"Als wir träumten" or "As We Were Dreaming" is a German movie from last year and this one was nominated for several awards, such as a German Film Award, but also scored some attention abroad. And of course at the Berlinale, it was a nimnee for the Golden Berlin bear. These 110 minutes (without credits) were written by Wolfgang Kohlhaase, a longtime screenwriter who adapted Clemens Meyer's novel for this one. For him, it is the first book that got turned into a full feature film. I liked the way we get to see these words briefly on the screen that are somehow linked to what happens as if they divide the movie into chapters and I wonder if they have taken these chapter titles from Meyer's book. I have not read and I don't plan to though, but no matter if they did or not, it was a cool idea. It is really not a surprise that the director here is Andreas Dresen, one of Germany's most known filmmakers for a while too and especially famous if you only count these movies set in or dealing with the former GDR. That's where he is from and he is really one of the very best examples of East German movie artists managing a successful career after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, even if you must say that it was not a transition for him, but more of a rise because he was not famous yet before 1990 and only at the very beginning of his career. This movie plays entirely in the GDR, namely in Leipzig. Kohlhaase I already mentioned and he is one of Germany's oldest script writers these days as he is deep into his 80s already. This may still not sound as much as me telling you that he began writing stories for films bac in the early 1950s. So his career now spans for over 60 years. Quite something. The cast mostly includes younger actors, which is why you will not find really big names in here or people that come even close to Kohlhaase's experience, but for me the most known is maybe Swiss actor Joel Basman. Ruby O. Fee plays one of not too many female characters with more than a few seconds screen time and she is not a nobody either. I must admit I do not really like her though and don't see a lot of talent here when it comes to her and as this is certainly one of her career-defining roles, it must be said that it does not say anything really positive about her. But if you have to show your breats already, then there is probably not a better choice to do so than an Andreas Dresen movie. There is really always quality and depth to his films. About Nitschkoff, even if he was maybe the most memorable for me, but he also had the baitiest material, and Rose, the one more in the center than everybody else, I cannot say too much. They have been prolific too. Go check out their bodies of work if you like. Cannot really say the same about the actors that portray Paul and Pitbull.
This film is about a group of youngsters who dive deeper into the culture of electronic music while trying to get along with their everyday lives. I must say, with Dresen's background (where he is from I mean), this is a film that did not turn out disappointing, but could have worked even better than it actually did. The story got a little less interesting for me in the second half when the focus switched to that encounter between Rose's character and the woman he meets when running away from the thugs. Or the problem was my subjective (pretty much non-existent) appreciation of the music genre that this is all about. I am of course talking about electronic music here, but then again the movie is never really at its very core about that, even if this music plays a vital role for the main characters. You can still ask yourself how much it is about business for them and how much about passion. I still liked how there was no cute happy ending, in which they get their revenge on the guys who destroy their club. They simply move on. Life happens. If you are looking for a highly political movie, then this is not one to go for because the only inclusion linked to that was the protagonists (more left-wing really) constantly clashing with a bunch of Nazis. The outcome is bloody on many occasions and yet never really memorable because it is too shocking. Even if it's fairly graphic. Of course, your perception there also depends on how (well) you deal with violence in movies. And how much it affects you. One interesting thing to mention here is really how most of the damage is not done by the Nazis, but by one of their own, namely the big fella who specializes in drug dealing. I am not sure I liked this too much though or if this deathw as a bit too much or the elaboration on it maybe not (good) enough. The casting was okay, but still could have been better, especially with Rose. I am not sure he was ready to play the lead character here. His scene for example when he gets really angry at the drug dealer during a game of pool did not impress me as much as I hoped it would. But like I said, the second half as a whole did not reach the heights of the first half. The boxing fight (two in one basically) was okay, the Nazis showing up at the club and tearing everything down was as memorable as the local guy's fear there. As for the boxing fight, maybe it was a bit exaggerated that the Nazis were exactly in the other guy's corner, but again there it is no fairytale or anything as "our kid" gets beaten up eventually because he is maybe more aggressive and certainly more on the wild side, but definitely not as focused and as concentrated as his opponent. The outcome is accordingly and there is the parallel with the professional fight, even if I have always been Team Maske. Not gonna lie. Sometimes the young actors with the most screen time felt convincing to me, sometimes not entirely. And they really have a lot of screen time, sometimes it works in their favor, sometimes in the opposite direction. Really grown-up characters are only there because they have a connection with the younger ones and they also never have the screen for themselves. Just take one character's worried mother (the one who talks about smelling like fish) the old lady early on or also the school people we see in the flashbacks. I am generally not a huge fan of flashbacks in the middle of a movie, but I think Dresen did alright with that here. There are definitely aspects from this film to like, even if I think it could have been a little shorter, maybe between ten and fifteen minutes less would have been right if the right scenes had been cut. Mostly stuff from the second half. And absolutely not the gun scene at the club. I already said I am not big on techno music, but this was really maybe the best moment of the movie. Then again, the music was turned off anyway and we just see the flashing lights that felt like camera shots. So well done. Also pretty haunting with the tension there, even if immediately after we find out it wasn't a real gun. There was some kind of mitigation to these weapon-themed scenes anyway. Also take a look at how one character throws away the metal rod when asked to do so. I really think Dresen has such a talent with realism that it is nice to watch. Even during the more shocking moments in his films, not just this one here, it always feels authentic and realistic what he depicts and elaborates on and never for the sake of it. I am glad he is where he is in terms of success and recognition. He is one of Germany's finest filmmakers without a doubt. This film here may not be one of my biggest favorites from him, mostly because of the decline in quality in the second half where it dragged a bit here and there, but nonetheless I certainly not recommend seeing "Als wir träumten". This film is not difficult to get a hand on and won't be for years to come. If you get the chance, to see it, then go for it. Just don't expect quality on the level of Dresen's moving and really well-done "Halt auf freier Strecke". Accept what you get and you will not be disappointed. Thumbs up. Maybe also an especially interesting watch for people growing up in the early 90s in East Germany, especially the Leipzig area. A lot happens, but it still feels pretty bleak and for the most part (except some aspects that I already mentioned like one character's death) it works alright I would say, That's all, folks.
