Werk ohne Autor (2018) Reviews

• Never Look Away (2019)

  rockman1822019-02-16

  I had time to check out this film yesterday and decided to go for it despite its 3 hour and 9 minute running length. I have seen von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others and The Tourist (the latter of which was awful). The Lives of Others was great though, so I was in anticipation to see what he would see next. Pay no mind to the running length of this film, its an astounding and really fantastically gripping film that is actually quite inspiring. The film is about the life of an artist named Kurt from his childhood to adulthood and the events in his life that inspire him to become the artist that he is. Early in his life his aunt is euthanized during Nazi, Germany because of suspicions that she may be schizophrenic. Growing up he struggles to find his calling in life but little does he know that the events of his past are what are present in his current day life, unbeknownst to him. I know this wasn't a really in depth summary but that is intentional as I want you to go see this film and experience it for yourself. From the opening moments in the museums art gallery to the closing moment of Kurt staring at the camera, this is an alluring viewing. Its beautifully shot and is inclusive of a wide range of emotions and life processes including love, hate, death, despair, ambition, and determination. I liked the love story in the film as well. Normally you would see couples in films bicker but in this film its pure love, passion, and support throughout. Apparently the film is loosely based on the life of Gerhard Richter. I can't really comment on that accuracy but I will say that the blurred paintings of photographs that Kurt paints are absolutely wonderful. Its so nice to see him finally have that moment and find his true calling and his real motivation for painting. I was actually inspired by Kurt's journey in his life and finale finding that recipe for success. In many ways I can relate. I was a huge fan of the moving score for this film. Especially in latter stages of the film where it was so effective and just so perfect fit. The acting is good all around and at times the film utilizes subtle humor. I could have actually sat through another hour of this film because it embodies so much of what I wish films would these days. I'm not often really moved by pictures like I was with this. Every scene in this long film is important as it comes back later. Its just pure art in cinematic form. I rarely ever hand out ratings this high but I really feel like Never Look Away is very deserving of that honor. Indeed, its hard to look away from the beauty on display in this film. Just a truly moving experience that I recommend to everyone. 9/10

• A Bit Too Much

  BNester2018-12-02

  "Never Look Away" is a seriously good movie. It tells the life of Kurt, a German artist born just before the Nazis took power, who survives the war and studies in East Germany under the Communists, eventually ending up in West Germany and trying to find his own style. The story is engrossing, the acting is good, there are some beautiful nude scenes, excellent camera work, interesting characters, and the insight that all totalitarian societies treat their artists as means to an end. What stops it getting a rating of 10/10 is that everything is just a bit too much. Kurt's beloved aunt Elizabeth, an early victim of the Nazis, is heartbreakingly, almost inhumanly, beautiful. Perhaps she is seen that way by her 8-year-old nephew; but he already shows the precocious artistic talent to see things as they really are. There is a Bad Guy in the film, and he is unremittingly, almost inhumanly, bad. This is not just an artistic failing. By having the Bad Guy so evil, it tends to distract the viewer from the fact that the Holocaust was conducted by ordinary people, not super-villains. The film is long, at 3 hours and 8 minutes. It doesn't feel like that, and I didn't find myself looking at my watch. But it could have lost, say, half an hour, and would have been better for it. And the music is a bit overdone, a bit too emphatic. "Never Look Away" is a very good film that could have been better.

• What is truth in art?

  chong_an2018-09-09

  Inspired by the life of one artist and stories by others, this tale of fiction asks artists what is their truth, and how they are able to reveal it. Along the way, it shows how Nazi and Soviet art have strong similarities in their realisms, while modern art can be conceptual jokes. The humans are 2 families who, if they knew, were on opposite sides during the Nazi era. The artist / husband's father suffered both ways as joining the Nazis too late, while his beloved aunt was sent away by his father-in-law, eventually to the gas chambers. But the father-in-law spends his post-war life in fear of Nazi hunters, even as he hides in plain sight. Featuring a strong cast and realistic sets, this is a strong movie. Still, from the director's Q+A from the Toronto International Film Festival, the idea of subjective truth that also infuses the film can be a distraction.

• Lyrical and beautifully paced

  deekay752019-01-14

  Truth, art, power, and inspiration are all explored in this artfully structured story. The hefty 3 hours feels light, giving enough space for a story so well woven that the fabric deserves a lingering gaze. The acting is nuanced, and the characters dimensional.Worth the large screen for the immersion that it brings into these lives.

• Outstanding

  pmd32018-11-01

  An unlikely premise perhaps and a rather unrealistic bombing of Dresden but otherwise a throughly enjoyable and thoughtful film. The three hour version had not a single dull moment.Well worth seeing.