Interview: Antje Nikola Mönning - 'Tasting Life'

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To most Germans above a certain age, Antje Nikola Mönning is remembered for her role as 'Jenny' the nun in the long running TV series 'Un Himmels Willen'. But over the past decade, she has become an integral part of Roland Reber's independent film production house, WTP International. Apart from acting, Ms. Mönning produces, co-writes, and assists directing WTP films, and even finds time to pursue a career in music. 2018 had been an eventful year for Ms. Mönning, not least for the DVD-release of her daring portrayal of protagonist 'Nikki' in WTP's latest film.

"Der Geschmack von Leben" [Eng. Title: Taste of Life] is about a free-spirited woman living and 'tasting' life to the full, on her own terms, and publishing her consensually filmed sexual encounters in her blog. I used the opportunity of preparing a film review for this site to discuss with Ms. Mönning the film, her daring sex scenes in it, and her outlook in general. And thanks to Marina Anna Eich's great help in arranging the interview, here are the excerpts:

 

An interview with Antje Nikola Mönning

 

Hello Antje, a thirstyrabbit welcome to you. You've been credited as one of the writers for your latest film, 'Taste of Life'. What were your thoughts and what were the issues you wanted to talk about while scripting?

The script of 'Taste of Life' is based on fragments of Roland Reber's collection of texts and of the ideas that Roland, Mira, Marina and I developed over several car trips. My wish was to show a person who is totally enjoying her life and who is curious about other people's ways of living without judging or 'missionising' them. Life is sometimes presented very negatively in media, creating anxieties that are not necessarily yours. By choosing Nikki's special character, I wanted to show how you could live joyfully and free-mindedly without being too concerned about other people's opinion. But of course there are many more themes that we've explored in the movie. You could say that 'Taste of Life' is a kaleidoscope of topics like sex and relationship, guilt and religion, sense and nonsense of conventions etc.

 

Was the film in some way a counter-narrative to the puritanical streak we're seeing in Hollywood today which, while conveniently appropriating itself to the #metoo movement, essentially remains conservative at its core?

We have scripted and realized the movie shortly before the #metoo movement came up. It was never intended to be a comment on this topic, but to give a glimpse of different people's desires and longings. There are as many life plans, stories, wishes and fears as there exist human beings. Even in these times of #metoo there isn't just ONE female or male way of perceiving life. But I have noticed for many years already that there is a tendency in society and especially in American movies to become more and more prudish. If you watch how sex scenes are pictured, you will, for example, find woman having sex in bras, which I find unrealistic. Why not show sex naturally and unpretentiously if you want to picture it at all!

 

The protagonist in 'Taste of Life' is a free-spirited woman who's unapologetic about seeking sexual fulfilment outside the confines of love and societal obligations. Can we assume that this is your post-feminist response to 'classical' feminism?

To be honest, I didn't want to respond to any kind of feminism. But I notice that women who have non-binding sex with diverse men are still labelled as slags or sluts. That's why I wanted to show the other side of reality; Nikki is not only free-minded, but self-defined. In this case, she is the one who chooses when and how often she wants to suck one's penis without being submissive at any time. She really enjoys her sexual life, and life in general. To me, sperm is a symbol for life (as it is literally giving birth to a new life), and by showing the pleasure Nikki experiences when she licks off the sperm, I wanted to convey this symbolism as a tribute to life itself.

 



 

As you said, being the film's protagonist, you perform fellatio (leading to a 'finish') with two different actors. That's going an extra mile on top of the extra mile actresses normally go, when performing unsimulated sex for cinema. Did you have any reservations at all in doing these scenes? If so, what were they?

No, not at all. I think it's funny that I always get asked if sex scenes in front of the camera are difficult to perform. But no one ever asked me if it was heavy stuff to slip into the role of the manipulating author in 'The Truth of Lie' who was playing games of life and death with two women by keeping them locked up for some weird experiment.

 

You have a point there. Is Nikki the alter-ego of Antje Nikola Mönning, and are her desires and outlook the same as yours?

