Pros: three separate stories that can be called the most successful (Berlin ride, Under your feet, Embassy) Cons: a line with a singer and a street performer who periodically appears in the film; ordinary plots “Berlin, I love you” / Berlin, I Love You
Genre melodrama
Directors Dianna Agron, Peter Chelsom, Fernando Eimbke, Til Schweiger, Dennis Ganzel, Dani Levy, Josef Rusnak, Klaus Clausen, Justin Franklin, Massey Tadjedin, Gabriela Czerniak and others.
Cast: Keira Knightley (Jane), Helen Mirren (Margaret), Mickey Rourke (Jim), Tony Garrn (Heather), Luke Wilson (Burk), Jim Sturgess (Jared), Jenna Dewan (Mandy), Emily Beacham (Hannah), Dianna Agron (Katarina), Iwan Rheon (Greg), Charlotte Le Bon (Rose), etc.
Companies Bily Media Berlin, Rheingold Films, Shotz Fiction Film
Year of release 2019
IMDB page
“Berlin, I Love You” was created according to the principle of a film almanac. The film has ten events that take place in the German capital. They are connected by one line: the story of a singer from Israel who comes to Berlin and meets a street performer with angel wings on her back (yes, in our time, someone really decided that this was a good idea). The development of the relationship between these characters continues after almost every short episode, reminding viewers of how important it is for people to be able to find a common language (and also let love into the heart and everything like that).
The anthology begins with a hand-drawn title sequence that illustrates the history of Berlin as briefly as possible. A voiceover announces that the city has emerged from complete destruction. The Berlin Wall immediately appears in the frame, after the fall of which numerous raves arise. If this seems like a rather superficial introduction, there are still a lot of run-of-the-mill introductions to come.
In addition to the banal idea “people come to Berlin to fall in love,” the film also makes a clumsy attempt to make viewers empathize with characters representing certain social phenomena. Thus, in one of the short stories, the topic of migrants is touched upon so superficially that an attempt to unite a refugee and a brothel worker in one plot literally leads them to a friendly handshake.
The most disastrous episode that you want to unsee was directed by German actor Til Schweiger. He starred top model Toni Garrn and Mickey Rourke, whose appearance has seen even more modifications in recent years. Their story is a ten-minute dive into the most terrible meaning, and also a look at the awkward performance of Mickey Rourke, who flaunts on camera in the spirit of yesteryear.
Famous actors also appeared in the film: Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren. Their plot can rightfully be considered one of the most adequate. This is a story about a social center worker who brings home a child from a refugee camp. Her mother, who does not support her daughter’s activities, has a chance to change her mind.
There are two more stories in the film “Berlin, I Love You” that can be considered more or less successful. This is the very first story about an old car that becomes a guide around the city. And an episode with a taxi driver who picks up a taciturn passenger on the street – he was played by Iwan Rheon, known for his role as Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones. The rest of the short films are very banal or obscenely naive.
The Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, who was among the directors of short films, was able to dilute the general atmosphere of the film. But the episode he filmed did not make it into the final version of the film “Berlin, I Love You” due to political reasons. According to Ai Weiwei, the material he made was cut by producers under pressure from the Chinese government.
So the representation of Berlin fell on the shoulders of only a select few: directors from America (Dianna Agron – she also played the puppeteer heroine), England (Peter Chelsom), Mexico (Fernando Eimbke), Switzerland (Dani Levy) and Germany (Dennis Gansel, Til Schweiger ). None of them really succeeded in making us fall in love with the city or at least awaken a desire to visit it. But this is Berlin, it has something to show.
Conclusion:
the selection of stories in “Berlin, I love you” is disappointing in its naivety and banality