This film is about a group of youngsters who dive deeper into the culture of electronic music while trying to get along with their everyday lives. I must say, with Dresen's background (where he is from I mean), this is a film that did not turn out disappointing, but could have worked even better than it actually did. The story got a little less interesting for me in the second half when the focus switched to that encounter between Rose's character and the woman he meets when running away from the thugs. Or the problem was my subjective (pretty much non-existent) appreciation of the music genre that this is all about. I am of course talking about electronic music here, but then again the movie is never really at its very core about that, even if this music plays a vital role for the main characters. You can still ask yourself how much it is about business for them and how much about passion. I still liked how there was no cute happy ending, in which they get their revenge on the guys who destroy their club. They simply move on. Life happens. If you are looking for a highly political movie, then this is not one to go for because the only inclusion linked to that was the protagonists (more left-wing really) constantly clashing with a bunch of Nazis. The outcome is bloody on many occasions and yet never really memorable because it is too shocking. Even if it's fairly graphic. Of course, your perception there also depends on how (well) you deal with violence in movies. And how much it affects you. One interesting thing to mention here is really how most of the damage is not done by the Nazis, but by one of their own, namely the big fella who specializes in drug dealing. I am not sure I liked this too much though or if this deathw as a bit too much or the elaboration on it maybe not (good) enough. The casting was okay, but still could have been better, especially with Rose. I am not sure he was ready to play the lead character here. His scene for example when he gets really angry at the drug dealer during a game of pool did not impress me as much as I hoped it would. But like I said, the second half as a whole did not reach the heights of the first half. The boxing fight (two in one basically) was okay, the Nazis showing up at the club and tearing everything down was as memorable as the local guy's fear there. As for the boxing fight, maybe it was a bit exaggerated that the Nazis were exactly in the other guy's corner, but again there it is no fairytale or anything as "our kid" gets beaten up eventually because he is maybe more aggressive and certainly more on the wild side, but definitely not as focused and as concentrated as his opponent. The outcome is accordingly and there is the parallel with the professional fight, even if I have always been Team Maske. Not gonna lie. Sometimes the young actors with the most screen time felt convincing to me, sometimes not entirely. And they really have a lot of screen time, sometimes it works in their favor, sometimes in the opposite direction. Really grown-up characters are only there because they have a connection with the younger ones and they also never have the screen for themselves. Just take one character's worried mother (the one who talks about smelling like fish) the old lady early on or also the school people we see in the flashbacks. I am generally not a huge fan of flashbacks in the middle of a movie, but I think Dresen did alright with that here. There are definitely aspects from this film to like, even if I think it could have been a little shorter, maybe between ten and fifteen minutes less would have been right if the right scenes had been cut. Mostly stuff from the second half. And absolutely not the gun scene at the club. I already said I am not big on techno music, but this was really maybe the best moment of the movie. Then again, the music was turned off anyway and we just see the flashing lights that felt like camera shots. So well done. Also pretty haunting with the tension there, even if immediately after we find out it wasn't a real gun. There was some kind of mitigation to these weapon-themed scenes anyway. Also take a look at how one character throws away the metal rod when asked to do so. I really think Dresen has such a talent with realism that it is nice to watch. Even during the more shocking moments in his films, not just this one here, it always feels authentic and realistic what he depicts and elaborates on and never for the sake of it. I am glad he is where he is in terms of success and recognition. He is one of Germany's finest filmmakers without a doubt. This film here may not be one of my biggest favorites from him, mostly because of the decline in quality in the second half where it dragged a bit here and there, but nonetheless I certainly not recommend seeing "Als wir träumten". This film is not difficult to get a hand on and won't be for years to come. If you get the chance, to see it, then go for it. Just don't expect quality on the level of Dresen's moving and really well-done "Halt auf freier Strecke". Accept what you get and you will not be disappointed. Thumbs up. Maybe also an especially interesting watch for people growing up in the early 90s in East Germany, especially the Leipzig area. A lot happens, but it still feels pretty bleak and for the most part (except some aspects that I already mentioned like one character's death) it works alright I would say, That's all, folks.