The role of Nikki contains a lot of my way of thinking. I look at life in a very positive and open way, and like Nikki, I don't care about what other people think of me. This creates the greatest freedom you can imagine!

 

Where will you draw the line when it comes to participating in explicit sex scenes in film. What are your limits, if any?

I guess, I would do almost anything that I think is important to describe, and define the character that I want to play. My personal limits are rather not to harm anyone. But explicit sex scenes are not always necessary. Often you can stimulate the imagination a lot more by not showing everything. It always depends on the role and what you can express with it. As an example, Lucy in Angels with Dirty Wings needed her orgasms to feel herself and to feel alive. So I found it important to show real orgasms to support my character.

 

That's interesting. On a different matter, you were recently fined €300 for exposing yourself in front of two plain-clothes police officers in Bavaria. I quote your brilliant statement to the court, "I cannot believe it is a crime for a woman to show her body naked. We all came into the world naked. So should we sue God?"
Do you think this hypocrisy in society concerning nudity will ever change, at least as far as Germany is concerned?

I really hope so. It is bizarre that our society is almost oversexed by our commercials and media, but when it comes to an approach to real sex and nudity, media responds with a huge outcry over what it thinks doesn't fit into social norms and habits. As I said earlier, at the moment I have the impression that our society is becoming more prudish. But when we look at the acceptance of homosexuals for example, we can see an enormous progress between the nineteen fifties and now. So let's hope that other sexual orientations will gain acceptance, too.

 

Just being curious; have you 'exposed yourself' to random strangers in public before this unlucky episode?

No comment.

 

Fair enough! Would you like to tell us something about your forthcoming projects?

At the moment, we are brainstorming for our next movie that we plan to make this year. It will be some kind of revue with musical interludes.

 

A musical - fascinating! Is rebel nun 'Schwester Antje' here to stay, and can we expect to see more of your free-spirit in forthcoming films?

Since the press is calling me TV-nun, Naked nun, Sex nun or whatever nun for almost ten years now, I decided to name myself Schwester Antje (Sister Antje) and to play with this image. I don't take myself too seriously, but it's more or less just an artistic name to launch my music. Luckily I am still Antje Nikola Mönning and have not transformed into any kind of artificial figure. And I want to challenge myself, so I always choose new characters. The next role will definitely be different to Nikki.

 

Thank you Antje, and we wish you and WTP International a Happy 2019!

(Ms. Mönning has since made a hilarious YouTube video following the court ruling against the traffic police incident, worth checking out.) :-)



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Morning Interim - Episodes 3 and 4 [2017 Portugal, United Kingdom]

Halfway through the successful series of short films for his anthology "Morning Interim", I caught up with film maker João Paulo Simões to talk about the latest episodes and also take stock of the series so far. As ever, he was forthcoming in answering my questions for another exclusive interview.













 

A halfway interview with João Paulo Simões

To what extent has the Polish-French auteur Walerian Borowczyk's 'The Beast' influenced 'Morning Interim' series?
I consider Borowczyk's La Bête a crucial influence that goes beyond the surface or aesthetics. Like Morning Interim, which evolved from unfinished material shot with the purpose of being part of a sequel to the feature film Antlers of Reason (2006), the Sirpa Lane scenes in La Bête (1975) were also originally conceived to be part of Borowczyk's anthology film Immoral Tales (1973). So I guess both projects share that same "salvaging of unused material" approach. I think this can contribute to a very specific formal outcome, which can translate as having elements that pulsate with their very own energy and identity within the overall narrative. But, I must say that La Bête has been a far more direct influence in Antlers of Reason. Aside from the few brief references made in the film, I semi-consciously borrowed specific concepts, such as the materialisation of fantasy into the reality of the central character's life and the primal connection she, as a young woman with a blossoming sexuality, has to Nature - itself embodied in the beast-like figure of the antlered god Thalus.

