Ainoa (2005) User Reviews

Imaginative cinema done wrong...

[TOWATL · 5/10 · 4 May 2006]

I was very fortunate last night, as I had a chance to see AINOA in a sneak preview almost half a year prior to its scheduled start over here in Austria. I was instantly thrilled as I heard a lot about this ambitious project in the past two years! And I learned a lot last night... For starters, Austrian actors synchronizing themselves for the English dubbed version - the one I saw - does not work. At all! It sounds odd and sometimes plain stupid. But as AINOA is a low budget project, it is an understandable decision. Unfortunately one that hurts the movie a lot along the way. Secondly, the movie fails to introduce its main characters properly in the beginning. Therefore the audience - and I am not just talking about myself here - felt not nearly as tied in with the story as intended by the writer and director. Dramatic, sometimes even tragic moments felt as witnessed in a news broadcast far away. And then there is the pace of the story, which is more like a crawl than a rush. Only at the end - the last 20mins or so - does the pace pick up a bit and the movie starts getting interesting, as all the loose ends start coming together. On the positive side, the production design was really well done considering the extremely low budget that the designers had to cope with. The camera angles are often unique as well and give the entire scenery a strange sense of familiarity although they are actually portraying future scenarios. Great idea! The bottom line, as sad as it is, is this: Had the characters been properly introduced and the dubbing been done right, this could well have been a marvelous SiFi epic. As it is though, all the good intentions fall flat on their faces.

annoying

[falko-3 · 1/10 · 25 October 2006]

having recently watched the Austrian horror film " in drei tagen bist du tot" (english international title "dead in three days"), which was, as far as I'm concerned, a very decent experiment, I was interested in recent developments inside the Austrian film scene towards making genre flicks; so the prospect of seeing a science fiction film made in Austria instantaneously spiked my curiosity. But, to make it short, I was deeply, deeply disappointed by what I saw. if it wasn't for the score that makes a huge effort in trying to generate at least some kind of suspense, this movie simply is unutterably boring. having seen the German original version, I was suffering immensely from the poor dialogs, which are equally poorly executed by the actors. after the first 15 minutes the story seemed to turn in circles- which actually was a good thing for a friend of mine, who got out of the theater to buy some drinks and returned 15 minutes later: I didn't have to tell him what was going on while he was gone, because actually nothing happened at all. I know how difficult film making with a small budget is and that the production of a film like AINOA should therefore be considered as an achievement in its own right, but to me this would only be true if the result was in any way at least interesting to watch. but watching tranquillized actors in poor star wars/mad max replica standing around saying things like "it is meant to be" over and over again, my initial goodwill concerning this project evaporated- by the end of the show, I considered "AINOA" to be my personal "ground zero"- in this sense, a "groundbreaking" movie.

remarkably well done movie coming from a country little known for producing sci-fi

[fuetschi · 8/10 · 13 July 2006]

I saw two sneak previews in Vienna at UCI Millennium City past may 2006. They screened both the original German version as well as the English dubbed one. Although one and the same film, the perception of the movie differs. Somehow and for a German native speaker the visuals and dialog seem to be more convincing in the dubbed version, yet the movie is entirely - and for native Austrians recognizably - shot in Austria. Truly interesting phenomenon that is and potentially headache causing in the commercial exploitation of the film. Apparently, AINOA is being released in Austria in fall this year by Buena Vista International, a highly reputable distributor world wide as we all know, primarily known for family entertainment. "Chapeau" in every sense if this is true, I think the movie deserves it though. Despite some crucial character flaws and weaknesses as far as the overall dramaturgy, pace and speed is concerned, the movie leaves you with a certain sense of satisfaction and urge for discussion after wards (which I personally like about movies). The images are epic and carefully composed, the score supports and elevates the futuristic sense and settings convincingly, sound design is precise, realistically supportive and embedded in the picture in a detailed and sophisticated manner. Direction is acceptable considering the director (and DP) seemingly coming from doing commercials (numerous internationally successful filmmakers went that path), still, for a "first-timer" in the world of epic scifi features even remarkable. I cannot think of a single movie done in Austria dealing that proper and professional with such a demanding genre, highly ambitious production value and courageous effort in the low budget field. It certainly will be interesting to see how the Austrian audience will cope with and accept AINOA once released. I think it depends on where you set your personal perceptive bench mark and what you are comparing an Austrian scifi flick with. Despite the rather obvious nodding towards existing scifi elements and ingredients (Star Wars springs to mind), the movie bears charm and sometimes puts a condoning smile on your face, but not in a denouncing way. All in all, given the limited financial means and long period of time it apparently took shooting the film, I see AINOA as a remarkable and equally ambitious effort in setting a new bench mark in Austria. I can imagine the movie entering unchartered territory in Austria amongst film enthusiasts and identity driven critics, but hey - no risk no fun as they say - thus "may the force be with you, young AINOA!"

