Opening 23 Feb 2012
Directed by:
Doris Dörrie
Writing credits:
Ferdinand von Schirach, Doris Dörrie
Principal actors:
Alba Rohrwacher, Andrea Sawatzki, Vinzenz Kiefer, Margarita Broich, Maren Kroymann
After arriving at the Berlinale Film Festival, the first poster I noticed was for the film Glück or Bliss, and there were not just one or two posters, but four flashing in bright pink which matched the pink pipe line travelling around Potsdamer Platz. All this pink reminded me of director Dorris Dorrie’s last film, Cherry Blossoms which showered the audience’s eyes with many shades of pink. It was a film I really liked and therefore had high expectations for this Bliss film. Although the two films are coming from different sources, the films carry the Doris Dorrie trademark, which is a visual one. She layers her scenes with clear colors and patterns and a sensibility for nature despite the fact that her characters are set in a big cities. These colors and patterns lead to a third dimension, which makes ordinary life vanish and elevates her characters into mythical roles.
Both films deal with the acquisition, preservation and understanding of emotion. For me, Cherry Blossoms was a great film, which explored the problems with communication and how to access feelings, especially when someone dies that you love. Her use of this plastic telephone shows to what extent the characters will go to find their way through this emotional process. The film Glück has its sensitive moments and the relationship between the young pair is priceless. The young woman who still tries to hold on to her bliss despite the terrible history she has, including prostitution in order to survive, who matches up with a homeless boy who, with his many piercings, looks scary but is also looking for something. The third character, the lawyer, seems to me a total unnecessary element to the story. The ending felt like a cheap Hollywood happy ending; therefore predictable and lame. I would cut the film right about the time they are arrested to the time they are let out of jail. It is a shame since the film had truly some great moments. (Shelly Schoeneshoefer)
