Berlinale 2024: A Story of Romance and Politics in ‘Langue Étrangère’
by Alex Billington
February 28, 2024
One other movie in regards to the younger generations of at this time and their fervent involvement in politics. They seem to be a dime a dozen these days. Does this one have something distinctive or compelling to say? I am at all times curious to seek out out, although approach too many movies lately usually misunderstand what is going on on on the market and the way politics are getting worse. Additionally they usually misunderstand why there are such a lot of children riled as much as go protest, converse out about politics, and combat again as radical activists. I am a bit nervous that’s the case with this new movie, too… Langue Étrangère is a French-German co-production directed by the French filmmaker Claire Burger (following Social gathering Woman and Actual Love), premiering on the 2024 Berlin Movie Competition within the Principal Competitors. It is not a foul movie, with some intriguing performances, although removed from being an amazing movie. It is also a lesbian romance about two younger girls who start creating emotions for one another. One of many movie’s issues is it may possibly’t choose which facet of this story to give attention to, as an alternative mixing the 2 themes to a lackluster end result.
Langue Étrangère (which interprets on to Overseas Language) has a double which means, because it’s in regards to the characters talking totally different languages (German and French) but additionally about how their curiosity in politics and youthful spunk are a “international language” to their mother and father. The movie is co-written by Claire Burger and Léa Mysius, and directed by Claire Burger. The story focuses on Fanny (starring Lilith Grasmug), an anxious and depressed younger French girl who heads to Germany for a language trade journey. There she meets one other excessive schooler named Lena (co-starring Josefa Heinsius), a particularly assured younger German girl who’s an outspoken feminist, activist, lesbian, and all the pieces else progressive. The 2 are odds at first, however as they heat up to one another, study to talk one another’s language, they begin to fall for one another as they get nearer & nearer. All of the whereas conversing about politics, protests, trendy European society, and highschool life. There is a subplot about identification and the lengths some will go to take care of their insecurities, however it’s kind of undercooked and never dealt with nicely within the screenplay or by the director. The movie permits time for his or her relationship to develop, however solely briefly, as it is a breezy French drama that does not dig deeply into a lot.
The extra I mirror on Langue Étrangère, the extra confused I’m by what it is saying, its predominant thought hidden inside the script. The director is way older than the 2 younger characters on the middle of the story, and she or he does not fairly appear to truly perceive them correctly. It appears to be apparent in what it is attempting to do with these two characters, attempting to say that is how youth lately construct their identification – generally they faux it, generally not… However it additionally appears inauthentic in the way it portrays them, as in the event that they’re simply fabricating idealistic causes and identities as a part of a façade, as if all the pieces they’re caring about is not actually value it and/or is exaggerated. That is by no means the case and it simply does not appear to know that. Surprisingly. After watching, I am left questioning if it is mocking the youth of at this time, saying they’re so obsessive about these points simply to impress their friends, not truly understanding what they’re actually preventing for. Which, once more, just isn’t the reality. Is that this a misunderstanding inside the script, or is the movie itself not totally able to clarifying its intentions nicely sufficient? Exhausting to inform. Regardless of the case, this movie is not as compelling because it’s trying to be.
Alex’s Berlinale 2024 Ranking: 6 out of 10
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