Paris, porn, Proxima. The competition seeks a home in an artificial city and tenderness in artificial intelligence

Today’s pair of Proxima contestants on the stage of the Karlovy Vary Theatre marks the end of the first half of the competition. At 4 p.m., Paris Paris brings together three strangers in search of a home, whilst My Friend the Porn Star features crew shooting an erotic film.   

The stylised film Paris, Paris plays with pauses and blurs the lines between the past, the present and the future. Set against the backdrop of both a Chinese replica of the French capital and the real Paris, as seen through the eyes of three migrants, it explores the concept of transformation. Woven from allegorical principles, this picture – imbued with a sense of both humorous and bitter absurdity – seeks to find solid ground for its characters. 

Belgian film director ​Isabelle Tollenaere, known for her hybrid forms, explores the mechanisms of change in cities and places that undermine humanism and human connections. What can we call “home” these days? What is it made of? And do we own anything at all? The filmmaker poses these questions with a sense of perspective and a flair for subtle humour, in static shots dominated by orderly yet organic compositions. The poetics of the urban backdrop are interwoven with a dreamlike quality, whilst a sense of chill meets a tactile tone.

My Friend the Porn Star, too, explores human connections – but in a more literal sense. The film’s protagonist, Timo, dreams of starring in an artistically conceived erotic movie. His friend, the film’s director, vows to help him. The more intimate and intense the project, the greater Tim’s restraint. He pulls out of the project. However, the crew continue with production. How? They replace Tim’s face with generative AI.

Form morphs into a collective experiment. Trans women, dominatrices, food-porn creators and sex coaches are “included”. The mosaic of sexual diversity and desires oscillates between pure playfulness and inner fragility. It’s not about making the perfect film, after all. A tapestry brimming with ideas and the joy of collective creativity asks why we want to be seen – or, conversely, why we do not. Director Rosa Friedrich studied under Michael Haneke and Jessica Hausner, and took part in the Berlinale Talents programme in 2021.