I was hooked within 5 minutes of the film starting !

[jasoneden · 8/10 · 27 April 2006]

I saw this film this evening at the London science fiction film festival. I loved the scenery, photography, soundtrack and story line. I was fortunate to meet the producer afterwards and was able to thank him in person.

The futuristic city in the mountains was gorgeous to look at - and of course following a nuclear war, I guess the mountains are one place you might turn to in order to try and survive and repopulate.

The actor who portrays Ainoa did so in a very imaginative and believable way, avoiding the usual stereotypical view of androids. I loved the concept of being able to communicate with the past, and also the premise that even if you could change the past, you might get it wrong!

I want to see this film again.

Groundbreaking Austrian Sci-Fi

[Hammerhai · 10/10 · 29 September 2006]

I saw the Austrian movie Ainoa in a test screening and i was more than surprised. I didn't really expect anything great, as Austrian movies (except comedies) usually lack any entertainment factor and are consumable for a small, intellectual audience only. Ainoa is quite the opposite. Although based on a deeply poetic and philosophic thought, the film convinced me with its narrative quality, the surprisingly well performing actors and the enormous love for detail that these guys show in every scene of the movie. Hard to imagine this film has been shot entirely in Austria, the locations throw you into another world. And hard to imagine they hardly had any money for that. Of course Ainoa cannot be compared with big Hollywood blockbuster movies, but i think these filmmakers id a good job in making that NOT the point at all. That's what i really enjoyed about it. Its not just a poor "Austrian Star Wars", much more than that this movie has a soul and a quality of its own, although the story might irritate some people with its very simple, sometimes even naive but always thoughtful approach. Instead of relying on big special effects, it convinces with its heart and poetry. Its worth while watching it for those who like Sci Fi and fairy tales, or simply a movie not seen every day in cinema.

Not a commercial, budget movie

[namecaps1 · 10/10 · 22 February 2007]

(SPOILER coming in the FOURTH paragraph, before and after that, you're safe.) Being married to one of the crew members, I've had some first and second-hand insight to the working conditions for this movie over the years - quite special in this one aspect. Ainoa started out as an idea for a script of the director's. Actually, he started filming or "making his own movies" as a teenager, experimenting with his dad's VC. He took up studying arts and film, as a vocation, specializing in directing. He also started writing the script all by himself, discussing his ideas with friends, only getting some help with it by some people working in this line, late in the production.

Total Budget: NIL. Consequently, each and every member of the crew, and that is including staff and actors, got NIL. The actors you see were trying to build up at reputation, and took a liking to being quite free to introduce their own ideas. Most of them were students. Or friends. As the credits indicate, film-related companies (costume shops, filming equipment companies and the like ) did of course give material for free. So, the Filming and Production Time, as it simply cannot be correctly reflected by the IMDb standards for an IMDb movie entry, was a total of 6 years, starting 1998. Post Production and SFX consumed another two years. Film making in Austria is something for people on a mission. Either you're part of a well-established establishment, or you're getting no funds at all. The script had to be adapted several times. Meaning, the director invested his own personal funds to have a couple of weeks shooting. We're talking here of numbers in the 3000 to 5000 USD range he had to cover all expenses for each shooting, as I heard. There were five of them, if my memory is correct. Post-Production took another two years - it's only then he got some funding, he finally found an able producer - and this guy finally found a distributor. ONLY THEN major Austrian companies were ready to add some minor money of their own, allowing him to complete the movie (adding some product placement, of course). Total Budget was a five-figure number in USD (I don't remember this exactly, sorry)

So why am I writing this down? In order to give you the right angle and perspective for a movie worth to watch: As an experiment in perfection, as far as your own studies may take you. Also, I won't hide the main weakness of the movie, which is in the script.

***SPOILER*** The first script contained a huge Action sequence, which was shot right at the start. Most people you see within the first odd-ten minutes of the film were extras - and either experienced Live RPGs', or members of a major local Vienna Paintball Shootout Club. The changes to the script didn't exclude the material from the movie, for it was too strong for that. However, watching this opening sequence gives you the impression: OK, this will develop into an action-flick. In total contrast to a quite slow development in the next 100+ minutes, that offer a psychological and philosophical study of the classical SciFi Theme of machine becoming man (woman, for instance) developing feelings, bonds, and affection. ***END SPOILER***

AINOA, seen in the right context - is an exceptional piece for a student to give for getting his degree - cum laude. Therefore, I give it a ten. If you expect a commercial movie, maybe you'd rather chose something else. And presumably it won't be one of your tens. But, if you're really into Sci-Fi, and Sci-Fi philosophical plots, give it a go. Cinematography, costumes, and acting are quite impressive. Dialogue is OK, it's just this big break in the script, right at the start. I don't know the English synchronization, I've been to the world Premiere in Vienna, which was held in German.