Fraulein
by Andrea Staka
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andrea Zogg, Marija Skaricic, Mirjana Karanovic, Pablo Aguilar, Zdenko JelcicDirector: Andrea Staka
Brand: Repnet LLC
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: German (Original Language); Croatian (Original Language); Serbian (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 81 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-11-04
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Film Movement
Movie Reviews of Fraulein
Movie Review: A Simple Phenomenal Film
Summary: 5 Stars
This is far and above the absolute best Film Movements film in the series. I haven't seen or heard a film this well done in a very long time. Buy or rent this film.
The opening scene sets the tone of this film. We see a man pruning trees. The only sound we hear is the sound of his saw cutting the thin young branches. The last sound we hear is the click of a branch breaking off, but don't see that branch break. The scene is very gray, overcast sky, and in the winter. It is a metaphor for the rest of the film.
So many films start with a particular style, something different. It catches your eye or your ears or your mind. About 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through they lose that style and return to the same old melodrama we've all seen before. Not this film. That sound, the sparse clear perfectly recorded sound works throughout this film. The gray skies, the fabulous framing, the perfect editing, those play all the way to the end of Fraulein. There was a unique style all the way to the end of the film.
This is the story of two women. Ana has left Sarejvo after the war. Ruza is the owner of a very gray working man's restaurant (cafeteria would be more like it). The two meet in Ruza's, aptly named simply "Restaurant."
This is a part of Zurich no tourist has ever seen. It overlooks the city we all know along the lake. This is the working area of Zurich. If I were to describe more of this film, it would ruin the discovery process essential to the story line and enjoyment.
I don't want to oversell this film. It's a remarkable small film that was done on a very low budget. It demonstrates that fantastic stories and an amazing film style do not require millions of dollars to film. I was astounded by the clarity of sound, and how it was almost another character. I was surprised by the wonderful perfomances of these two women. I felt like I got to know them both well. And was amazed at the camera work and framing.
If you're familiar with the Film Movement series, you will love this film. If not, then this might just be the introduction you need to start watching very fine new cinema from around the world.
By the way - Happiness, the short that accompanies Fraulein, is the best one they have ever bundled. It's about an older woman that is a quality control inspector at a condom factory.
Summary of Fraulein
Reza left Belgrade more than 25 years ago to seek a new life in Zurich. Now in her fifties, she has completely detached herself from the past. She owns a cafeteria and maintains an orderly, joyless existence. Mila, a waitress there, is a good-humored Croatian woman who also emigrated decades ago, but, unlike Reza, she dreams of returning to a house on the Croatian coast. Both of them receive a jolt when Ana, a young, itinerant woman who has fled Sarajevo, breezes into the cafeteria looking for work. Reza hires her but is annoyed by Ana's impulsive and spirited efforts to inject life into the cafeteria. Gradually the acrimony will dissipate, as Ana, who hides a tragic secret under her passionate spirit, begins to thaw Reza's chill, and their relationship will change both women in ways they never anticipated.Similar DVD Movies
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