Archive of films Whisky with Vodka / Whisky mit Wodka
Germany
2009, 108 min
Section:
Official Selection - Competition
Year: 2009
Renowned actor Otto is as well-liked as he is moody. So what happens when a nervous director hires an understudy? This tragicomedy, by the director of the festival hit Cloud 9 (Karlovy Vary IFF 2008), is enhanced by a "film within a film” about unforeseen relationship intrigues. Will the rest of the crew, let alone audiences, take a liking to Otto?
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.
Contacts
The Match Factory
Domstrasse 60, 50668, Cologne
Germany
Tel: +49 221 539 7090
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.the-match-factory.com
About the film
Color, 35 mm
International premiere
Section: | Official Selection - Competition |
---|---|
Director: | Andreas Dresen |
Screenplay: | Wolfgang Kohlhaase |
Dir. of Photography: | Andreas Höfer |
Editor: | Jörg Hauschild |
Producer: | Christoph Müller |
Production: | Senator Film Produktion |
Cast: | Henry Hübchen, Corinna Harfouch, Sylvester Groth, Markus Hering, Valeri Tscheplanowa |
Contact: | The Match Factory |
www: | www.the-match-factory.com |
Guests
Michael Weber
Buyer, Sales Agent
Andreas Dresen
Film Director, Film Director
Christoph Müller
Producer
Wolfgang Kohlhaase
Screenwriter
Henry Hübchen
Actor
Markus Hering
Actor
Sylvester Groth
Actor, Actor
Helge Sasse
Buyer
Anatol Nitschke
Distributor
Philipp Hoffmann
Sales Agent