Calin Peter Netzer – Way Too Indie http://waytooindie.com Independent film and music reviews Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:34:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Way Too Indiecast is the official podcast of WayTooIndie.com. Our film critics grip and gush about the latest indie movies and sometimes even mainstream ones. Find all of our reviews, podcasts, news, at www.waytooindie.com Calin Peter Netzer – Way Too Indie yes Calin Peter Netzer – Way Too Indie dustin@waytooindie.com dustin@waytooindie.com (Calin Peter Netzer – Way Too Indie) The Official Podcast of Way Too Indie Calin Peter Netzer – Way Too Indie http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/waytooindie/podcast-album-art.jpg http://waytooindie.com Child’s Pose http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/childs-pose/ http://waytooindie.com/review/movie/childs-pose/#respond Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=19218 One of Romania’s most prominent actors, Luminita Gheorghiu bolsters her already glowing track record with Child’s Pose, a somber, hopeless mother’s tale painted in shades of grey. Directed by Calin Peter Netzer, the film won the Golden Bear at last year’s Berlin Film Festival. Gheorghiu, best known for her roles in The Death of Mr. […]]]>

One of Romania’s most prominent actors, Luminita Gheorghiu bolsters her already glowing track record with Child’s Pose, a somber, hopeless mother’s tale painted in shades of grey. Directed by Calin Peter Netzer, the film won the Golden Bear at last year’s Berlin Film Festival. Gheorghiu, best known for her roles in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, here plays Cornelia (or Controlia, as her husband sometimes calls her), a platinum blonde, privileged, snooty architect whose only blight on her easy life is a single great sorrow: her adult son Barbu (Bogdan Dumitrache), who she loves to no end, resents her to no end.

While trying to overtake another vehicle on the freeway, Barbu accidentally collides with and kills a 14-year-old boy. Stricken with desperation and panic, as any loving mother would be, Cornelia tries to use her money and connections to keep Barbu out of jail, but soon realizes that her wealth, social standing, and air of entitlement make her largely unsympathetic to the cops and the victim’s family. The fact that Barbu was allegedly speeding when the accident took place doesn’t help one bit.

Child's Pose

From throwing money at the driver Barbu tried to pass (a key eye witness who could be their only hope at protecting Barbu), to compromising the police’s investigation herself, Cornelia will stop at nothing to protect her boy. Despite how un-relatable she is on the surface, it’s easy to feel her pain as she proves time and again how her love for Barbu is immovable. He’s a prick. A disrespectful brat who’s nothing but rotten to Cornelia, talking to her like an abusive master to a dog, ordering her to fetch him medicine and scolding her when she doesn’t get the exact kind he likes. She got a more expensive version of the same brand, but he didn’t get exactly what he wanted, so he tells her to suck his cock. Really.

The story is reminiscent of Joon-ho Bong’s Mother in premise, though Netzer doesn’t infuse nearly the amount of that film’s visual style. Gheorghiu is terrific, but she’d be riveting on an iPhone; Netzer doesn’t elevate her performance with his camera, which is always handheld (for some odd reason) and trembles at all the wrong times. The quiver-cam doesn’t get in the way so much that it kills the scenes, but when it comes to conveying emotion, Gheorghiu does all the heavy lifting. The film’s color palette is drab and uninspired, though that it looks like a dark cloud hangs over the picture is suitable, in a way. It’s just not all that visually arresting or evocative.

Child's Pose

The film’s climactic scene in which Cornelia confront’s the slain boy’s parents is the film’s best, with Gheorghiu tearfully trying to convince them that Barbu is a “good boy”. It’s a hard pill to swallow even for her. “Put yourself in his shoes,” she pleads, but of course all we and the mourning parents are thinking about is that poor boy being prepped for the casket. Does Cornelia deserve sympathy? Does Barbu? Even she doesn’t seem so sure, and she teeters back and forth on the edge of self-loathing and self-pity. Gheorghiu’s performance is so complex, so nimble and unpredictable, it’s breathtaking.

What’s so great about the screenplay (co-written by Netzer and Razvan Radulescu) is that it convinces us so thoroughly that we’ve got this mother-son dynamic figured out, but at unexpected, small moments that pass like a breeze, reveals something new about their psyches that flips everything on its head. It’s rich material that’s all about fear, guilt, entitlement, and bitter truths that make us question our worth, to ourselves and to others.

Child’s Pose trailer

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2013 Berlin International Film Festival Winners http://waytooindie.com/news/awards/2013-berlin-international-film-festival-winners/ http://waytooindie.com/news/awards/2013-berlin-international-film-festival-winners/#respond Mon, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://waytooindie.com/?p=10561 As the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival comes to a close, as does our coverage of the festival. This last article contains the award winners of this year’s festival. The top prize award of the Golden Bear went to Child’s Pose from the Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer. See the full list of winners below.]]>

As the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival comes to a close, as does our coverage of the festival. This last article contains the award winners of this year’s festival. The top prize award of the Golden Bear went to Child’s Pose from the Romanian director Calin Peter Netzer. See the full list of winners below.

Full list of 2013 Berlin International Film Festival Winners

Golden Bear: “Child’s Pose” by Calin Peter Netzer (Romania)

Silver Bear – The Jury Grand Prize: “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker” by Danis Tanovic (Bosnia and Herzeogvina/France/Slovenia)

Silver Bear – Best Director: David Gordon Green, “Prince Avalanche” (USA)

Silver Bear – Best Actress: Paulina Garcia in “Gloria” (Chile/Spain)

Silver Bear – Best Actor: Nazif Mujic in “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker” (Bosnia and Herzeogvina/France/Slovenia)

Silver Bear – Best Screenplay: “Pardé (Closed Curtain),” by Jafar Panahi (Iran)

Silver Bear – Artistic Contribution: Aziz Zahmbakyjev, cinematographer of “Harmony Lessons” (Kazakhstan / Germany / France)

Alfred Bauer Prize: Denis Côté, “Vic and Flow Saw a Bear” (Canada)

Best First Feature Award: “The Rocket” by Kim Mordaunt (Australia)
Special Mention:  “Layla Fourie” by (Germany/South Africa/France/The Netherlands)
Special Mention: “Promised Land” by Gus Van Sant (U.S.)

Golden Bear for Best Short Film: “Fugue” by Jean-Bernard Marlin (France)

Silver Bear for Best Short Film: “remains quiet” by Stefan Kriekhaus (Germany)

DAAD Short Film Award: “Ashura” by Köken Ergun (Turkey/Germany)

Crystal Bear for the Best Kplus Feature Film: “The Rocket” by Kim Mordaunt (Australia)
Special Mention: “Satellite Boy” by Catriona McKenzie (Australia)

Crystal Bear for the Best Kplus Short Film: “The Amber Amulet” by Matthew Moore (Australia)
Special Mention: “Ezi un lielpilseta” by Ēvalds Lācis (Latvia)

Crystal Bear for the Best 14plus Feature Film: “Baby Blues” by Kasia Rosłaniec (Poland)
Special Mention: “Pluto” by Shin Su-won (Republic of Korea)

Crystal Bear for the Best 14plus Short Film: “Rabbitland” by Ana Nedeljković, Nikola Majdak (Serbia)
Special Mention: “Treffit” by Jenni Toivoniemi (Finland)

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