I loved this story of a German artist from childhood to adulthood after World War II, struggling with totalitarianism and more. I always like to see the cinematography Oscar nominees, and this was even more than a pretty face. No one wanted to join me, due to its 3:09 running time, so I got to experience the pleasure of watching a movie alone with no one to bring me down. The movie was also nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Here's the list.
Cai Cohrs is adorable as six-year-old Kurt, whose free-spirited aunt Elisabeth, played by Saskia Rosendahl (blogged in Lore), encourages his artistry. Cohrs is well cast because he looks a lot like Tom Schilling (he had a small part in Woman in Gold, which I didn't mention and don't remember, and his face did not look familiar to me), who plays Kurt from about 19 to 36. Paula Beer (new to me), as Kurt's love interest Ellie, looks a bit like Rosendahl, and does appear naked in several sex scenes. Sebastian Koch (most recently in these pages for Unknown) is indeed a familiar face as Professor Seeband, a Nazi gynecologist. Brrr.
Director/writer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (directed and wrote The Lives of Others (2006), which had lots of wins and nominations, though none from Oscar, and directed and co-wrote The Tourist (2010)) had several meetings with an actual German artist, Gerhard Richter, who is quite unhappy with this movie, loosely based on his life.
My regular readers may know that occasionally I'll refer to acts one, two, and three. This story has too many sections to number, beginning in 1937 with Elisabeth taking little Kurt to an exhibit of "Degenerate Art" reviled by the Nazis, the 1945 bombing of Dresden, the communistic period in Germany, the dangerous "escape to the West," the hunt for Nazi war criminals, and more.
This is the sixth Oscar nomination for Caleb Deschanel (profiled for shooting Rules Don't Apply) and he still hasn't won. Various German, Poland, and Czech Republic locations are beautifully photographed.
Max Richter's (last blogged for scoring Mary Queen of Scots) luscious soundtrack can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music, among others.
Rotten Tomatoes's critics, averaging 75%, are actually harsher than its audiences at 86. I looked at my watch only a few times, and mostly because it lights up every time I move my hand.
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