The Bernese twin brothers Ramon and Silvan Zürcher have completed their “animal” trilogy. “The Sparrow in the Chimney” premiered in competition at the Locarno Film Festival – the sequel to “The Strange Kitten” and “The Girl and the Spider”.
Author: Michael Sennhauser
11.08.2024, 02:09
Finished being funny. The sparrow gets down to business, family is not for cowards. For Ingmar Bergman, the Swedish master director of family and marriage dramas, “Cries and Whispers” was his international breakthrough in 1972.
Ramon Zürcher cites Ingmar Bergman as one of his early influences. Another was David Lynch, with “Mulholland Drive”.
Previously light, now heavy food
One would not necessarily have thought of that, given the shimmering ease with which Ramon and Silvan Zürcher conquered the Berlinale at the time, in 2013 with “The Strange Kitten”, then in 2021 with “The Girl and the Spider».
Legend: Appearances are deceptive: Even if certain scenes appear idyllic, the new film “The Sparrow in the Chimney” by Ramon Zürcher (director) and Silvan Zürcher (producer) is of a completely different caliber than previous works such as “The Strange Kitten”. Zürcher Film
Although both films played with the smaller and larger dramas in the family structure with virtuosity, the bites came casually and charmingly disguised, the sideswipes, the injuries, the struggle for belonging and separation mostly in such a way that one could have misheard.
That is no longer the case at the big family reunion in the old house by the lake. The son tells his mother straight out that he hates her. And the daughter threatens to set fire to the house if her mother tears one more of her T-shirts while washing them.
Cold family relationships
It is Karen (Maren Eggert) who annoys everyone with her coldness, her sarcasm, her rigid reserve. Her sister has come with her husband and their two children to celebrate Karen’s husband’s birthday.
Caption: Anything but fun: The family reunion at the house by the lake turns into a hateful failure. Zurich film
The eldest daughter Johanna (Lea Zoe Voss) also turns up, albeit late. And Liv (Luise Heyer) is there too, the young woman who looks after the dogs and lives in the wooden hut on the edge of the forest. She brings the warmth into the house that Karen has lost.
There are many family members who gradually populate this film, and almost all of them grow on you through their encounters with one another.
The everyday horror
Blood flows. The strange kitten has to die. A chicken flies across the garden despite its head being cut off. The sparrow that flew into the chimney is stupid enough to do it a second time.
Legend: Nasty teenagers: Jule (Britta Hammelstein) and Johanna (Lea Zoe Voss) play nasty games in the house by the lake. Zurich film
The self-confident teenager Johanna aggressively embarrasses her uncle with clear ambiguities, only to then suddenly shock him with morbid stories – more like Wednesday Addams from the monster family of the same name.
Balance of charm and terror
“The Sparrow in the Chimney” is as elegant and sophisticated as its two predecessors and at times just as entertaining. At the same time, however, Ramon Zürcher and his excellent cast manage to create a new balance of charm and horror that gets under your skin.
That’s no small feat for a film that can only work if it is absolutely sure of its subject and never hesitates in the slightest.
A single wrong note, a single wasted moment and “The Sparrow in the Chimney” would become its own parody. But that doesn’t happen. Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch can be proud.
Notice
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SRF co-produced this film.
The film premiered on August 10, 2024 at the Locarno Film Festival. The film is scheduled to be released in theaters on October 10, 2024.
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SRF 1, Tagesschau, 07.08.2024, 19:30.
