Salmonberries

A sort of mix of 'Bagdad Café' and 'Three Women' set in Alaska. k.d. lang plays an androgynous miner who falls in love with a straight, private, local German librarian. They both have muddy, tragic pasts that slowly emerge.

There are some deeply moving moments, and some wonderful slightly magical realist touches. The cinematography is very good. But while lang does a decent job, I can't help thinking a stronger, more experienced actress could have brought out even more in this amazing role.

That said, I did enjoy this much more on a second viewing. While it bothered me that it felt at times like Adlon was trying to re-create the magic of 'Bagdad Café' (odd, surreal setting, quirky out of place characters, cinematography that uses color in exaggerated ways for effect, etc.) overall I found myself more able to just let go and accept this tale on its own merits. And doing that, it made me smile.

This movie takes place in a remote Alaskan village, in a landscape that is bleak and stunning at the same time. Two lonely souls-both outsiders, in a sense-meet here and slowly fall in love. One is a native of East Germany who works as the village librarian. The other is a young transgender man, abandoned at birth, obsessed with finding his biological parents. There is also an excellent supporting cast portraying the people who live in this small town, fighting the rough environment and finding happiness and fun where they can. The plot is filled with twists, sadness, and even comedy-and the Alaskan scenery is breathtaking.

I think it's sad that this movie suffers from a shadowy existence under "Bagdad Café". I always found "Bagdad Cafe" to be dragging and weird, while "Salmonberries" is one of the most fascinating and extraordinary movies I have ever seen. Also after having watched it several times, it never loses its very strong appeal to me.

There are two very interesting and totally un-stereotypical main characters, which I both like very much in spite of their (or because of their?) quirkiness. They are played very well by k.d. lang and Rosel Zech. They both have interesting and touching life stories that are slowly revealed throughout the film. Both the revealing of their stories and the development of their unique relationship keeps you guessing where the film will go and keeps you interested.

The story itself is helped a lot through other things like the extraordinarily beautiful imagery of the film. The Alaska scenery is stunning but never cheesy. And anyone who ever saw this film will ever forget the image of Switha's bedroom with the sunlight shining through the glasses with the berries.

On top of that comes the equally beautiful and haunting song "Barefoot" sung by k.d. lang herself. It's amazing how you can hear how much the film inspired her as a singer and songwriter in the recording.

I honestly recommend to buy the DVD - also because in the Extras, there is a great interview, well it's more like a meeting, where director Percy Adlon meets with k.d. lang 11 years later and shares memories. Again, in k.d.'s thoughtful and insightful comments you see what an emotional film this was to produce.

I honestly can't imagine how anyone can find this film weak or boring. Of course there are minor flaws - Kotzebue's too sudden and strong change of character when they visit Berlin is the most obvious one - but this film always strikes a chord in me.

I'll watch anything with k.d. lang in it, but this movie is remarkable for much more than its star. Every part of the movie is exquisite -- the cinematography is incredible, the acting is intense, the music is powerful, and so on. Each character is beautifully developed as far as necessary for the story. I can't even find further words for this movie. I have seen a lot of movies, and to date there are only two I really believe in. This is one of them.

Salmonberries is a beautiful film that is set in one of the harshest environments on Earth, in Kotzebue, Alaska. The story reveals many deep layers that overlap and entwine, and discovering those layers is powerfully insightful. I know I will never forget the characters of this film: Butch, Roswitha and Kotz. Getting by in such an environment would be incredibly difficult – the wind and the cold being the main factors. People are forced to live closely side-by-side simply for survival. Bingo Chuck represents all that could be wrong or unpleasant in such an environment. Butch represents that all obstacles and unpleasantness can be risen above to find one's own Nirvana, and he does so stunningly. One of the most beautiful films I have ever seen and I am so thankful to the Adlon family for their touching and honest perceptions, their tender ability to see the beautiful and the destructive and to offer it as Salmonberries. And many thanks to Conrad Gonzales.