'Oh Boy' director Jan-Ole Gerster brings new film to Munich
Jochen Kürten db
July 5, 2019
Following his hit Berlin-set debut "Oh Boy," director Jan-Ole Gerster presents his new film "Lara," an unsettling portrait of a desperate woman, at the Munich Film Festival. He spoke to DW about the pressure to succeed.
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These past years, there has hardly been another German film debut that has been as overwhelmingly successful at the box office, and with critics, as Oh Boy (2012). When director Jan-Ole Gerster presented his graduate film starring Tom Shilling (Generation War, Brecht) at the Munich Film Festival seven years ago, nobody suspected what was to come, least of all Gerster.
International arthouse hit
It was like a fairy tale, Gerster told DW, adding that Oh Boy (also released internationally as a A Coffee in Berlin) was a low-budget film school production that struggled to find a distributor.
"It would never have seen the light of the screen but would have been broadcast on TV sometime after midnight," the director said, still amazed at how the film so suddenly took off.
When a distributor finally snapped up Oh Boy, the film toured festivals worldwide, collected dozens of prizes and was shown in movie theaters in about 40 countries, including the US, Canada, Japan, Russia and Australia. The crowning glory was the European Film Award for the Best Debut.
"I'm very grateful that I once had this great experience and I don't think that it can be repeated with every film," Gerster cautioned as his sophomore film "Lara" finally made it to the big screen.
Hard act to follow: Tom Schilling in the low-budget hit, "Oh Boy"Image: picture-alliance/dpa/X-Verleih
Feeling the pressure
Lara celebrated its world premiere at the festival in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, followed two days later by its German premiere at the Munich Film Festival. The audience's and critics' expectations were high.
"Saying I hadn't felt the pressure after my debut film would have been a lie," Gerster said. "Of course, there are expectations — your own and other people's."
Oh Boy is an impressionistic film set across a single day in which Tom Schilling plays a melancholic young college drop-out and drifter who wanders bohemian Berlin. Lara too is set over the course of a day, but is a complex drama that has little resemblance to Gerster's breakout black and white film with strong French New Wave influences.
Set on the 60th birthday of Lara (Corinna Harfouch, Downfall), the film's opening scene sees the title character standing by the open window of her apartment. She climbs onto a chair and seems about to jump — but then, the doorbell rings. Lara opens the door and the story takes a different turn.
That same evening, Lara's son, a talented young pianist (Tom Schilling), is about to give his first big solo concert, where he plans to perform his own composition. Lara decides to visit the concert, buys all the remaining tickets and gives them to friends and acquaintances.
10 film classics starring Munich
Many movie fans see Munich as Germany's secret film capital. As the 2019 Munich Film Festival comes to an end, we look at 10 classic films — many renowned international productions — set in the Bavarian capital.
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Go for it, Baby
"Go for it, Baby" (Zur Sache Schätzchen) was one of the most successful comedies of the New German Cinema era, with German actors Uschi Glas and Werner Enke starring in May Spil's humorous 1960s movie. The charming and amorous couple represented the social conflicts found in Munich at the time. "Go for it, Baby" was as popular as it was revolutionary, and is filled with a lot of Munich charm.
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Bierkampf
Herbert Achterbusch without Munich — that is virtually unimaginable. Hardly any other German director is so closely linked with the city as he is. And what do outsiders think of when they think of Munich? Oktoberfest, of course! Achternbusch filmed his movie "Bierkampf" at the beer festival in 1977. He also starred in it, donning a police uniform and relishing in this rather absurd character.
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Fear Eats the Soul
With "Fear Eats the Soul" (Angst essen Seele auf), legendary Munich-based director Rainer Werner Fassbinder shot one of his most beautiful and emotional films in his hometown in 1973. Focused on an unlikely romance between a 50-something Emma (Brigitte Mira) and her much young lover Ali (El Hedi Ben Salem), the film explores the underbelly of the Bavarian capital — and its discrimination.
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Rossini
Whereas Fassbinder focuses on the seedy side of Munich, film director Helmut Dietl prefers exploring the city's famous glamorous exterior. In his 1997 film "Rossini," a famous pub turns out to be the protagonist in the film, shining in all its evening glory.
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Mr. Arkadin
In addition to Spain, the great Orson Welles shot part of his Cold War thriller "Mr. Arkadin" in Munich. Welles (right) plays the title role, a mysterious billionaire who hires an American smuggler played by Robert Arden to uncover his forgotten past. Partly shot in December 1954 at Jacobsplatz in Munich, the film — which is actually also set in Berlin — had numerous European locations.
Image: Imago/United Archives
Lola Montez
A few months after Welles' filming, German-French director Max Ophüls shot his last film, the historical romance "Lola Montez," in the Bavarian metropolis. Centered around the celebrated dancer and courtesan Lola Montez, also mistress to King Ludwig I of Bavaria, locations included Munich's English Garten and Circus Krone's tent. Lola was played by celebrated French actress Martine Carol.
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Last Year in Marienbad
French director Alain Resnais shot his 1961 masterpiece, not in the Czech city of Marienbad referenced in the title, but in Munich. The director and his cinematographer, Sacha Vierny, captured beautiful images of the castles and parks at Nymphenburg and Schleißheim. "Last Year in Marienbad," one of the most aesthetically impressive films in cinema history, turns out to a Munich film in disguise.
Image: Imago/United Archives
Munich — Secrets of a City
One of the most beautiful Munich films can neither be classified as a feature film nor as a documentary. Shot in 2000 by director Dominik Graf and critic Michael Althen, "München — Geheimnisse einer Stadt" (Munich — Secrets of a City) is a poetically playful film essay with both documentary and staged sequences. If you want to get to the heart of this city, this film reveals a few of its secrets.
