REVIEW
Never Look Away (Werk ohne Autor)
Stars: 1.5
Starring Lars Eidinger, Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch, Paula Beer, Saskia Rosendahl, Oliver Masucci, Ina Weisse, Hanno Koffler, Jörg Schüttauf, Jeanette Hain and Lars Eidinger
Written and Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Rated: 14A for violence, coarse language, nudity, and drug use
Runtime: 188 minutes
Now playing at the Princess Theatre, 10337 82 Ave. in Edmonton
Perhaps you don’t know the name Gerhard Richter, and that’s OK. Never Look Away isn’t really about him anyway. Except it is, in a very loose sense, though enough to compel the celebrated German painter to publicly comment that Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s film grossly distorted the details of his life. And so Never Look Away can be said to be inspired by his life, but by no means should it be considered a fair representation of it.
Richter, it should be noted, is considered an important contemporary painter and works heavily in photorealism. That alone should be enough to justify his concern about the factual details. Von Donnersmarck’s film is basically a story about an art student named Kurt Barnert (Tom Schilling) and his romantic relationship with fellow student Ellie Seeband (Paula Beer) in post-Second World War East Germany.
Barnert and Seeband talk about art and love; they make art and love. It’s all very wonderful and gorgeous as they find their artistic inspirations in an environment filled with suppression. If you’re an art lover then you might find some value in the scenes where students and teachers at the academy discuss what makes good or interesting art. If you’re not then you might find some value at the gorgeous scenery as the young artists yearn to somehow capture the beauty of the world while they develop their artistic paths, their creative voices.
Barring both of those, however, you’re likely to find this film a prolonged bore. And I would agree with you. The story is filled with the banalities of what it takes to not only be a successful artist but also one whose works are highly original. The extended scene of their academy where Barnert gawks at other art students playing with goop or slashing blank canvases to shreds, all in the name of “art.” Three hours of this.
There is the other story going on about Seeband’s father's role in the Nazi eugenics program and how instrumental he was in a tragedy that happened during Barnert’s youth. Amidst the horrors of the world, the two seek to find as much beauty as possible. This film does a fine job of overdoing that quest.
If you don’t recognize the name von Donnersmarck then you’ll be refreshed to learn that he was behind not only The Lives of Others, the 2006 Oscar-winning best foreign film award (beating out Pan's Labyrinth of all things), and also the atrocious Angelina Jolie/Johnny Depp scenic piece of dreck called The Tourist. Consider Never Look Away closer to the latter in quality while trying its darndest to come across as the former. Pass.
