In Rimini (2022) and Sparta (2022), Ulrich Seidl followed the lives of two brothers, Richie and Ewald, respectively. The former is a crooner long past his prime yet still beloved by hordes of late-middle-aged female fans who can also buy his sexual attention; the latter is a technician living in Romania and wrestling with his pedophile desires. These two tales were supposed to be told in one film – and now they finally are! The result offers a staggeringly different experience of the narrative(s). It's far more cerebral, above all a work of ideas.
Ewald moved to Romania years ago. Now in his 40s, he seeks a fresh start. Leaving his girlfriend, he moves to the hinterland. With young boys from the area, he transforms a decaying school into a fortress. The children enjoy a new, carefree existence. But the distrust of the villagers is soon awoken. And Ewald is forced to confront a truth he has long suppressed. Sparta is the brother film to Rimini (2022), and the conclusion of Ulrich Seidl's diptych about the inescapability of the past and the pain of finding yourself.
Richie Bravo, once upon a time a successful pop star, chases after his faded fame in wintry Rimini. Trapped between permanent intoxication and concerts for busloads of tourists, his world starts to collapse when his adult daughter breaks into his life.
Private detective Josef Matula is with his usual companion, the dog Dr. med. Renz, on the way to Italy, when his rickety minibus engine fails. During his subsequent unplanned stay in a small mountain village he discovers the body of a mountaineer while hiking. He begins to investigate the death and by the look of it, it could be either accident, suicide or even a murder. However, the conspiratorial community is not very enthusiastic about his investigations and when he comes close to solving the case, his own life is in danger too.
Simon Polt (Erwin Steinhauer) is no longer a gendarme. Arrived in retirement, he participates cheerfully in the Weinviertel on village life. When a corpse is found after a feast, his sense of right and wrong again becomes noticeable. The police do not see any third party debt. He sees it differently.
Helen Brindel is trapped in a violent marriage and the prison of her faith when she falls in love with a scholar, Professor Eduard Gluck. But he’s a secret porn addict. Slowly, carefully, two very different individuals get to know each other.
Young police chief Sandra Mohr returns to her hometown of Graz with a bad feeling. Together with her new boss, Sascha Bergmann, she is tasked with solving the death of a journalist who was planning to write an article on abuse of office and nepotism.
Patriarch and entrepreneur August Manzl is terminally ill. As his four grown-up children are all spoiled and sluggish, he comes up with a rather cynical idea to determine the future leader of the families empire: whoever of his children shows the courage and willpower to end his suffering within the next week will become the sole heir - and simultaneously proof the skills necessary to succeed in a modern business world. Between the children a murderous competition evolves.
Maria has been living in a retirement home in Vienna for almost two years, but she is far from finished with life. She tries to break up the monotonous routine with creative ideas, much to the chagrin of the prickly home manager, who wants to manage her oldies with as little stress as possible. However, the residents are grateful for any change of pace, and former bar pianist Jakob in particular loves Maria's boisterous vitality. He keeps telling her about his East Prussian homeland and his childhood friend Paul, whom he lost sight of after the war.
By browsing this website, you accept our cookies policy.
