Gespenster

"Ghosts" (2005 release from Germany; 85 min.; original title "Gespenster" a/k/a "Ghost, not in plural) brings the story of Nina (played by Julia Hummer), a teenager whom we first meet when she is doing community work in a park in Berlin. Nina happens to meet Toni (played by Sabine Timoteo), a twenty-something woman who is a drifter. Nina wants to help her in any way she possibly can (which is not much). In a parallel story line, we get to know a French couple, the wife of which seems a very troubled woman who is looking for a young lady whom she thinks is her long-lost daughter. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Several comments: this movie is written and directed by Christian Petzold, one of Europe's top directors in my humble opinion. Some of his other works include 2000's "The State I'm In" (also starring Julia Hummer), 2007's "Yella" and the excellent political thriller "Barbara" from 2012. I'll go see anything from this guy. Second, even though Amazon lists this as a 2009 release, it really was released in 2005. Third as already mentioned, Julia Hummer reappears in a Petzold film. Here she is pushing her age limit (she is 25 in real life, playing a 16 or 17 yr old), but it doesn't take away from the immense talent that she is. (She would appear also in Petzold's "Carlos" TV mini-series.) Fourth, the movie does a great job setting up the various characters, and is not afraid to let you wonder for quite some time as to how all the pieces fit together. A movie that challenges the mind, what a concept! Iron Man 3 this ain't. At just 85 min., this movie flew by in no time and at the end of it I didn't want to say goodbye to these characters. What better compliment can you give a movie?

Bottom line: if you are in the mood for a top-notch foreign movie that challenges your mind and lets you do some of the mental work yourself, you cannot go wrong with this. "Ghosts" is another great film from German director Christian Petzold that begs to be seen. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I've seen this film more than once now, and there's always someone complaining about the "obvious construction" of the plot afterwards. But then - this is part of Petzold's game: he plays along with the rules of genre.

It's very nice, how the highly improbable story of how the two girls (Timoteo/Hummer) meet, is again mirrored in another, even more improbable story, that the girls make up for a casting. This film is a journey between fact and fiction, it's more about potentials, things that might have happened in the past or might be happening in the future, than it is about actual ongoings. It's a reverie, sorts of - so apt enough there are a lot of motives, Freud might have found interesting for his dream analysis, like all the "doppelganger"-constellations.

Also, I think, "Gespenster" might be interesting to be watched in comparison to current Asian cinema of the uncanny: Petzold's everyday urban architecture also feels haunted in an unobtrusive, strangely familiar way. This film is not about the obvious. To describe it as the story of two girls who meet and eventually become friends and lovers, or as the story of an orphaned mother, who searches Europe for her lost daughter, clearly doesn't say much about the nature of "Gespenster" at all.

I must admit that "Gespenster" by Christian Petzold was a truly deep and unsettling emotional journey. Set in Berlin, the film follows the intertwined stories of Nina and Toni, two young women adrift in the city, searching for something they cannot clearly define. The title, which means "ghosts" in German, could not be more appropriate: the characters are indeed like specters wandering in search of connection, of a sense of belonging. Nina, played by Julia Hummer, is a fragile and silent girl, raised in orphanages and foster homes. Her life is a series of indistinct days, lived in an eternal present without any stable reference point. Her performance is extraordinarily authentic, managing to convey with minimal dialogue an emotional depth that slowly envelops you. Toni, portrayed by Sabine Timoteo, is a elusive and capricious street girl who seems to cling to Nina like an anchor, but at the same time drags her into a whirlwind of uncertainties. The dynamic between the two is complex and charged with tension, a ballet of approaches and withdrawals that reflects their search for identity and belonging. The film is permeated by a cold and alienating atmosphere, reflected in the stark photography and the dark tones that envelop Petzold's portrayal of Berlin. The city becomes a character in its own right, a labyrinth of anonymous streets and faceless buildings that amplifies the sense of disorientation of the protagonists. Petzold's direction is minimal and precise, every shot is designed to underline the sense of emptiness and waiting that pervades the lives of the two girls. There are no emotional outbursts or dramatic climaxes, but a slow build-up of tension that grows until an inevitable breaking point. One of the most powerful themes of the film is the search for one's own identity. Nina and Toni are two lost souls desperately trying to understand who they are and where they belong. This theme is made even more complex by the introduction of Francoise, played by Marianne Basler, a French woman who believes Nina is her daughter who disappeared years before. This subplot adds another layer of mystery and pain, exploring the theme of loss and the desire to rediscover a part of oneself. "Gespenster" is not an easy film, it does not offer simple answers or reassuring conclusions. It is a reflection on alienation and loneliness, an exploration of the pain and hope that accompanies the search for authentic human connection. The soundtrack, with its minimal and atmospheric melodies, contributes to creating a sonic landscape that amplifies the sense of melancholy and anticipation. "Gespenster" is a film that stays with you, that forces you to confront the darkest and most vulnerable parts of your soul. Its strength lies in its honesty and its ability to represent the complexity of human emotions without resorting to easy sentimentality. It is a work that requires attention and introspection, but one that richly rewards those willing to follow it to the end.

The movie's story is pretty good and well thought out. The acting is very convincing too, and the characters of Toni and the mother have acted very well. It was also good to see that the director has not gone out of his way in over dramatising the proceedings and has dealt with the sensitive circumstances in a delicate way. Certain scenes and story lines of this film will stay with me for a period of time.

So in a nutshell, this film may be recommended to others as it is indeed pretty good; however it is not a great film as there was something missing. However I cannot put my finger to it and explain what exactly is. The movie is recommended for its sensitive story.

Peculiar psychological drama portrays two girls and a woman who, due to different circumstances, have become estranged and isolated from society (or even the real world) - hence 'ghosts' - but encounter each other; intelligently made, but elliptical in its narrative, there's an overall otherworldly atmosphere throughout the film.