Mango Tango

What I found interesting about this film is that the lead character, a New York City dance teacher, has an easy time dancing with men in harmony but in her private life it's a whole other story. She meets heart break after heart break. Somehow she manages to keep up her positive spirit though even though her life is in danger at one point. The filmmaker, Marianne Hettinger, takes risks to show her heroine's story: a love scene that goes quite far without showing too much, a straight man who channels a gay guy from Chelsea named Brian and a storyline that moves from New York to Germany. The look of the film is great for what must have been a small budget. I enjoyed watching a scene with the legendary dancer/choreographer David Parsons as well as Nicolas Kosovich, a Dancing With The Stars alumni.

I had the pleasure of seeing "Mango Tango" at a movie theater in Berlin, Germany, where I've been living for a few years now. I really enjoyed being able to see the film in the original English version and was struck that the German audience was very responsive to the humor of the film. The writer/ director Ms. Hettinger was present at the screening. I loved the film, its originality, unique take on the New York singles scene and "looking for love in all the wrong places" which a lot of people can relate to, I'm sure. It is definitely an art house film. But rather than labeling it, it's a surreal, entertaining and visually very gratifying work. Wonderful acting by the lead actors, including Ms. Hettinger's performance, who manages to show a subtly and not so subtly nuanced performance. I loved Michael E. Knight, Emmy award winner and star of all My children as a fake preposterous Shaman with a light Southern accent. Many of the scenes are so hilarious: the Iowasca scene, a tantric sex scene in a way I've never seen before and not for the faint of heart and coconut rolling rituals to bust one's "karma". I love Ms. Hettinger's self deprecating humor and the deus ex machina ending which according to screen writing guru Robert McKee is a "no no", but really works in this absurd and touching film. But isn't life absurd most of the time?

I got to see MANGO TANGO at the Queens International Film Festival where it was nominated for best Screenplay and Best Director for Marianne Hettinger. As far as I know, Marianne Hettinger directed, wrote, produced and acted in this film which turns out to be a strong feature film debut. The film moved me. It's about the search of a Manhattan dancer for the ideal mate. Instead of finding him she ends up with a bunch of neurotic, crazy guys. Not till the end does she realize that her strength and love lie within her and are not 'out there'. Ms. Hettinger reminds me of a female Woody Allen, she has her own quirky humor and style and her acting is superb. There was a lot of laughter in the audience until the film turned darker and more surreal after the first half and reminded me of many lost souls in a big city who will trust any therapist or healer but themselves. I also enjoyed a cameo by Michael E. Knight of 'All My Children' as a Southern Shaman- con artist, and Patrick Stephenson as her Ex-boyfriend. Great sound track and the dance pieces were beautiful. I felt moved by this film, that was done with a lot of talent and heart and I hope that it will find a distributor because it deserves to be seen by many!

This film is the opposite of mainstream cinema. Unique and creative, powerful imagery and a heroine whose search efforts for her ideal mate go disturbingly wrong in a sometimes humorous and disturbing way. The filmmaker has a unique vision and voice- The film is very ambitious and sometimes seems more a series of vignettes rather than one plot, but the power of the images and beautifully crafted soundtrack, acting and dialogue and of course dance scenes, that are like a dance relief sequence, all work beautifully. The contrast of the scenes in New York and the German Alps are a wonderful juxta -position- I was rooting for the heroine to find her man, but she found something more important, herself.

When the forerunner to the Queens World Film Festival asked me to introduce the feature Mango Tango I jumped on it. I knew very little about this new filmmaker who had such a vast experience as an actress and dancer on both sides of the Atlantic.

The film starts out in a linear fashion and before you know it an array of curve balls plays on our senses. And sensibilities. There is a scene in which our protagonist hesitates about making love as it is the 'wrong' time of the month. Well, it becomes a glorious tribute to the body, both male and female. To some this may be startling but I found it refreshing. And the humor!

All along, as this movie becomes less linear and more and more quirky, we find ourselves not certain about what is real and what is not. Until all the pieces of wild imagination become an overwhelming mass of other people's opinions on our heroine.

Are there some frames and lines that could be edited? Yes, but that doesn't take away from the entirety of this mosaic.

After the screening I had the pleasure of 'interviewing' several audience members who were extremely inspired. To many women, and also men, it was an inspiration that someone of Marianne Hettinger's beauty, would tell this kind of story as she is a long limbed European blonde with an exquisite silhouette and heck of a talent for dancing! It is assumed that she has the world by its balls. But no. Not until the end when she is free and so frees us.

I can't wait to see what this artist is cooking up next!