Cuckoo
26. August 2024
The film releases of the week
17-year-old Gretchen has reluctantly followed her father and his new family to the Bavarian Forest. To kill time in the wilderness, she works at the reception of a holiday resort where strange occurrences are becoming increasingly frequent and put the teenager in mortal danger. Tilman Singer’s second feature film (after “Luz”) “Cuckoo” (Cinedom, UCI, OmU in the Filmpalette and in the Lichtspiele Kalk) succeeds brilliantly in creating a permanent atmosphere of unease with rather modest means. The perfect use of sound effects, suspense-increasing editing and equally well-thought-out camera work have resulted in an impressive German genre film that, thanks to its international cast, is also likely to cause a sensation abroad.
“The Unyielding” was a surprise success in the second half of 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, after the first lockdowns. With 175,000 visitors, it was the most successful cinema documentary of recent years. “The Unyielding 2 – Good Morning, You Beautiful Ones” (Cinenova, OFF Broadway, Weisshaus) now deals with women in the GDR. The film explains right at the beginning why the focus is no longer on female politicians alone, but on all women, from committed officials to workers to artists and intellectuals: There was talk of equality in the GDR – women were a real main focus in the fight for the supposed progressiveness of the systems. But this did not necessarily mean women’s political careers. In other respects, too, equality was a bit of a thing, as the interviewees report, sometimes casually and anecdotally, sometimes objectively and generally. In the GDR, women were hardly condemned to be just housewives. But the great career opportunities were mainly due to the labor shortage in the GDR. Female workers were in demand, but management positions or even higher positions were taboo. Körner’s entertaining film underpins the portrayal in the interviews with a lot of Eastern music and numerous film clips and provides deep insights into the lives of women in the GDR.
The future: In the country of Shirkoa, people strive for perfection. The price: identity. The nameless people wear bags over their heads around the clock. The hero of the story, 197A, has never seen his own face. The artfully animated drama “Shirkoa: In Lies We Trust” (OmU in Filmhaus and Odeon) tells of his political awakening. In his feature film debut, Indian director Ishan Shukla refers to a world in fear, to the longing for order and (spiritual) support. The story loses its way a little in the middle section, but overall sets great, metaphor-rich accents. A touching epic that captivates right up to the last scene after the credits (!). The breathtaking animation is worth highlighting: Shukla soulfully weaves CGI and hand-drawn animation into the Unreal Engine.
Director Ishan Shukla will be a guest at the Odeon on Wednesday, August 28th at 8:30 p.m.
Also new in cinemas: Margherita Vicario’s historical drama “Gloria!” (Cinenova, Odeon, Weisshaus; on August 29, the director will be a guest at the Odeon at 7:45 p.m. and then at the Open Air Rheinauhafen at 9:30 p.m.), Alireza Golafshan’s family comedy “Alles Fifty Fifty” (Cinedom, Cineplex, Residenz, UCI), Adam Cooper’s thriller “Sleeping Dogs – Some Lies Never Die” (Cinedom, UCI), Chris Weitz’ and James Moran’s house horror “Afraid” (Cinedom, Cineplex, UCI) and Jérémie Degrusan’s animated adventure “The Inseparables – Through Thick and Thin” (Cinedom, Cineplex, Rex, UCI).
Editorial team choices.de
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