 

The 'Morning Interim' series is turning out to be a mystery thriller by drawing elements from 'exploitation films' of yore but you'd given it an entirely distinct treatment. Placing it somewhere between an unapologetic Jean Rollin and a Lynchian drama, are you consciously building a new 'genre' for the age with this series?
It is certainly (and hopefully) an exercise in broadening the scope of the web-series format, which itself is a liberated by-product of a digital age. It's fair to say that I am channeling all the mythological subtexts and suggested narrative strands of Antlers of Reason into a considerably experimental approach. The eight-episode format provides it with a definite structure (with its own self-imposed set of restrictions), but frees me creatively to pursue other ideas that can alternate between the abstract, the minimalist and the atmospheric. In many ways, the majority of the web-series that one finds out there still operate within conventional broadcast rules, with minor adjustments to cater to the immediate satisfaction of the digital age. I can't think of anything more 'pornographic' than that. So to make something that would, ironically enough, feature sexually-explicit elements, but would adopt a sense of nostalgia for both the analogue and a foregone era of Cinema seemed to me an irresistible proposition...

 

Here you are, a director making 'European' films whilst living in an England that has a distinct film-making heritage of its own. Was that a choice, and if so, is that because Britain, for all its much-talked about 'Britishness', still remains a veritable melting pot where different ideas find space and thrive?
It's definitely been a permanent "fish out of water" situation, I must say. Whilst Britain has, so far, enabled a variety of cultures to settle within its cultural barriers, its filmmaking traditions have remained rooted in a constant reassertion of their identity. I find the approach of social realism incredibly tedious, to be honest. That said, the reality of a Northern England (and a lot of what it evokes, as filtered through my foreign eyes) has been pivotal in the formulation of a lot of my projects. Antlers of Reason would've never existed without it. And, by default, neither would've Morning Interim.
Still, what many would consider "creating in isolation", I choose to look at as "being left to do your own thing".

 

While Episode 3 (Re-enactments) injects conventional plot elements to an otherwise cryptic first two episodes, Episode 4 (Further Illicit Diagrams) not only introduces a new character named 'Fern', but also hints at a different side to Jay aka Thalus. Is this going to turn into a morality tale of sorts..?
That is a very interesting question. The morality tale aspect reverts, once more, back to the film that originated it all, Antlers of Reason. The episodes of Morning Interim though, shift between what you define as cryptic and a plot device that takes the shape of personal investigations that unearth a dark Past (and the shadows it continues to cast over the existence of certain characters). We are driving towards a specific destination - that is ridden with guilt and loss and certainly tinted with personal moral dilemmas.

 

Now, to the star of Episode 4 - Alexandra Patriarca plays 'Fern' and this episode largely focuses on her intimate encounter with Jay. I'm also surprised to hear that this is Ms. Patriarca's first film.
Alexandra is one of those rare cases of someone who can effortlessly inhabit space and, with her gentle presence, extend a moment outside its time limits. This is rare to find and can't be taught in acting classes. It's intrinsic to who she is, as an individual.

 

The episode features perhaps the most explicit and dare I say 'passionate' sex scene in the series so far, notwithstanding your character's (Jay/Thalus) largely passive and 'robotic' nature - the passion is entirely from Ms. Patriarca. Could you shed some light on how you came to cast her for the role?
Once I identified that very special quality about her, my mission became to preserve it - and never to corrupt it. She's actually one of the most coherent and earnest people I ever met. With great humility she accepted my challenge and 'donated herself' to the project - a beautiful act of faith and trust.

 

What was Ms. Patriarca's reaction to performing explicit sex for camera, and that too on her film debut? Was any of the crew present during the shoot?
There was never an issue. Her personality and aforementioned presence really suits the minimalism that I wanted to bring back (and improve upon) from Episode 2 - Illicit Diagrams become Further Illicit Diagrams, after all. I've developed a way of working that keeps production elements to their bare minimum. Only those essential to the scene in question are allowed in.

