Henriette Heinze in "Auftauchen" [2006 Germany]

Felicitas Korn wrote and made her directorial debut with "Auftauchen" [Eng. Title: Breaking the Surface] - a notable effort - and rather unforgettable too.

The focal point of the film is Nadja, a young aspiring photographer - about her blossoming career and love life, inextricably affecting each other. It is of course told from a woman's view point, making it inevitably subjective, and perhaps less credible too. We see Nadja falling for an immature Darius and getting hurt repeatedly - surely the women I’ve known have been more switched-on than her. But I guess ‘love’ can cause people into making irrational judgements. Whatever the case, you get the general idea of what kind of film this is. It also features several sex scenes - some surprisingly explicit even. Nadja is played by a tomboyish-looking Henriette Heinze.

The direction in itself is well done - especially in bringing the best out of the actors playing her lead characters. A lot of Nadja's predicament is conveyed without dialogues, and it works quite well. The film shows a lot promise and it would be interesting to see what Ms. Korn does next.

The below compilations were made from my DVD. Here's also an Amazon DVD Link.




 

Compilation 1: Henriette Heinze
Made from seven scenes.



Scene Guide:

• The film starts with a bang as we see Nadja masturbating in the shower after being turned down by the bartender at a disco.
• Bulk of the film is told in flashback. This is when Nadja and a nervous Darius spend the night together for the first time.
• The following morning.
• Returning from a night out in pouring rain, it's Nadja again making the move.
• Nadja and Darius in the swimming pool.
• And Darius doesn't want Nadja to leave.
• It appears sex is the core ingredient to their relationship. Nadja allows her work to be disrupted at Darius' whim. This is a long scene, cut short for the compilation.
• Darius couldn't let Nadja even pee in peace. He asks her what the reply would be if he were to propose to her there and then. She tells him he will know if he asked.

Compilation 2: Henriette Heinze
Made from five scenes.



Scene Guide:

• Long scene in the bathroom where Darius complains about her 'imperfections', followed by sex. She asks him to be careful, apparently to no avail.
• Another long sex scene after learning Nadja has now become pregnant.
• But Nadja had decided not to have the baby, and Darius isn't too happy about that.
• Some flashbacks as Nadja tries to recapture what drove her to Darius initially.
• They predictably breakup, and a desperate Nadja has sex with the bartender in the toilets to get Darius out of her system.

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