On this last day, tickets are “only” 8 euros vs. the usual 11 euros. “Close-knit”, the only film I had originally bought for this day, was only 4 euros because it was a cross-section screening with Generation (unlike the other screenings of the film which were in the Panorama and therefore 11 euros). Usually I make use of this and watch a lot of films on Sunday, but this time I had another family dinner evening. At first I couldn’t find any films I wanted to see in the morning, but then I heard that “On body and soul” was really good. When Danish dude told me on Wednesday that tickets for this screening were still available and I realized it was the perfect time slot, I decided I should go for it even though it plays in the Friedrichstadtpalast (which I thoroughly dislike). Danish dude also kindly bought the ticket for me, how nice!
Before the screening, I actually got there almost 1 1/2 hours early and was amongst the first people to get in to secure some of the rare good seats in the venue. I had no idea you also had to stand in the cold while waiting, so I warmed up inside the ticket vending area to watch the people trying to get tickets for the screening. It’s so amusing to see that the film was not yet sold out till Wednesday at least, but then people queued up like crazy after “On body and soul” won the Golden Bear. I probably managed to see the three best competition films of the year, which was pure coincidence.
About 5 minutes before the end, an incident happened. (It even made it to the news it seems!) Apparently people fainted and had to be brought to the hospital. They stopped the screening for these people to get care, and after waiting for a few minutes I decided to leave since I really didn’t want to get too late to “Close-knit”. It seems I didn’t miss out on too much, and this is a good excuse for me to see the film again, so I can watch it in its entirety at some point.
Testrol és lélekrol (On body and soul)
Hungary 2017, Ildikó Enyedi, 116′
Maria is a new quality manager working at a beef slaughterhouse where Endre is the financial manager (amongst others, if I am not mistaken). He is a slightly awkward person with an arm he cannot use and who has children Maria’s age, but whom he doesn’t seem to have a particular connection to. She shows multiple signs on the spectrum: She has trouble socializing with her co-workers, she has perfect recall and she lives in a world of logic and strict rules. At some point, they realize that they have the same dream every night, they dream of being deers roaming the woods in winter together. This supernatural coincidence inspires them to carefully and slowly approach each other emotionally, and they try to meet in their dreams.
This film is so good that I don’t know where to start. After seeing the worst film of the Berlinale, I ended up seeing the best one. The first most notable aspect of the film was how enjoyable it was even though we all felt that its pacing was, overall, pretty slow. This was the first impression Danish dude conveyed when we chatted about the film, and I was surprised to see how entertained I was throughout its entire course (with almost 2 hours, it’s relatively long for a Berlinale film!). If I had to tell anyone about the film, my first comment probably would be: “They are so adorable!” It’s unusual to say this about grown people, but in this case, “adorable” describes them perfectly, and they go so darn well together.
Individually, however, I took me awhile to warm up to Endre’s character (he’s not bad, just not that interesting either) and was a little taken aback by how they paired an old man with a young lady yet again. However, I was thoroughly impressed by Maria’s characterization. She is so beautifully on the spectrum (highly functional autistic is probably what you would call her today) and characterized in a realistic and sympathetic way. The audience was particularly smitten with how she sits at home recalling the conversations she’s had and imagining how she wishes the next conversation to go. Obviously the conversation does not end up going the way she planned and her awkward attempts at sticking to her script are positively hilarious. It’s just the kind of thing you’d expect a lovable slightly autistic person in a film like this to do, and I am not surprised by how popular this film became.
It appears that the director of the film has been in the business for a really long time, and yet I have never heard of her. I wonder if her older films are as good (and a part of me is afraid of being disappointed). Most likely I just want to watch this film again instead, I think it sounds like a good option for the next PIFF.