Werk ohne Autor (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2018) aka Never Look Away
Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch, Paula Beer
German artist Kurt Barnert has escaped East Germany and now lives in West Germany, but is tormented by his childhood under the Nazis and the GDR-regime.
... a film spanning a 40-year period, and loosely based on the life of German painter Gerhard Richter, often referred to as the world's greatest living painter. ... The more I think about Never Look Away, the more I think about it in terms of what it has to say about art and artistic expression, especially for those living in a totalitarian society. Art is always in the crosshairs. Art must be controlled: what can and cannot be said, as well as how things must be said. Ideologues demand that art should be uplifting, art must carry the 'correct' message, art must abolish ambiguity. What on earth would happen if artists were free to make the art they want to make? What would happen if it were left up to the viewer to decide the meaning? ... Known for his blurred "photo paintings," Richter never aligned himself with a specific movement (and, seeing Never Look Away, it is clear why). His paintings flicker like a mirage. If you glance at one quickly, you may see a photograph, but on closer inspection, the image dissolves into grey and white and black strokes. But sometimes the experience is in reverse. His work is difficult to absorb. The paintings are optical illusions, in a way, but the effect goes deeper than just a trick of the eyes. ... Some people will say Never Look Away is too long. Maybe. Maybe there are some sequences that could be trimmed. But much would be sacrificed, and there's something very gratifying about watching an artist discover what he wants to say and how he wants to say it, even when cramped by the society in which he lives. Sheila O'Malley.
Henkel Von Donnersmark s’amuse avec sa mise en scène en filmant diverses performances artistiques de façon astucieuse et créative. Il a de nombreuses idées plutôt réussies et c’est clairement dans les moments créatifs qu’il s’en sort le mieux, le reste du film étant filmé de manière plus classique, sans artifices. On n’est pas loin du téléfilm, c’est probablement la critique que recevra le plus le film. Mais est-ce gênant qu’un long-métrage d’un peu plus de trois heures aient une histoire somme toute très banale et soit si étirée ? Non. Les trois heures passent a une vitesse rapide notamment grâce aux comédiens. Cinopsis.
So schnell der Regisseur Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck mit dem DDR-Drama Das Leben der Anderen im Jahre 2006 zu Oscar-Ruhm gelangt ist, so rasant endeten alle Ehren mit dem Top-Flop The Tourist aus dem Jahr 2010. Sein Künstlerdrama Werk ohne Autor orientiert sich zwar am Leben des Künstlers Gerhard Richter, erzählt aber eine rein fiktive Geschichte. So ist er nicht ans enge Korsett biografischer Daten gebunden, sondern kann sein Epos nach Herzenslust auf die Leinwand feuern. Mohan Mani.
‘Nooit wegkijken’, houdt Elisabeth haar neefje Kurt voor. Het is 1937 en ze bezoekt met hem een expositie over ‘Entartete Kunst’, kunst die volgens de nazi’s ondeugdelijk is. Elisabeth blijkt symptomen van schizofrenie te vertonen, levensgevaarlijk in deze tijd. Wat met zijn tante gebeurt is voor Kurt een vormende ervaring op zijn weg naar het kunstenaarschap (het personage is los gebaseerd op de Duitse schilder Gerhard Richter). Hoewel Von Donnersmark zich revancheert ten opzichte van zijn Amerikaanse uitstapje The Tourist, is Werk ohne Autor te onevenwichtig, zowel in uitvoering als inhoud, om zich te meten met zijn doorbraak Das Leben der Anderen. Bios Agenda.
Garry Gillard | New: 22 February, 2019 | Now: 6 January, 2021