Tant que tu es là

I went to see the movie without any expectations, during the Montreal World Film Festival. What can someone expect from a young director, with a young crew, right? What I found out surprised me, and my friends whom I brought back with me to see the movie for themselves. The finesse, the depth of each line, the lightness of small gestures, combined with an impeccable camera technique, gave a wonderful result. Among all the young creators and participants in this movie, the director Stefan Westerwelle definitely knew how to attract the spectator into the show! Michael Gempart does a great part, down to the smallest detail. His role is more of a meditation, a spoken one... Leander Lichti also plays with easiness a character that is quite difficult to portray. The pair reflects very well the incongruence of two ages. My only regret with regard to the movie is that it didn't get any prize at the festival in Montreal. I can't wait for the DVD to come out!

I saw that film even before Ms. Stampa Rosa. Not just in Locarno, where i attended its world premier, no, where ever I've been able to watch it, i couldn't wait seeing it.

And every time i am anew impressed by the beautiful images, by it's impressing tenderness and the sensitive and sensitively told story! I don't perceive it as a gay movie- IT IS MORE! of course, on its surface, it deals with a gay subject, but develops into a incredibly touching portrait of life in general and a fascinating and precise portrait of an old man, as well! Non moralist and open minded! And definitely non of these "gay soft-porn"

To Ms "Stampa Rosa": And now, i am proud to be able to tell you, that i saw it around 4 times internationally and have never been bored at all. I am not sure what you expect from film, but this film has everything a young film should have. It offers a courageous insight into the reality of a living being, into a part of society, younger people like to push aside. THIS, Ms "Stampa Rosa" is a film which gives you 150% back of what it's promising. Your generalization is annoying! One advice: Watch more German Films, (whatch more films in general), and read more press articles (as i am working for Press as well, I know that what you say is definitely NOT TRUE!!! (you should read the international articles about the film as well.) You'll find out that you belong to a minority with your opinion. The awards this film has already won, should say you the same.

Already the first scene, in which Mr. Kuhn repairs a broken porcelain bowl with affectionate accuracy, tells us about the essence of the protagonist's inner character. The inner and outer treasures he collected during a 70 years lasting live and that surround him still now, create a perfect personal microcosm in which Mr Kuhn lives absolutely satisfied.

The opposite: In this life contacts to the outer world are sporadic. Each week he allows himself to invite a young hustler to his home. The combination - an elder man and a boy - might sound a bit like "Death in Venice" or "Gods and Monsters" but indeed things become totally different - the relationship turns to the opposite: Georg (sensitively played by Michael Gempart) is far away from resignation or thanatophobia. In proportion to the young Sebastian (Leander Lichti) he rather overtakes the positive and optimistic part. His childlike joy to search for possibilities to offer little advertencies to others doesn't make him look like an old man. In fact he beautifully behaves like someone who discovered the way to reunite mature wisdom with innocent naivety.

Stefan Westerwelle's final project at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne is a very warmhearted debut, in which tiny gestures and precise looks allow the audience to have a gaze into a private and magical world. At the same time he beautifully and sensitively deals with the issue of homosexuality in advanced ages, so that it's clear, that it's nothing one has to be ashamed of. (Seen at Newfest NY)

Wonderful! --- If you don't like to have such a director in Los Angeles, well, we don't care - we like him to stay in Europe anyway! ---

As long as you can suffer it! If you like watching people waking up, getting up, getting dressed, having a shower, preparing dinner, watching each other, having sex in the dark, then going back to bed to sleep... if you like tacky flats, narrow bedrooms and kitchens, long minutes of silence.... if you like getting bored for two hours, feeling the thrill of "real intimate false art", then you will like it. But if you don't, just try to see a good movie, there are thousands. "As long as you are here", but do we want to stay? This German movie got the award of the Torino gay film festival: Italian journalists still don't understand why the jury took such a bad decision, as the festival presented lot of talented movies. Maybe to be nice with a German, as they don't often get awards? Well, "The Lives of Others" did... but this one is excellent but not gay. So maybe it is a question of fashion. Germans are they "in" again? No matter what? Or maybe only for a hustler's glance of some directors?

This film was screen as part of the 2007 Sydney Mardi Gras Film Festival. I had no expectation of the film as someone else choose it for me.

I actually like films that take time to develop, films that allow the characters to unfold and lets the story flow. Stillness is good. But this film though was just plain slow.

Credit must go to the two main actors. There was a sense of tension between them as two totally different people, misfits really, come together in a very awkward way. There were tender moments and sadness as we learned more about them.

I also liked the setting and the way it was shot. It was claustrophobic and monochrome and it added to the film's intimacy and reinforces the oddness of the characters.

I just don't understand the ending. What was the point of it all?