 

Something tells me Fern is not just 'any other' victim of Thalus, but without giving away any plot points, could you confirm if this is not the last we'll hear from her in this series?
Very far from it. Although one could argue that she's constricted to a film world of a specific era (the 1970's), the importance of her role will unfold in upcoming episodes. Whilst the Mystery Woman (played by Luisa Torregrosa) is instrumental in bridging crucial gaps in the Present, Fern's identity and ambiguous relationship to Jay will be gradually revealed as the transitional stepping stone of the Past.

 

I've so far enjoyed several aspects of this series from a film-buff's point of view. There are 'atmospheric' touches scattered throughout, like in the start of Episode 3, which surely is a nod to David Lynch/Carlos Reygadas. Some characters and place names even have direct references to films from the past. I also like the concept of film within a film that's already within a film. The insertion of a clip from a supposed 1975 film titled 'Ninho das aguias' (Eagles' Nest) does not only look convincing - it also doesn't clash with the rest of the narrative. Is this your homage of sorts to Seventies and Eighties cinema?
Glad to hear that. Very much appreciated. The goal was precisely that: to bring a sort of analogue-transmutation to proceedings, in the way the footage of that fictional film is treated to evoke a very specific type of 1970's Cinema.
It's not wrong at all to call it an homage. It's a throwback to a way of doing things that simply got lost, as your priorities become surreptitiously defined by others. There was just something very genuine and pure about a lot of those films - regardless of how explicit and supposedly exploitative most were. But, its insertion in the episode poses certain fundamental questions that could be pointing towards a "pretty meta" reveal, when it comes to the character of Jay.

 

What can we look forward to in Episode 5? Any new or legendary faces we can expect to see?
Episode 5 is currently in production. Again, there will be a return to more traditional horror elements and Nature will come to the foreground once more. It's entitled "This Place, That Time" and, in conjunction with the subsequent Episode 6, will give a face to the hidden forces and interests at play. It will center mostly on new characters, but their introduction will help make sense out of a lot that we've seen so far.

 
 

Streaming Link for Film | Become a Patron
Morning Interim, Antlers of Reason and other works by filmmaker João Paulo Simões are all available on The Vault of Alternative Cinema. You can also support the project directly on Patreon.

 

 

The Nudity: Luisa Torregrosa, João Paulo Simões, Monica Calle, Erica Rodrigues, and Alexandra Patriarca
The third episode (Re-Enactments) features an explicit sex scene between Luisa Torregrosa and João Paulo Simões. The fourth episode (Further Illicit Diagrams) features yet another explicit sex scene between mature Monica Calle and João Paulo Simões. Erica Rodrigues also appears nude in a brief scene. However, the highlight of the episode will have to be a gratuitously explicit sex scene between newcomer Alexandra Patriarca and João Paulo Simões - something I also touched upon during the interview. The found projector-with-footage effect used in the scene, whilst not as convincing as shooting it in 8mm directly, is effective enough in conveying the feel given the budget and resources. Recommended Viewing..!

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An interview with Sebastiano Montresor

Following his most recent film, "K Smette di Fumare", I took the opportunity to catch up with Italian director Sebastiano Montresor. In this exclusive blog interview, he talks about his work, philosophy, and style of film-making.



Congrats Sebastiano on completing your latest film, the peculiarly titled "K Smette di Fumare" (K Quits Smoking). I hear there's a second film to accompany this (Q Smette di Ricordare). Will it also be styled on a noire? Is there any common thread/theme connecting 'K' and 'Q'?

