Whisky with Vodka

Colour, 35 mm
Germany, 2009, 108 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Official Selection - Competition

Synopsis

A renowned actor named Otto is the epitome of the problematic but beloved ladies man. Even when drunk he still knows more about filmmaking than does the amateur who is directing him in his latest movie. But what should the unreliable star do when a local actor joins the crew as his understudy? Comic situations arise not only because of the well-known environment, but also from an inclination to authentically capture the various relationships. These introduce a hint of harsh reality into the filmmakers’ glittering atmosphere. Otto portrays a highly distinctive character whose ambiguities attract attention, and whose obstreperousness isn’t merely a lot of hot air. And if at first his problematic behavior evokes antipathy, it isn’t difficult to find a way of approaching the character as the film progresses. The retro touch of the "film within a film” doesn’t overshadow the emphasis on the authentic tone of the situations, and it even lends vigor to a work whose melodramatic plane is noticeably deeper than its openly confrontational surface might make it seem.

About the director

Andreas Dresen (b. 1963, Gera, Germany) is one of the most highly-awarded German directors. He started out as an amateur filmmaker, then studied at the Konrad Wolf Film and Television Academy in Potsdam-Babelsberg. His feature debut Silent Country (Stilles Land, 1992) competed at Karlovy Vary, and two other films, Night Shapes (Nachtgestalten, 1999) and Grill Point (Halbe Treppe, 2001) both screened in competition at the Berlinale, were presented here as well. In 2003 Dresen sat on the jury at the Berlinale. He returned to the theme of relationships in Cloud 9 (Wolke 9, 2008), which was awarded last year in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, and was subsequently nominated for a European Film Award for Best Director and Best Actress.