Ingeborg Bachmann - Journey Into the Desert (2023) User Reviews

Worthwhile but with flaws

[lewianbra · 7/10 · 5 November 2023]

First of all this was an interesting film and I certainly don't regret having seen it. It's a serious psychological film. People who have an interest in Ingeborg Bachmann and Max Frisch of course have an advantage watching this. It's some kind of relationship study. Obviously the relationship is between two special persons (giants of literature), and the interaction between the relationship and the artistic production of the characters is an issue here. There is much food for thought, also regarding the changing roles of men and women, what people expect from love and relationships, how they deal with separation, and so on. Ronald Zehrfeld as Max Frisch is very convincing. I have more problems with Vicky Krieps as Ingeborg Bachmann. Her looks and gestures are fine (actually visual similarity to the real Bachmann and Frisch may have played a role casting these actors, though Krieps is maybe a bit too beautiful even when emotionally shattered), but I can't get rid of the impression "21st century actress" rather than "20th century poet" when she talks. Also in most (though not all) scenes after the separation, Krieps comes over as more positive and ebullient than I'd think Bachmann was at that time, according to what I know from Wikipedia and other sources. What is shown of the relationship between Bachmann and Frisch doesn't really make clear to me what tied them to each other apart from the initial attraction (but this happens often in films; it may be my personal issue actually); particularly of Frisch we see little that makes him a sympathetic character. But then maybe he just was like this. I regularly have the problem with fictional films about real events that it isn't clear, regarding many details, to what extent these are "true" to reality at least in some sense, and how legitimate it is to deviate. Anything that doesn't seem realistic can be justified by a sensible connection to the real events/characters, but as spectator I don't always know enough to assess this.

I have my issues with this one, but as said above, it was a worthwhile experience anyway.

Ashtrays

[taurushulk · 1/10 · 30 April 2024]

Quite boring waste of time and money at triple speed to watch, short-sighted, trivial, tasteless, lengthy and boring, mysterious and illogical, can't stand it anymore, ridiculous, worse than documentary, inflexible, stiff, long winded, nagging, dumb, totally nonsense, unconscious, said reality but not related, depth but not depth, so naive & childish, precisely another commercial that been sponsored by lunatic tobacco company, do nothing just smoking only, if don't know how to make a film, just donate money to people, minus ten for rating. Recommend Coco Ferme & Hilma, better than this one a lot.

Men and women do not fit together when they both work creatively

[dr_thomas_a_schmidt · 8/10 · 17 March 2024]

I saw Margarete von Trotha's movie: Ingeborg Bachmann - Reise in die Wüste with great interest. The many negative reviews doesn't do justice to the movie because it highlights something that very few films dare to show with such clarity: that men and women don't fit together when they both work creatively. The movie shows that there is a female artist in Ingeborg Bachmann who is in a certain way humanly superior to the man, even if his name is Max Frisch - in the level of understanding, perception and finding words.

Vicky Krieps plays Bachmann, but too much in the quiet tones and colors that Bachmann doesn't really have. Just listen to her radio interviews, where Bachmann speaks in a very firm and brilliant voice. None of that here. Vicky Krieps is probably a phenotypically well cast, but vocally too lukewarm.

Ronald Zehrfeld, on the other hand, plays Frisch in a very courageous way as a toxic man who wants a housemaid, but not the competitor he sees in Ingeborg Bachmann, whom he has to envy and whose success he reacts to in a grumpy, moody and jealous manner.

Zehrfeld, one of the most important German-speaking actors of his generation, is perfectly cast here. We particularly hope for him to have many challenging roles in the future.

Overall, Trotha has made a very good and reliable film in which she courageously takes sides with a vulnerable artist who was stuck in a toxic relationship for far too long. The film's images are strong, sometimes too poetic, which is why they sometimes seem kitsch, sometimes too dignified and twisted.

So, one point is deducted for the vocally weak Vicky Krieps, who is playing too much at the moment and could use a break. As an actress, it's important to make yourself scarce.

The second deduction is for the poorly done, cheesy score and the poor sound mixing. One would like German films to have mixtures like those in the USA or France, where a score does not cover up and drown out the dialogues and conversations, but rather underscores them where necessary. The film was impossible to fully understand, which I particularly regret for a film that lives primarily from the spoken word.

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out to be a masterpiece, despite it's potentials inherent in the material, but it was a good piece of craftsmanship that is definitely worth looking at.

Stellar biographical, and unconventional

[martinpersson97 · 10/10 · 27 October 2023]

This drama is definitely one of the better films of the year, a very anticipated biographical drama (biopic, if you will), and starring some great and very acclaimed actors - and, of course, made by one of the best and most unconventional directors.

The end result does not disappoint, to say the least, it is indeed an incedible feature, showcasing complex emotions and relationships in a highly engaging, suspenseful and unconventional way. It is not a linear feature, and that is what makes it truly unique. The actors, as one would expect, all do an incredible job.

The cinematography, cutting and editing is stellar, very beautifully put together, and very true to the director's vision and flair.

Overall, indeed one of the best films of the year, and highly recommended for any lover of film!