The Hawaii International Film Festival’s EuroCinema lineup brings the filmmaking of Christian Petzold to isle audiences for the first time, with two screenings of his historical drama "Barbara," Germany’s official selection for best foreign film at the 2013 Academy Awards.
Petzold is one of the most acclaimed German directors of his generation, and "Barbara" marks his fifth film collaboration with actress Nina Hoss. He won the Silver Bear award for best director at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.
Set in 1980 in communist East Germany, the film follows Barbara Wolff (Hoss), a doctor who is transferred from East Berlin to a small town because she applied for an exit visa. Wolff handles the demotion with cool reserve, and despite being under observation by the Ministry of State Security, she continues to plan her escape to West Germany to join her lover.
A visual pleasure, the film is shot by Petzold regular Hans Fromm in lush greens, blues, yellows, red and oranges in order to avoid the gray tones ubiquitously associated with East Germany. ("Barbara" screens at 9 p.m. Sunday, 1:30 p.m. Monday.)
Another historical drama, "A Royal Affair," directed by Nikolaj Arcel, is set in 18th-century Denmark, where a young queen (Alicia Vikander), unhappily married to the mentally ill Christian VII (Mikkel Følsgaard), falls in love with the royal physician, played by Mads Mikkelson (best known to U.S. audiences as the villain Le Chiffre in the James Bond reboot "Casino Royale").
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HIFF HOW-TO
>> Where: Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 (unless noted)
>> Cost: $12, $10 military, seniors and students; available at Guest Services Counter at the multiplex
>> Info: 447-0577 or hiff.org
>> For a complete schedule: Visit hiff.org or honolulupulse.com.
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"A Royal Affair" won the award for best script and Følsgaard the award for best actor at the Berlin festival, where it premiered. (Screens 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, 3 p.m. Wednesday.)
In "Caesar Must Die," directed by brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, inmates at a maximum-security prison in Rome rehearse for a public performance of Shakespeare’s "Julius Caesar." Shot in black and white in the style of a documentary, the film’s shots of the prison and of ancient Rome haunt. (Screens 5 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m. Tuesday.)
"Rust and Bone," directed by Jacques Audiard, stars Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as Stéphanie, a killer-whale trainer who suffers a traumatic accident. Cotillard is expected to be a contender for the best actress nomination. (Screens 9 p.m. Oct. 17.)
"Quartet," a charming romantic comedy about a group of retired opera singers living in an English manor, marks Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut. Early predictions tip legendary actress Maggie Smith and Pauline Collins as front-runners for best supporting actress at the Oscars. (Screens 6 p.m. Oct. 18, 4 p.m. Oct. 19.)
Director Ursula Meier’s second film, "Sister," is set in a Swiss ski resort and follows the story of Louise, who is adrift, and her much younger brother Simon, who supports them by pilfering from the well-heeled vacationers. (Screens 4:15 p.m. Saturday, 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.)
Also deserving attention is the 30th-anniversary restored print of the French thriller "Diva," directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix. (Screens 6:30 p.m. Monday.)
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Christina Gerhardt is assistant professor of German at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has written about film for The Brooklyn Rail, Film Quarterly, In These Times and The Sixties.
