Movie reviews

BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ

Recommended. This adaptation of Alfred Döblin's 1929 novel changes the protagonist into a modern-day refugee and strikes religious tones differently than in the literary piece, where the narrative was dominated by Franz's semblance to Job. That's still present in the movie, but he mostly wants to redeem his sins by being a good man. The opening is a kind of baptism in the water - the good man is (re)born. Next, he goes through the Stations of the Cross - manifested by a neon sign. As we hear in the narrative, "he stumbled and fell 3 times" and that happens step by step. On a secular level, some people get a raw deal in life and the film makes it clear who bears the brunt. It also deals with the vicious circle of economy: European countries sell guns to dictators, next people run from war and in their safe countries sell drugs to tourists. "Ich bin Deutschland" is some food for thought. While the book was inspired by film montage, this plays a role in the cinematic production too. Repetitions of the same effects in varying scenes make it all the more intriguing. Heavy breathing is heard in the opening, closing and at the running scene. Air shots are used extensively, including a woman and a man in the woods twice but in different configurations. Vierte Teil (Part Four) opens with a war-drums-like techno beat. It's contemporary Berlin so there's regular club techno too. Colours are used artistically, e.g. pitch black and snow-white skin of two lovers or a red sea and next red shower water. The adaptation proves the book is omnitemporal. Time will show whether the movie fills this criterion too. Speaking of time, it lasts 3 hours but not 1 minute is overlong.