandy together until he by his mother in an intriguing arranged marriage with a young girl blood flow is established. The Lotter life should end, from the eternal boys finally a man and father are. But the aging whore and the young door to each other and can not leave.

20 years after "Dangerous Liaisons" has Michelle Pfeiffer again with the British director Stephen Frears and screenwriter Christopher Hampton together to lovingly furnished before the backdrop of outgoing Belle Epoque Colette clever story to tell. And to the one sleazy look at the oedipal-amorous relationship between older men and women to throw, and the other with lustful nostalgia about the transience of any beauty to sue. In the grand final image, a long close up of Michelle Pfeiffer beautiful, but slow wilting face, you see all the effort, the women to use their youth to be recorded.

Therefore we drängelten then all at the press conference. To check whether this really can be, whether Michelle Pfeiffer, which was once the "Fabulous Baker Boys" and Tony "Scarface" Montana brought to the mind, whether that Michelle Pfeiffer could really old.

And? You can, of course, but she looks stunning in it. Whether it's true that Hollywood excludes older women, she was asked. No, smiles Michelle Pfeiffer, "as you see, there are certainly roles for us." And as long as they get rolling, in which young men in love with it, anyway everything was fine.

Charmiert in the rain

Hach, how charming. Reconciles man hurried to the next appointment, out of the Hyatt, purely in the drizzle, the first time on Tuesday since the beginning of the Berlinale on Potsdamer Platz niederging. Besides the hotel, on that side exit, where the stars rausgeschleust be drängelten way, despite wet conditions almost as many fans as the top journalist. Even more than last week at Kate Winslet. Seems as if the festival found its Darling. A silver bear already has Michelle Pfeiffer, 1990, she was the best actress in "Love Field" award. Maybe it's time for a second?

The mere fact that it bears on the award of speculation, shows that the Berlinale is the mid-term, time for a first interim balance sheet. Despite the usual petulance, which after a week of festival madness among journalists, film buyers, the press people and service staff of any kind makes broad, it must be stated: There was much more evil Berlinale, with worse weather and disastrous movies.

Moreover, apart from Sally Potter's pop-art collage "Rage", which as a short film an interesting experiment would have been, and can also Lukas Moodysson Gutmenschen-unreasonable "Mammoth" in mind, there is competition in this impressive high level.

And also the first crystallize emerging Favorites: While François Ozon's fantastic story of winged baby "Ricky" probably be very polarized, keeps the courageous Iranian contribution
About Elly "stubbornly in the discussions between and after the movies and is growing in favor of critics, the more all of the festival saw.

You bring the death

On Monday, however, there was serious competition, and specifically from the U.S.: In Oren Mover's directorial debut "The Messenger" to try two of the deployment in Iraq subscribed Army officers, with their various traumas and Versehrungen to cope.

With malicious irony plays them the fate of a job that does not relieve the wounds, but only really in them herumwühlt: You must agree to the survivors of fallen soldiers to bring news of death. By and by in this extreme situation of highly contrasting characters comrades, and finally friends.

The unsentimental, very focused on his history of film in which Woody Harrelson, both young and talented Ben Foster ( "Alpha Dog") outstanding and touching drama performances show tells of the war brought home and dealing with loss, shame and horror no longer the same one who you was when you ausrückte.

A similar issue also moving the French-British film "London River" on Tuesday at the Berlin Film Festival celebrated its world premiere and also to the close circle of bears aspirants must be counted. After his hotly debated in France, the war drama "indigènes" about North African soldiers who died in World War II, fought against Germany, grabs the Algerian director Rachid Bouchareb uneasy another topic: his calm, totally unpretentious film also tells of two different people who have a common experience to be friends.

It is afraid of black man

Contrasting summer and as Mrs. Monsieur Ousmane, two people, however, almost not: the aged before their time Falkland warrior widow operates a farm on the Channel Island of Guernsey and provides not only the British like a compact, dark-haired Maggie Thatcher, the plump, resolute lady also has a similar conservative views. Ousmane, however, is a hagerer, humpelnder Africans with long, graying Rasta curls and hairy beard. Its to a gnarled tree-like stature, he is based with dreary countenance on a walking stick.

The terrorist attack on a bus in London on 7 July 2005 brings the two together. Mrs. Summers is worried about their adolescent daughter Jane who partout not reported; Ousmane will find his son Ali, whom he last ten years has seen. Both drives the fear that their next of kin could be among some 50 death of his assassination. Soon, it turns out that Jane and Ali knew that, even had friends.

But it takes a long time to be between the Lady and the Tramp something develops. Initially described Bouchareb not without humor, as mistrust and prejudices often frustrate any human contact. Mrs. Summers has so much fear of the black man that she away from him, did not perceive that he is experiencing the same pain as them.

Bouchareb brings its so simple as true message without great gestures to the audience: In pain, in suffering at the senseless loss of loved ones, we are all equal, whether black or white, fat or thin, Rasta Locke or raincoat. One can not, of course, the Frenchman taking: Ousmane and Mrs. Summers can therefore only ever communicate with, because as Mrs. Summers island inhabitant speaks French, the only European languages, which is also dominated by Africans.

It is worthwhile, with foreign cultures and idioms familiar to be able to contact to build, does this mean. And the best in the world city of London with the World French language. Oh, quelle folie!

Film is in French is not just "fun and Tollerei", but can also be used for "madness" are used. Since then, we would be back to the meta-theme of each film festivals. Back to scramble!