

Long time overdue, here's the german film thread that will concern itself with great films made in Germany from 1990 till 2005. I chose this timebracket, because not much attention has been given in or outside of Germany to the huge variety and quality of German films that have been made since the Unification. While in the 70s "New German Film" became known around the world and some of its directors were hailed like celebrities, the last fifteen years of filmmaking in Germany seem to have gone by unnoticed - hence giving the impression that there was nothing worth noticing.
This is as far from the truth as possible, as beside a huge mass-production of mainstream films, there have remained many artists at work whose output can be compared in terms of quality to that of any director working today. And besides the already established, there has emerged a wide variety of talented young filmmakers, comparable to the tendencies in other industrialist countries like Japan or South Korea. But it seems that as long as no label can be put on a country's output - no unifying tag, no "new wave" to be named - critics and filmfestivals tend to ignore them, focusing instead on more bankable regions, until another one comes along. Luckily, I don't get paid to write still another praise on the new Iranian cinema to remind even the most ignorant cineaste of what has been apparent for over 15 years now, but am instead free to focus on more important - which means ignored - issues. This thread is aiming to present such a neglected area.

I'm not a filmhistorian, and I'm also not the most knowledgable person when it comes to pointing out an evolution that has been taking place for over twenty years now, but after the supposed end of "New German Cinema" in the 80s (which btw. only included filmmakers from the western part of Germany) it has become apparent that if anything, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the unifiying of Eastern and West Germany has fueled the creativity of most artists working with film, leading them to seek new ways to relate to this historical situation. Though it may have taken some time until these events could have led to a view that wasn't neither "West" nor "East". The early 90s in Germany were thus cinematically not a blooming landscape. Though creativity surely wasn't missing, money was, and it took some measures until things improved economically. But suffice to say that this wasn't too big an obstacle for the most determined filmmakers, many of which chose TV instead of cinema to be at least able to realize some projects. However the exact situation, the amalgamation of "eastern" and "western" talent soon led to some artistic highpoints, which I will try to present here in the future.

Beside commercial cinema that was overall going its usual course with ups and downs every few years (the last years seem to indicate an up again), there remained filmmakers with their own personal vision which paved the way for a new generation. Michael Klier, Dominik Graf, Heinz Emigholz, Rudolf Thome, Hartmut Bitomsky or Elfi Mikesch are some of those who inspired younger artists to respond either in similar or opposed attempts of their own. Not to mention older German filmmakers who had left a rich cinematic legacy after they had stopped working.
Some of the new talents are already beginning to get a reputation, others are still struggling. To list a few names (only a selection): Achim von Borries, Tom Tykwer, Michael Hofmann, Sren Voigt, Phillip Grning, Hans-Christian Schmid, Angela Schanelec, Christoph Schlingensief, Thomas Arslan, Ulrich Khler, Benjamin Quabeck, Valeska Griesebach, Matthias X. Oberg, Andreas Dresen.

I have limited myself to the years 1990 - 2005, because I think that newer films will have it much easier, because a change of attitude has also become apparent. Films from Germany have started to tour the festival circuit more frequently during the last few years, and have garnered some awards and attention. And when the "Cahiers du Cinema" critics focused their attention on a couple of films from Berlin in one of their issues some time ago, this also lead to a rethinking of the quality of German cinema among the more ignorant writers at home. I'm not sure though if I can be overtly enthusiastic about this, as I still think the (recent) past needs a reminder.
I realize that this write-up of mine is very selective and insufficient in describing even the basic processes which were taking place in the area of film during the last twenty years in Germany. But this isn't its aim or purpose. I'm neglecting most of the negative trends and effects here, because more than enough has already been said and written about this. Anybody interested can look up the publications and writings on this subject if he or she wants to (and if the German language doesn't present too big a challenge). What I want, is merely to point out a few films and directors who made great films in Germany which were for the most part ignored. I think it is as important to appreciate what is, as the pointing out of faults and that which could have been but is not. Sadly I have the strong feeling that most of the critic activity of the past years concerning films and filmmakers in Germany has been focused on the negative side. Here I will hopefully succeed in presenting a counter-balance, so that everybody complaining about German films and their quality will be able to sit down and watch some of the worthwhile products of this "maligned" period. And as it is said that some of the best products usually aren't appreciated in the homecountry...
I strongly wish that at least some of the recent great german films will be recognized and appreciated in the future. Or maybe now and here by you.

In the late 90s, I was as disappointed and bored by German movies as the regular audience and the more inattentive cinephiles whom I was slowly becoming a part of. German films were for me either bad comedies or heady history-lessons without much entertainment value (not to speak of any artistic aspirations). Thus my initial surprise was huge, when I saw something worthwhile for the first time. 23 (1998) directed by Hans-Christian Schmid, was not only a good film with a good script, direction, camerawork, editing and acting, but it was also entirely made in Germany by Germans. This ray of light was for me shortly after followed by a viewing of Oliver Hirschbiegel's Das Experiment (2000) - which I sadly still didn't get the opportunity to revisit. While a couple of years ago it had only taken me to see Takeshi Kitano's Hana-Bi (1997) on TV to get converted to Japanese and World Cinema, German films needed some more attempts to denounce my doubts. But the search for more buried treasures had begun.
The final and last change came when one day by accident, I saw Matthias X. Oberg's Unter der Milchstrae (1995). I had taped it from TV purely out of curiosity over the title (and the fact that Christiane Paul played in it), and it had already been lying on my shelf with other unseen films for quite some time when I decided to give it a chance. I haven't seen the film in years, but at that time, it had seemed to me one of the greatest films I had ever had the joy to experience. In my eyes it was on the same level as some other excellent films from 1995, like Dead Man, Xich lo, To vlemma tou Odyssea or Underground. When I'll revisit the film for this thread, I hope I will be as inspired by its second viewing as I was by the first.
After this event I had an incredible stroke of luck with subsequent German films, culminating around 2004 with my having been able to experience three masterpieces at the Cinema. Heinz Emigholz' Goff in der Wste (2003), Rudolf Thome's Frau fhrt, Mann schlft (2004), and Angela Schanelec's Marseille (2004).


Some other films that will be revisited and - if worth - presented here include:

Identity Kills (Sren Voigt / 2002)
Die Polizistin (Andreas Dresen / 2000)
Lichter (Hans-Christian Schmid / 2003)
Verrckt bleiben - verliebt bleiben (Elfi Mikesch / 1997)
Sophiiiie! (Michael Hofmann / 2002)
Bungalow (Ulrich Khler / 2002)
Der Felsen (Dominik Graf / 2001)
Verfehlung (Heiner Carow / 1991)
Die tdliche Maria (Tom Tykwer / 1993)
Nichts bereuen (Benjamin Quabeck / 2000)
England! (Achim von Borries / 2000)
Madrid (Daphne Charizani / 2002)

I'm sure there will also appear some other unknown films which I too will be seeing for the first time. Along with the reviewed films, I'll try to give as much information as possible on the availability and content of a DVD or Video edition.

The beginning is going to make another revisit, L'amour, l'argent l'amour by Phillip Grning, which began production in 1996 but was finished as late as 2000.