Review: Berlin JWD – Cineuropa

05/04/2022 In his latest feature film, Bernard Süllmann invites the viewer to take a walk through the rugged and breathtaking landscapes of the Berlin region

‘afternoon of the hereafter’ what Bernard Salman He names the geographical location of his latest feature film, Berlin JWD. The Austrian-born filmmaker based in Berlin deviates from his usual palette of rural landscapes and explores the outskirts of his adopted home. The feature’s world premiere was in the National Artists section 2022 in across Europe.

The ‘JWD’ path to the title actually provides the primary topic. It stands for Berlin slang.Jans away– or “too far”. Inspired by the late nineteenth century^AndPast-Century Leisure Activities For residents of a rapidly growing city, the filmmaker does not spend his spare time on weekends in remote Wannsee or in Schönholzer Heide. Instead, it immerses itself in popular, unspoilt locations around the outer crown, known as “Area B” in terms of transportation.

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However, these places may not correspond to the landscapes that people enjoyed over 100 years ago. The gaze presented to the public is a testament to a city in constant evolution and growth, fueling the old saying that Berlin is never over. This is evidence that urban living space is encroaching on the most remote corners of the city limits. These are mostly not places that people mainly pass by, but never stay.

Sallmann features a series of highways crisscrossing pristine greenery, industries dominating the skyline, and a variety of other concrete pagodas rapidly engulfing the rural landscape. On the other hand, they also ooze in quiet parks, pristine beaches, and popular picnic spots. A familiar constant is the TV tower needle in Alexander Square, which provides not only a geographic anchor but also the scale needed to determine distances.

As we capture landscapes through still photography with a wide-angle lens, people, boats, cyclists, and cars move in and out of the frame, lending an air of stoic calm to the whole. Vehicle noise accompanies most scenes, as the entertainment areas allow us to enjoy at least some noise-free pictures of birds chirping and wind rustling leaves. Nothing ever changes.

However, Salman shows a particular curiosity for some of his places. Here the director and viewer can diverge in reading the material. While the film encourages you to form your own personal impression of the places on display, it takes history buffs to understand connections, such as the relationship between the Third Reich and places like the Poets’ Villas or Karl Bonhoeffer Psychiatry. . Or the low hills on which young people ski and bike are made from the ancient rubble of a bombed-out city.

Other sites, such as the former Berlin Tegel Airport, now Urban Tech Republic, an existing arrival center for Ukrainian refugees and a future hub for technology innovation, speak a more global language. We are fascinated by lost and abandoned places like the former office of IBM Germany, whose location is slowly being restored by nature.

This sometimes incomprehensible fascination with particular places can make the 74-minute runtime long or sometimes repetitive. However, Salman once again offers a very subtle meditation on his surroundings. It is a testament to the grief of urban sprawl and a glimpse into an area that for most of us is just another marker on the city map.

Berlin JWD It is a German production by Bernhard Soliman himself.

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