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Second Home
Director Edgar Reitz explored the Munich of the 1960s in the second series in his groundbreaking "Heimat" trilogy exploring German history and culture. Reitz showcased the Bavarian city via an enchanting mixture of nostalgia and avant-garde, of delight and melancholy. Rarely has one seen a Munich so open, likeable and friendly than in Reitz' "Second Home" (Die Zweite Heimat).
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Art, dreams and failed expectations
It soon becomes evident that Lara has always been envious of her son's efforts to embark on a professional music career, it turning out that she herself once had similar aspirations. Lara is henceforth revealed to be highly resentful and insecure about her humdrum office job career — to the point of being suicidal.
Gerster was intrigued by the script that was written by Slovenian author and director, Blaz Kutin, who is also a friend. "I read it, and in a strange, peculiar way I was enthusiastic, fascinated and touched by this woman's story."
The protagonist stands for "a conflict and a fear that are not alien to me," the director says. "As a film student ... I remember thinking if I fail now it will be a bad experience forever."
Such empathy for the fact that Lara "has to realize she made the wrong decision," amounted to "a great tragedy" that Gerster wanted to explore more deeply. "As is often the case with people who act like that, there is usually great pain and disappointment at the bottom."
Time will tell where Gerster's career is headed after Lara. His second film has already been invited to other festivals and worldwide distribution is in the works. The director just may be in for yet another surprising cinematic success.
Highlights from the 37th Munich Film Festival
Premieres, stars and films from all over the world — the Munich Film Festival offers highlights galore. Here's a peek at the program, big-name films and discoveries on the fringe, famous actors and directors.
Image: FILMFEST MÜNCHEN 2019
Opening film: 'The Art of Self-Defense'
What makes a real man? This is the question "The Art of Self-Defense" ironically asks at the beginning of the Munich Film Festival. Hollywood star Jesse Eisenberg (right) is trying to increase his testosterone level at a karate club. But will it work? Director Riley Stearns provides some surprising answers. The festival opens its program this year with a generous dose of black humor.
Image: FILMFEST MÜNCHEN 2019
International cinema premieres: "Bacurau" from Brazil
With the cinema landscape facing hurdles such as US blockbusters, Netflix and the death of cinemas and theaters, film festivals present the treasures of cinema, somewhat like an exhibition at a museum. A film like "Bacurau," which was awarded the Jury Prize in Cannes, celebrates its German premiere in Munich. Whether the film will then make the leap into movie theaters is uncertain.
Image: Filmfest München 2019
Documentaries from all over the world: "Gaza"
A good festival always provides viewers with a glimpse into new developments. As a consequence of globalization, more and more co-productions are clearly emerging worldwide — so the Munich Festival added a new category in 2019: "CineCoPro." Shown this year is the documentary "Gaza," a German-Irish-Canadian-British production.
Image: Filmfest München 2019
International young directors: 'Angelo'
In the "CineVision" category, organizers look at new talents from all over. What questions are asked by the next generation of directors? Often the questions focus on the role of family, tradition and loss of control. One example is "Angelo" by Austrian film maker Markus Schleinzer, who uses an authentic story to help trace the fate of a young slave in Europe at the beginning of the 18th century.
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Showcase of German Cinema: 'Golden Twenties'
Second only to the Berlinale, the Munich Film Festival is an important showcase of German film. In the "New German Cinema" section this year, "Golden Twenties" with German actress Henriette Confurius will face the competition. Director and script writer Sophie Kluge created a sensitive film about a young woman searching for her place in life.
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'Play:' What is real life?
In recent years, the sharp boundaries between cinema, television and the offerings of streaming providers have blurred. The Munich Film Festival has long been presenting quality television and situating it in the "Netflix" age. The category "Neues Deutsches Fernsehen" (New German Television) presents the film "Play:" director Philip Koch shows a young woman retreating into the virtual world.
Image: Filmfest München 2019/Alexander Fischerkoesen
Bauhaus anniversary: 'A New Era'
Festivals nowadays have special sections devoted to series. Marking this year's Bauhaus anniversary, the festival presents the premiere of the six-part series "'A New Era." Set in 1963, the episodes revolve around the 80-year-old Walter Gropius, who faces accusations by a young journalist of having oppressed women. The film stars Anna Maria Mühe (shown here), August Diehl and Trine Dyrholm.
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CineMerit Award I: Antonio Banderas
Every festival likes to present celebrities and will often have honorary awards for the respective star's life's work. In 2019, the Munich Film Festival will be handing out two "CineMerit" awards. One goes to Spanish actor Antonio Banderas. The festival will be showing his new film, Pedro Almodovar's "Pain and Glory" as well as an old Banderas classic, "The Mask of Zorro."
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CineMerit II: Ralph Fiennes
The second honorary award goes to British actor Ralph Fiennes. In this case, it is not all about his merits as an actor, but also about the premiere of the third film directed by Fiennes, "Nurejev - The White Crow." It focuses on an episode from the life of Soviet ballet star Rudolf Nurejev (portrayed in the film by Oleg Ivenko) during the Cold War.
Image: FILMFEST MÜNCHEN 2019/Jessica Forde
Retrospective: Bong Joon Ho
The festival's 2019 retrospective is dedicated to South Korean director Bong Joon Ho. South Korean cinema is currently on an upswing, and several directors have gained international fame. In May, Bong Joon Ho won the "Palme D'Or" in Cannes for his new film "Parasite."
