Marketing foreign language films in the United States faces problematic challenges thanks to declining theatrical revenues. The hoped for compensation through new internet distribution platforms has not materialized. Any income from internet services has not matched the limited and declining revenue from theatrical distribution. To make matters worse, Netflix’ share of foreign language films has been declining. Foreign and independent productions are now frequently found on ancillary platforms with a small audience base.  They all must compete with an exploding number of feature films entering these platforms.  On the theatrical side, revenues for foreign language films have been plummeting from a high of 5% of the total box office decades’ ago to an estimated 0.5% share for those released in 2014. The lion’s share of that amount goes to feature films from India. What complicates matters further is the shrinking art house theater niche which housed many foreign language films in the past. As a result German films in theatrical distribution in the United States have a limited income. Mojo reports that to date the revenue of German films released last year amounted to $242,000. Those from France scored $1.7 million.  The largest proportion of foreign language films in the United States originates in India which scored $31 million thus far with their 2014 releases, about half of the foreign language box office for that period. Indian films have a captive audience here offering a broad thematic spectrum from independent and diaspora productions to traditional Bollywood fare.

The annual presentation of German films, KINO!, now in its 39^th edition, held from April 9 – 16  has an important function in showcasing the best recent German productions. After 35 years at the Museum of Modern art KINO! is now an independent film festival with a modicum of funding from German agencies, below what France allocates to French films shown here as part of her well established cultural public diplomacy.   

TOUR DE FORCE, Hin und Weg, Christina Zuebert,

Tour de Force is a compassionate superbly enacted story of Hannes, suffering from terminal ALS, the progressive neurodegeneration of nerve cells. He is accompanied by close friends on a cycling trip to Belgium. He decided to end his life there under the assisted death system. Apart from his mother and wife no one knew about the purpose of the trip and when his friends find out, they need to adjust to Hannes terminating his life in their presence. Tour de Force was shot in six days involving virtually no rehearsals with actors who had been selected strictly on the basis of the roles. They succeed so well in expressing their reaction to Hannes' death that the audience is immersed into this sensitive story yet remains aware of the issues addressed by the director. As the feature showed, death does not have to be a solitary experience and a more human way is ending life in the company of friends and family. More importantly, no one has the right to tell us how and when to die.

TO LIFE!  Auf Das Leben! , Uwe Johnson

Johnson presents a complex story about a concentration camp survivor Ruth who is  evicted from her Berlin apartment and moved to her new home by young Jonas. He is  homeless, lives in a van and has a stunning resemblance to a man she loved in  the post war years.  Bitter about being forced to move she attempts suicide but is  saved by Jonas who starts living in her place. He discovers her past through a film he  finds there while she is committed to the psych ward of a hospital. He liberates Ruth  and celebrates with her coming to life again at a party given by the inmates where  Ruth presents her cabaret songs. This appealing feature resonates with the audience given its thematic orientation. Yet it  is burdened by too many problems the story tries to cover. Ruth's traumatic escape  from the holocaust, her post war night club involvement with Victor a former war photographer, the exhibit of his work attended by an officer who tortured her whom she  tries to kill and her imprisonment for the crime provide enough material for a film. Yet  there are the distracting subplots of Jonas. He is slowly dying from an incurable illness and  escapes his former life, his father perished from the same disease and  committed suicide. He has a conflictual relation with his girlfriend, etc.  Ruth and  Jonas connect, but their bonding through the vast array of interlocking personal   problems strains credibility. 

WHO AM I – – Kein System ist Sicher, Baran bo Odar

Against the current background of wide spread computer hacking and unchecked surveillance of the public and the private sector by governmental agencies and the data  manipulation of identities, WHO AM I is an igneous cyber thriller. Benjamin an  awkward nerd becomes an expert hacker. With his team CLAYS he can crack all data  systems, including corporate computer set ups and the most secret files of the federal  German intelligence service identifying informants. The knowledge gained causes a  bloody conflict with the Russian cyber mafia killing his comrades.  Benjamin is on the  run and ends up sharing his story with the European intelligence agency which creates  a new identity for him.

FLIGHTS OF FANCY  Hirngespinster, Christian Bach

For the first time film maker Christin Bach, the psychodrama Flights of Fancy is a compelling achievement. There are no superfluous elements in this film nor do we face any of the clichés frequently encountered in features dealing with mental health issues. Simon grows up with a father suffering from severe psychotic problems which periodically erupt in destructive and dangerous behavior patterns. He is a famed architect who lost his company because of his illness, yet he is unable to admit his mental problems. The mother still hopes that her husband gets better. Simon lives at home to help his mother and protect his little sister while fully realizing his father’s problems. The father still functions on one level and competes anonymously for a museum design award. But he is driven by the obsession that radiation controls his life and robs his creativity. He attacks his neighbor and conveys delusions to his family. Simone is caught up in this family prison dreaming of a normal life that appears impossible and is haunted by the fear that he may inherit his father’s disease. Without exaggerations there is a convincing presentation of the family interactions, of life in a dysfunctional setting that may disrupt at any time since there is no solution to the psychotic problem apart from symptom relief through heavy medication. Yet there is a glimpse of hope when the father wins the award. In the role of the father Tobias Moretti offers an extraordinary and plausible performance show casing all facets of an individual driven by his inner mental demons. 

As in past editions KINO! provided an excellent program covering themes and approaches of remarkable current German  film productions.

Claus Mueller

filmexchange@gmail.com