Fata Morgana

This isn't the first time and it won't be the last that I pick a movie for its pretty lead, so why not get used to it? Having said that, with Marie Zielcke, it isn't at all easy to say whether she is a talented actress or just a pretty face with an attitude. Is she like Milla Jovovich, who isn't just devastatingly beautiful, but also a natural performer, a fashion designer, an accomplished singer, and a gifted songwriter? Or is she more like Keira Knightley, noticed because of her good looks, famous for being famous, but not really good at anything? I'm partial. I like her. Ever since her big-screen debut in Oscar Roehler's "Silvester Countdown", she's been on my "must see" list. Mind you, "Fata Morgana" itself won't make the list. A twenty-something big-city couple vacations in the desert and is taken for a ride by a mysterious stranger. Under the sand, they find jealousy and fear. "29 Palms" meets "And Now... Ladies and Gentlemen", minus the sex and the music. Some panoramic sandscapes though.

This movie is excellent. I was impressed for a few days after I watched this movie. The way the story is told is great, a lot of tension, very detailed, deep feelings like fear, doubt, hate. The actors are great. It is a lot of fun to watch them, especially because they don't talk a lot, it's just their faces and how they look. It is a very silent film, all sounds in the movie are used in a very sensitive way. We can feel the silence of the desert, the heat and the no way out feeling. The psycho-trip in the ghost city is just awesome. Great editing and camera-work. All shots seem to make sense. This film is really unusual, because it's just about three characters in the desert and it actually doesn't happen a lot, but it is very exciting.

Fata Morgana is the perfect movie for all folks that are looking for a different kind of story telling. According to me the director has the rare courage and the passionate talent to tell us something about relationships in an extraordinary way. The viewer becomes silent witness of what happens to a couple when they are thrown back completely on themselves, loosing their sense of orientation in every kind of way,struggling not only for pure survival but also for their belief system and their love. In order to enjoy this movie you have to dive into the desert with the protagonists. The viewer himself has to have the courage to let go and follow the way the director is leading us- it's an exciting journey and yet exhausting. It's what I call a very special piece of artistic and psychological work of one of the upcoming new German directors. Just run and see it!

Well, what can I say about this excellent piece of artwork without being spoilish? First of all: I am very happy to have picked 'Fata Morgana' of all movies from the Munich Film Festival 2007. It simply was a mind mind-blowing movie experience yet totally unexpected. And as I still find myself reflecting on what happened in that movie – almost two weeks later – I might as well drop a line here. But back-to-back:

'Fata Morgana' is pure purism. The story is simple, straightforward and as a result of that particularly striking. The parts – there are only three of them – are extremely well cast. One might even say Matthias Schweighofer as well as Jean-Hugues Anglade played the roles of their lives, so far. And Marie Zielke also did a great job. The pictures are stunning and at no time over-scripted. In fact I have never been that impressed by any desert movie or documentary before. The music is – on the one hand – inconspicuous throughout the entire movie while as on the other hand it's the perfect match for every picture, every detail, every sentiment. (Besides: Not included is the music during the final credits. That was awful.) Finally the dramaturgy: The movie has got an absorbing very unique speed. It builds up slowly but while you are still wondering whether and when the thrill will start, you are already deep down into it.

In brief: Simon Gross reduced everything to a max. There is nothing in that movie that does not belong there. And even after days and weeks the movie still keeps its impact and secrecy. What more could you expect?

Well done, Simon Gross.

And just to increase the pressure a little: I am anxious to see your next movie.