The Kindness of Strangers : the Berlinale starts with a warm big-city fairy tale

Yes, is it already Christmas again? The weather God doesn't seem to mean this year with the Berlinale-guests, well, anyway, this February, whistles on the opening day-typical of the sharp Wind blowing through the urban canyons at the Potsdamer Platz. For it to go in Lone scherfig's ensemble film, "The Kindness of Strangers", as in the winter, not to say Christmas. Poodles are caps to the Premiere is still not handed over, instead, the Danish Director warms your audience up inside. The Madonna-like face, Zoe Kazan, large eyes of children, a nurse, ready to sacrifice their life out of sheer willingness to help, and again, the look in the poor houses of America, where the homeless of New York are looking for before the cold weather shelter or for a warming soup.

The goodness of others

What is the for a prosperous society, which can not have to pay again for their most vulnerable members, asks, "The Kindness of Strangers" rhetorical and delivers in the title, the solution is the same: The people on the edge of the social periphery to form a community of destiny. "I was always dependent on the kindness of Strangers", says Blanche at the end of "a streetcar named desire", Scherfig has borrowed the phrase from Tennessee Williams, for your movie, apply the implicit Resignation, but in a faint expression of hope. Not working have to poor just to each other, characterized by the cohesion of a society.

Lone Scherfig 2001, won the "Italian for beginners" the Grand prize of the Berlinale Jury.Photo: AFP

There's Clara (Zoe Kazan, your grandfather filmed the Williams classic with Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh) with her two sons from her violent husband, a police officer, to New York, escapes, and their last belongings to lose. Or Jeff (Caleb Landry Jones), who is also looking for his place in society, but Job to Job, and finally his room, loses land in the care of Alice (Andrea Riseborough) directs in addition to her Job as a nurse in the emergency room, still a self-help group, and in the soup kitchen her Church to help. And finally, the Pro Bono attorney John (Jay Baruchel), is so desperate that he can't protect the Innocent, as his protege Marc (Tahar Ramin) – in front of the prison, but must stand by and watch as the perpetrators keep coming back.

Charles Dickens in New York

Scherfig, this enterprising Charles-Dickens-staff gathered in the people, enemy Juggernaut, its hidden beauty can you imagine, if you open the window to the adjacent concert hall, and where, because of "The Kindness of Strangers" is exaggerating it with well-intentioned clichés but, of course smetana's "Moldau" sounds. "You deserve an education," summons Clara, their two sons, if you leave this in the library, in order to embark on their forays for food or a Pair of High Heels.

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In a fair world would go to "The Kindness of Strangers" as a large star cinema. Kazan, Riseborough, Jones, Ramin, Baruchel, and Bill Nighy, who plays the owner of the Russian Restaurants, in the ways of the Lost cross again and again, to deliver even without the big time Hollywood-Glamour small star hours, which gives them scherfig's screenplay. Their Miniatures of situation Comedy are in "The Kindness of Strangers", however, is stronger than the dramaturgy of the film. The dialogues often sound made up just to be punched, such as the Intrusive use of strings.

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Drama from Danish Director Lone scherfig's "The Kindness of Strangers" opened> Berlinale