FILM
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FOKUS Films from Germany season hits cinemas across the country
The ineffable cool of Berlin might seem a cliché if it wasn’t for the regular stream of brilliant filmmakers who found their muse in Germany’s capital city. The centerpiece of Fokus: Films from Germany, a programme of new and vintage cinema touring across Scotland, is Victoria, a stunning thriller from actor-turned- director Sebastian Schipper. Victoria has a unique premise; the entire 138 minute film is shot in one continuous take as dawn breaks over Berlin.
Having appeared in the similarly groundbreaking Run Lola Run, Schipper coaxes high-octane performance levels from his young cast as they scramble through hard- core clubbing, a violent heist, a piano recital, a kidnapping, and a police shoot-out, with a tender, bittersweet love story between Victoria (Laia Costa) and Sonne (Frederick Lau) at the heart of the story. Not out until April 2016,
Victoria is a blistering slice of modern cinema that commands attention. Other new work includes documentary B
Movie: Lust & Sound In West Berlin (pictured) which deals with the post-punk scene that exploded in the 1980s faster than you can say Einstürzende Neubauten. And a restrospective tribute to Rainer Werner Fassbinder includes not only the brilliantly shot (by Martin Scorsese’s regular cinematographer Michael Ballhaus) Fox and His Friends, but also Baal, his rarely-screened 1970 version of the classic Brecht text beloved by Berlin’s adoptive son David Bowie. With footballing hamster action in family-friendly film My Friend Raffi offering light relief, Fokus offers a strong-enough cinematic selection to make Berliners of us all. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Scotland-wide, Fri 20 Nov–Tue 15 Dec, filmsfromgermany.co.uk
5 Nov 2015–4 Feb 2016 THE LIST 89