Do not be fooled by the title of this movie or by what you see at the surface during these 2 hours. Despite the music, the noises and the bright colors, this is a pretty depressing film. And "depressing" does refer to almost everybody in here. First of all, we have a main character who is looking for true love, but finds pretty much nothing but scam until she joins in the exploitation at the end. Then there is the African men. Their struggles do not necessarily have to do with emotion, but with hoping for a better life and not being afraid of abusing other people emotionally as a consequence of their poverty. And finally, it's the other Austrian women in here. If they do what they do with these African men, it tells me that their life back at their home must be truly unsatisfying and out of balance.
"Paradise: Love" is the first film from Ulrich Seidl's "Paradise" trilogy. Obviously lots of irony in that title. The other two films are about religion and adolescence/obesity. But back to this one. Seidl was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won Best Picture at the Austrian film Awards. Lead Actress Margarete Tiesel, who carried this film nicely with how likable yet suffering a character she portrayed, won Best Actress at the same event and was also nominated for a European Film award (that went to Riva). The scene when she talks on her daughter's answering machine is pretty heartbreaking. And even if this is probably my least favorite from the trilogy, it was a good watch. No doubt Seidl is among the finest Austria currently has to offer. And even if you do not care for this film or like it in terms of the action, it is still an interesting watch because it takes us into a culture and society that could not be any more different from the one, in which we live. A film that is painful to watch, yet it's difficult to look away. Well done by Seidl and I certainly recommend it.
"Paradise: Love" is the first film from Ulrich Seidl's "Paradise" trilogy. Obviously lots of irony in that title. The other two films are about religion and adolescence/obesity. But back to this one. Seidl was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won Best Picture at the Austrian film Awards. Lead Actress Margarete Tiesel, who carried this film nicely with how likable yet suffering a character she portrayed, won Best Actress at the same event and was also nominated for a European Film award (that went to Riva). The scene when she talks on her daughter's answering machine is pretty heartbreaking. And even if this is probably my least favorite from the trilogy, it was a good watch. No doubt Seidl is among the finest Austria currently has to offer. And even if you do not care for this film or like it in terms of the action, it is still an interesting watch because it takes us into a culture and society that could not be any more different from the one, in which we live. A film that is painful to watch, yet it's difficult to look away. Well done by Seidl and I certainly recommend it.