Films & Schedules - AUSTRIA

Rosa meets Bruno. Two people who consider themselves to be over the hill and irrelevant in today’s world suddenly learn what it means to pursue once-in-a-lifetime happiness, to find one’s soulmate. The only problem: Rosa has only six months to live. The two decide to go for it anyway. Bruno breaks out of his marriage and a family life where everything’s been routine for some time, and Rosa runs away from the retirement home where her niece hoped she would quietly disappear. They set up house together and are then forced to face the question of whether happiness has an...

Rosa meets Bruno. Two people who consider themselves to be over the hill and irrelevant in today’s world suddenly learn what it means to pursue once-in-a-lifetime happiness, to find one’s soulmate. The only problem: Rosa has only six months to live. The two decide to go for it anyway. Bruno breaks out of his marriage and a family life where everything’s been routine for some time, and Rosa runs away from the retirement home where her niece hoped she would quietly disappear. They set up house together and are then forced to face the question of whether happiness has an expiration date or if memories of special moments with the kind of person you meet only once are much more important. (90 mins.)

Filmography: Nogo (02)

Winner of the Audience Prize at the Montreal Film Festival.

With the support of the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature.

The second installment of Seidl’s controversial and unflinching Paradise trilogy follows the fanatically devout Anna Maria, who in her desperate search for “paradise” spends her summer vacation away from her job by doing missionary work: in this case, going door-to-door with a large statue of the Virgin Mary hoping to win converts. At home, she prays with a startling fervor, tinged with a taste for masochism. After a long separation, her husband Nabil—a tradition-minded Egyptian Muslim confined to a wheelchair—returns, and his pushy demands for his wife’s attention put her faith to the test. (113 mins.)

The second installment of Seidl’s controversial and unflinching Paradise trilogy follows the fanatically devout Anna Maria, who in her desperate search for “paradise” spends her summer vacation away from her job by doing missionary work: in this case, going door-to-door with a large statue of the Virgin Mary hoping to win converts. At home, she prays with a startling fervor, tinged with a taste for masochism. After a long separation, her husband Nabil—a tradition-minded Egyptian Muslim confined to a wheelchair—returns, and his pushy demands for his wife’s attention put her faith to the test. (113 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Dog Days (01), Jesus, You Know (03), Import Export (07)

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

In German and Arabic with English subtitles.

With the support of the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, German Language.

The first installment in Seidl’s Paradise trilogy, Paradise: Love explores the collision of Christian virtues with worldly realities. Leaving her wearying job and troublesome teenage daughter in the care of her sister for a brief vacation, Teresa heads for a “full-service” beach resort in Kenya—a popular sex tourism destination for middle-aged women. The buff young men on the beach in front of the hotel are there to sell trinkets or themselves as need be, but for Teresa, the boundaries of sex, love, and oppression are not so clear. As Seidl explores the perspectives of a woman who, while in power,...

The first installment in Seidl’s Paradise trilogy, Paradise: Love explores the collision of Christian virtues with worldly realities. Leaving her wearying job and troublesome teenage daughter in the care of her sister for a brief vacation, Teresa heads for a “full-service” beach resort in Kenya—a popular sex tourism destination for middle-aged women. The buff young men on the beach in front of the hotel are there to sell trinkets or themselves as need be, but for Teresa, the boundaries of sex, love, and oppression are not so clear. As Seidl explores the perspectives of a woman who, while in power, is not at all sure of what she wants or even if it is for sale, his provocative mix of wincing candor, keen social observation, striking visual storytelling, and dark humor paints a portrait of paradise so near and yet so far. (120 mins.)

Selected Filmography: Dog Days (01), Jesus, You Know (03), Import Export (07)

In German, English, and Swahili with English subtitles.

With the support of the Austrian Consulate General in Los Angeles.

FILM REVIEW

Interests: Narrative Feature, German Language.