The 'K' in the title stands for King, and 'Q' for Queen, as in a poker deck. The main theme is the addiction to cinema/woman/love/cigarettes, and I think the two films complement and are necessary to each other. Q smette di ricordare follows in the wake of K smette di fumare, with similar characters and situations, even involving the same actors, who in the meantime seem to have progressed, as if they had developed new emotions, as if they’d grown up. They did actually grow up, by one year - the time the film took to be written and shot. They both belong to agrestic cinema, a genre that has also evolved, to become, perhaps, more profound, with new themes and narrative registers, while maintaining its core idea: telling stories from my native village. I chose Black&White to try my hand at a new language and distinguish it from my previous work. When shooting a film in B&W, you are aware that you cannot go back. I didn’t for a second consider shooting it in colour and desaturate later. I wanted to force myself to think as if I was living in the 40s. I like the idea to go back in time, as there’s often more modernity in B&W than in the super glossy images of series like CSI. The other theme connecting both films is the nostalgia for a past that you know will never come back. It is something that I always deal with in my work, perhaps more explicitly in 'Q'. I believe this way of working helps me think about myself, allowing me to 'somatise' events that have been stuck in my head for years. I hope the viewer will get that while watching my films.

Il titolo K sta per King e Q sta per Queen, come le carte da gioco del poker. Il tema principale è la dipendenza dal cinema/donna/amore/sigarette e penso che i due film siano complementari e necessari l'uno all'altro. Q smette di ricordare è il seguito natura di K smette di fumare, i personaggi e le situazioni sono molto simili, addirittura alcuni attori sono gli stessi sebbene spostati in avanti di segno, come se avessero vissuto nel frattempo delle nuove esperienze e quindi avessero maturato delle nuove emozioni, come se fossero cresciuti. In effetti sono cresciuti di un anno, il tempo che c'è voluto per scrivere e girare la seconda parte. Fanno parte entrambi del cinema agricolo, che si è evoluto pure lui, è diventato più profondo, forse, ha cambiato alcuni temi e registri narrativi, ma rimane il nocciolo, quello di raccontare storie a partire dal mio paese natale. Ho scelto il bianco e nero per provare un linguaggio nuovo, che fosse diverso dai lavori precedenti. Girare un film in bianco e nero significa che non puoi tornare indietro. Non ho pensato nemmeno per un momento di girare a colori e poi desaturare. Volevo obbligarmi a ragionare come se fossi nel 1940. Mi piace l'idea di tornare indietro nel tempo, tante volte c'è più modernità nel bianco e nero che nelle immagini super patinare dei serial tipo CSI. L'altro tema che accomuna entrambi i film è la nostalgia per un passato che sai non potrà mai tornare. E' qualcosa che sento di continuare a cercare nei miei lavori, forse sarà ancora più manifesto in Q. Credo che lavorare in questo modo sia anche un modo per riflettere su di me, per somatizzare alcuni avvenimenti che sono
ancora impressi nella mia testa a distanza di anni. Spero che questo arrivi allo spettatore quando guarda i miei film.

 



 

"Addiction to cinema/woman/love/cigarettes…” this is so in tune with this blog! I'm aware of directors preferring to work in trilogies, but you seem to like making films in duologies (Vigasiosexploitation, and now Smette...).

It’s partly a quirk and part necessity. I can’t shoot a whole film in a year. I need time to work at it, and I like to entertain the idea that when I’m editing I’m really shooting it a second time. I’m also fond of thinking of them as two films enjoyed like a double-bill at a drive-in. Agrestic cinema is born as a poor art and the idea of offering two films at the price of one adds to its value - viewers are supposed to feel encouraged to watch both, because they only pay for one ticket. In addition, if you’re making a trilogy, you must have very clear and defined plans from day one, whereas I really just improvise; while shooting 'K', I was getting ideas for the evolution of the characters I described in 'Q'. But without 'K', I could never have come up with 'Q'. I had to make 'K' to get to 'Q'. It is basically a work in progress. When I start a project, I always want to remain open to the possibility to counterbalance what I’m narrating. I believe that therein lies the strength of Vsxpl (Vigasiosexploitation), precisely in the contrast emerging between the first and the second part. Let’s hope the same will happen with these new films, although they are more intimate.

