A review in two parts:
Part I (written as watching it)
I knew nothing, absolutely nothing about DEFA studios that operated in Berlin like some kind of mini-Hollywood till August 1961 when the wall began to erect within the city.
The story told in this film is a gem. But the style is so extremely imitative of contemporary TV-movies that, I think they missed out on how to capture an authentic way to move on with the precious material they had.
The opening was extremely confusing as it was hard for me to figure out at what stage of the division they were. "Was that the divided Berlin?" I asked myself, couldn't match the spirit of DEFA with how ANY German would socially act back then. The body language and the soul-shaping cultural and economical backgrounds of actual people could not have produced such environments or relationships. Or could they?
They really managed to confuse me on too many fronts despite the very straight, solid storytelling. So far, it looks like the mismatch of subject matter and preferred style is too extreme.
Currently watching it on Rai1 in Italian and will make up my mind after seeing the second half.
Part II:
Okay, this is the next day and not only did I finish watching it, but also spent a few moments on whether I loved it or just enjoyed the confusion it created. Before saying which way I currently lean, here are a few things about the movie:
* Definitely does borrow a few scenes from Edward Scissorhands. Can't reach the level of that high an emotion between the male and female leads, but yeah, functions properly.
* When I heard "Stand By Me" in a montage scene, I said "That's it, I'm done, now they're using anachorinical music to further blend the style!" but I was wrong. I checked it and saw that the song came out exactly in 1961. Was it the right song for the mood? Maybe not, but the I liked that they pushed me to uncover some trivia.
* Despite the "wannabe" style, the story made so much sense from the lens of history that, for I while I suspected it might have been based on actual events. Tried to figure out if such a Cleopatra production was ever made, or at least the director ever existed - even despite seeing the actors in the photos in the end credits, and not any authentic photos to support any evidence of such a tie to reality. I think the director deserves respect for constructing the story in such a fashion to force that feeling.
* Almost every trick, approach and artistic preference in the film has its ties to glossy Hollywood productions. Overembellished and wannabe on too many fronts. Such that I wonder how more significant and stronger a raw, untidy version of that story could have been. This looks practically shot by Spielberg's apprentice. Yep, that might sound like an insult but that is exactly how I feel about the whole experience.
But wait: I prefer THIS to any Speilberg film from the past decade. Why? Because at least the passion behind this effort is more genuine than the soaked-in-perfection stuff that the film industrialist throws out for masses to consume.
I'd love to watch Tramfabrik a second time instead of The Post or Bridge of Spies. Because just like the "less significant" people it tells the story of, this is more of a leap from with respect to moment they came up with the idea to when they had the film in their hands.
I just wish it was executed more freely, with more "faults" at the expense of breaking a few rules, just like the director in its story has with that earthquake scene.
I suggest you watch this and build your own love-hate relationship with it.
Part I (written as watching it)
I knew nothing, absolutely nothing about DEFA studios that operated in Berlin like some kind of mini-Hollywood till August 1961 when the wall began to erect within the city.
The story told in this film is a gem. But the style is so extremely imitative of contemporary TV-movies that, I think they missed out on how to capture an authentic way to move on with the precious material they had.
The opening was extremely confusing as it was hard for me to figure out at what stage of the division they were. "Was that the divided Berlin?" I asked myself, couldn't match the spirit of DEFA with how ANY German would socially act back then. The body language and the soul-shaping cultural and economical backgrounds of actual people could not have produced such environments or relationships. Or could they?
They really managed to confuse me on too many fronts despite the very straight, solid storytelling. So far, it looks like the mismatch of subject matter and preferred style is too extreme.
Currently watching it on Rai1 in Italian and will make up my mind after seeing the second half.
Part II:
Okay, this is the next day and not only did I finish watching it, but also spent a few moments on whether I loved it or just enjoyed the confusion it created. Before saying which way I currently lean, here are a few things about the movie:
* Definitely does borrow a few scenes from Edward Scissorhands. Can't reach the level of that high an emotion between the male and female leads, but yeah, functions properly.
* When I heard "Stand By Me" in a montage scene, I said "That's it, I'm done, now they're using anachorinical music to further blend the style!" but I was wrong. I checked it and saw that the song came out exactly in 1961. Was it the right song for the mood? Maybe not, but the I liked that they pushed me to uncover some trivia.
* Despite the "wannabe" style, the story made so much sense from the lens of history that, for I while I suspected it might have been based on actual events. Tried to figure out if such a Cleopatra production was ever made, or at least the director ever existed - even despite seeing the actors in the photos in the end credits, and not any authentic photos to support any evidence of such a tie to reality. I think the director deserves respect for constructing the story in such a fashion to force that feeling.
* Almost every trick, approach and artistic preference in the film has its ties to glossy Hollywood productions. Overembellished and wannabe on too many fronts. Such that I wonder how more significant and stronger a raw, untidy version of that story could have been. This looks practically shot by Spielberg's apprentice. Yep, that might sound like an insult but that is exactly how I feel about the whole experience.
But wait: I prefer THIS to any Speilberg film from the past decade. Why? Because at least the passion behind this effort is more genuine than the soaked-in-perfection stuff that the film industrialist throws out for masses to consume.
I'd love to watch Tramfabrik a second time instead of The Post or Bridge of Spies. Because just like the "less significant" people it tells the story of, this is more of a leap from with respect to moment they came up with the idea to when they had the film in their hands.
I just wish it was executed more freely, with more "faults" at the expense of breaking a few rules, just like the director in its story has with that earthquake scene.
I suggest you watch this and build your own love-hate relationship with it.