A review: "Anni felici" [2013 Italy]

Directors like Daniele Luchetti thrive in delving into nostalgia, and his semi-autobiographical "Anni felici" [Eng. Title Those Happy Years] looks back at his family while growing up amidst the crazy 70's art scene.

 

Guido (Kim Rossi Stuart) is a restless sculptor and art teacher craving for notoriety and recognition in Rome's art world, and yearns for praise from his often critical mother. He hopes that his success would help him provide for wife Serena (Micaela Ramazzotti) and kids Dario (Samuel Garofalo) and Paolo (Niccolò Calvagna). For Serena however, art doesn't hold any particular interest - all she wants, is for Guido to get more involved in their relationship. When an art installation of his draws scathing reviews from critics, a distraught and confused Guido disappears from family for a while. Simultaneously, Serena and kids join art boutique owner Elke on a 'feminist' holiday to a beach in France. Time away from husband and new acquaintances - especially her intense bonding with an openly lesbian Elke, will open up Serena's mind to things she hadn't considered in the past, including understanding what she wants in life...

 

Narrated by an adult Dario, the film is a rose-tinted look at his growing up years in what would later become a turning point for him and the family as he once knew it. It was also when he'd begun to understand complexities in relationships, and appreciate his family for all its shortcomings. Dario's words, "Without a doubt, they were happy years, too bad none of us realised it then!", nevertheless reveal a tacit acknowledgement that memories will always paint a rosier picture of events than it truly did.


The film functions well as a narrative-led character study. It is aided by strong performances, notably by the fine portrayal of Serena's character by Micaela Ramazzotti, the supporting presence of Martina Gedeck, and Samuel Garofalo and Niccolò Calvagna as the couple's precocious and thoroughly engaging kids. The cinematography evokes the feeling of nostalgia, and while the film might not be as richly layered as Luchetti's earlier drama that also drew from personal life - Mio fratello è figlio unico, it is nevertheless engrossing with an intelligent screenplay. Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon.it DVD Link [PAL]

 

The Nudity: Micaela Ramazzotti, Martina Gedeck, Kim Rossi Stuart, Angelique Cavallari, Silvia d'Amico, and others
There is intermittent nudity earlier in the film, from various models either posing or performing in the nude for Guido - from Angelique Cavallari, Silvia d'Amico, Maria Teresa Capasso, Giulia Anchisi, and Benedetta Cesqui. Micaela Ramazzotti herself appears nude at an art installation in broad view of a gallery. She later appears nude alongside Martina Gedeck (credited as Martina Friederike Gedeck) when they go swimming in the sea. Additional topless and fully nude women appear at the feminist resort where Serena spends the summer along with her kids.



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Martina Gedeck & Gabi Fleming in "Das Leben der Anderen" [2006 Germany]

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's debut feature is what one would call an 'unqualified success'. "Das Leben der Anderen" [Eng. Title the Lives of Others] bagged a bucket-load of awards the following year including a BAFTA and an Oscar for best foreign language film.

Set during the last decade of East Germany, it captures the extraordinary lengths to which the government went, to snoop on people who it thought posed a threat to the system. Intellectuals were singularly targeted, and every aspect of their personal lives watched, listened, and scrutinised.

Acclaimed playwright Georg Dreyman is suspected of having political links with critics of the regime, and the Stasi decide to keep an eye on him. At around the same time, the Minister for Culture falls for Georg's partner and actress, Christa-Maria Sieland. He wants Georg to be 'found out' so he can keen Crista-Maria for himself, and asks the Stasi to wire-tap their apartment and listen to their every conversation. Hauptmann is the agent appointed for the job, and he takes up this assignment with customary professional enthusiasm. But the more he watches and listens to them, the more he is fascinated by them, and the more he sympathises with them. On occasions he even goes out of his way to record an alternate version of events in his day book, to protect them. The film follows events until the beginning of unified Germany. Apart from the political intrigue and suspense, there is great human drama in this simple and beautiful film. Ulrich Mühe who plays the Stasi agent Hauptmann gives a powerful performance, as does Martina Gedeck, who portrays Christa-Maria. The strength of the film lie in its screenplay, clear direction, and strong performances. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!

The film also depicts some brief but essential sex and nudity, and the compilation below was made from my DVD, which also contained some additional footage among the extras.



Scene Guide:

• No nudity - Crista-Maria is groped by the Minister for Culture in his limousine. She is to put up with him every Thursday if she is to prevent action on Georg.
• Crista-Maria washing up on her return - Georg had just seen her getting off the minister's car, and is now aware of what's going on.
• Hauptmann reads a report prepared by his assistant while he was away, and is pleased to learn that this time Crista-Maria didn't keep to her Thursday appointment, deciding to stay with Georg instead.
• Crista-Maria lies to Georg after she returns home after two days of captivity, telling him instead that she was away with friends in the countryside where there wasn't a telephone. Just then, The Stasi come knocking at the door.
• Hauptmann with a prostitute at his home - played by the wholesome Gabi Fleming with utterly delightful breasts - she asks him to book for an extra hour next time.
• Some additional footage of the Gabi Fleming scene from a commentary among the DVD extras - it also includes some brief frontal nudity.

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Martina Gedeck, Nina Hoss in "Elementarteilchen" BR720 [2006 Germany]

Oskar Roehler's awesome 2006 black comedy, "Elementarteilchen" [Eng. Title: The Elementary Particles] is a study of two half-brothers, each with a completely different character and outlook. Michael, the younger one is a successful scientist-chemist, while the elder Bruno, played by the brilliant Moritz Bleibtreu, is interested in nothing much apart from sex. He's shallow, bigoted, and incapable of hanging on to a relationship, until he meets Christiane, a married woman going through separation, played by one of the finest actresses in Germany today, the lovely Martina Gedeck. He meets her for the first time at the nudist camp while she's having sex with a boyfriend by the pool - and they instantly hit it off.

Mr. Bleibtreu won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for this film. But I was also impressed by the screenplay and direction - the way it succeeds in connecting us with all the main characters - it's a shame the film didn't win a Golden Bear as well. The scenes below were cut from Blu-ray.



Scene 1:
This is a twisted but hilarious scene. Bruno recollects events from his youth to the exasperated psychiatrist - about how he got to see his hippy mum only during the summer holidays, her lifestyle, and how he got into the habit of jerking off thinking of his mum! Nina Hoss plays Bruno's hot mum.







Scenes 2 & 3:
Bruno decides to take a vacation at a nudist camp. In the first clip, he's awestruck by the nakedness in the camp, and makes some rather funny remarks along the way. The second clip is equally hilarious when he attends a massage workshop. They are both 'visual' scenes and don't need any help with translation.







Scenes 4 & 5:
Christiane introduces Bruno to the swinging scene, and they get totally addicted. The first scene has not much nudity but erotic as they meet a couple for the first time by the bar. The second is when Christiane suffers a seizure right in the middle of an orgy.







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Der Baader Meiknhof Komplex [Germany, France 2008] BR720p

I found Uli Edel's 2008 gripping political drama, "Der Baader Meiknhof Komplex" [Eng. Title: The Baader Meinhof Complex] quite informative actually - until this film, I only vaguely remember the RAF [Rote Armee Fraktion, or Red Army Faction], an utlra left-wing group responsible for some high-profile terrorist attacks in West Germany, and France through occasional TV news bulletins in the 80's.

This film tells us a bit about its formation in 1970, and focuses particularly on the lives of some of its key founder-members. Excellently directed, edited and cinematographed - it was nominated for both Oscar and BAFTA that year - the main actors also compliment the film with some fine performances. I also felt the sound was masterfully engineered - and watching the BluRay version certainly helped.

These scenes were already posted by me elsewhere - I had posted them again in my main site mainly to document the film there, and of course for visitors who hadn't seen these earlier. Hence no custom graphic.



Scene 1:
A successful and well respected journalist, Ulrike Meinhof, portrayed by Martina Gedeck is in a nude beach with children and hubby when a young woman from work comes along and reminds the hubby about a party that evening. I don't know actress name - not all character names are mentioned in the film credits.

Scene Details: 1:53 mts - 39.2 MB



Scene 2:
This is an interesting scene - Gudrun Ensslin, one of the founding members, played by sexy Johanna Wokalek is in the bath when a stranger, fresh after a beating from Police enters - he wants to join the RAF. When he enquires if he could have a bath later, she asks him to join her citing the hot water shouldn't be wasted. Her boyfriend Andreas Baader, another founder member, enters...

Scene Details: 2:15 mts - 46.9 MB



Scene 3:
This is a funny scene - Martina Gedeck, Susanne Bormann, Nadja Uhl along with some key RAF members flee W.Germany to get trained in Lebanon (possibly by the PLA - not sure). The Arab guys are shocked to see these girls arrive in skimpy attire. The commander has had enough when the girls and boys decide to 'boycott' training for a day and sunbathe in the nude. He asks them to get dressed up, but the girls argue that freedom should also include free sexual expression - oh I so love the 70's..!

Scene Details: 1:21 mts - 26.6 MB




Scene 4:
Brief Nudity - Wihle many key members are in prison awaiting trial, another founder member Brigitte Mohnhaupt, played by Nadja Uhl, just gets released after spending 5 years in prison. Desperate to have sex, she proposition's her contact.

Scene Details: 0:56 mts - 17.6 MB







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