Sì, è un vezzo e una necessità. Non riesco a girare un film completo in un anno, ho bisogno di tempo per lavorarci dietro e mi piace pensare che quando monto un film in verità lo sto girando per la seconda volta. Mi piace molto poi l'idea che questi film vengano fruiti come se fossero un doppio spettacolo da drive-in. Il cinema agricolo nasce come cinema povero e quindi l'idea di offrire due film al posto di uno ne aumenta il valore. Lo spettatore dovrebbe essere invogliato a vederseli entrambi, perchè virtualmente paga un solo biglietto. Poi per girare le trilogie bisogna avere le idee chiare fin dall'inizio, io invece giro a braccio e mentre giravo K mi venivano in mente evoluzioni dei personaggi che poi ho descritto in Q. Ma senza K non avrei mai potuto pensare a Q. Dovevo girare K per arrivare a Q. Insomma, è sempre un lavoro in fieri. Quando comincio un lavoro voglio sempre tenermi la possibilità di controbilanciare quello che racconto. Credo che la forza di vsxpl stia proprio in questo, nel contrasto che si crea tra la visione del primo e del secondo. Speriamo che succeda la stessa cosa anche con questi nuovi film, anche se sono molto più intimisti.



 

Do you consider your films ‘B-movies’, despite the apparent experimentation and rather unusual plot devices?

I think of them as B-movies because I’m averse to the idea of evaluating them on the same scale with the flicks I see in theatres. Most of the films are structured in exactly the same way, they are all alike. So I prefer to consider them B-products, and perhaps they are so not only because of the budget, but also because of my style choices. A non-aligned film is automatically shunned by the mainstream, and that’s where the B-movie label helps, because at least it keeps you in the loop. Having said that, this is perhaps an inadequate word; I’d rather label my work – as I’ve been advised – “weird”, which has a better ring for agrestic cinema.

Li considero film di serie B perchè non mi va per niente l'idea che possano essere scambiati con i film che vedo nelle sale. La maggior parte di quelli che vedo sono costruiti sempre nello stesso modo, tutti uguali. Quindi preferisco pensarli come prodotti di serie B, che magari non lo sono solo per il budget, ma anche per le scelte stilistiche. Girare film non allineati ti porta automaticamente a essere tagliato fuori e quindi l'etichetta di B-movie aiuta. Almeno ti fa stare dentro un circuito. Ma forse il termine è sbagliato, forse dovrei chiamarli - come mi hanno consigliato - con l'epiteto di weird, che fa più cinema agricolo.

 

"Cinema Agricolo" or “Agrestic Cinema”. Could you explain what it means?

The Agrestic Cinema was born out of a necessity to tell anti-television and anti-narrative stories, harking back to the primitive cinematographic imagery. We live in, or rather we are passively subjected to, a videosphere that claims to create meaning by forging an altered reality, and selling it as entertainment, or worse, information. This fabrication distorts the perception of images, anesthetises the spectator's critical faculties and flattens out the historical truth of filmed events, depriving them of the importance they deserve. Everything is alike and mediocre. Agrestic cinema is the most obvious alternative; because it self-denounces the poverty of the artifice, which no longer appears as an effect, but becomes part of the staging itself, and as such is more realistic than television information. Agrestic cinema is impoverished, hapless and tattered, but breathes a noble afflatus, which belongs to all those who feel the need for a return to agriculture, meant as a common and ancestral human legacy, one made of words, music and images.



 

There are only few people in Italy actively experimenting with cinema, and likewise few independent film makers at the moment. You must have a dedicated production crew to work with – perhaps you can tell us a bit about them. And how do you manage to maintain the passion for what you do without any government funding?

In Italy we have many independent directors and filmmakers, who are perhaps more aligned to established genres. I kind of transcend the whole lot, as I cross all genres to come up with something altogether new. This is my idea of experimentation. If I were to make a horror, I would have to stick to some benchmarks and musts, which I cannot ignore if I want to end up with a horror film. I find the works of Lorenzo Bianchini and Domiziano Cristopharo very accomplished, well shot and directed. But I don’t belong with them, as I aim at making films that don’t grow old, that don’t have to confront the passing of time. What I tell in my stories will be as relevant today as in a hundred years time. That’s it, in a hundred years, if somebody still downloads my films from torrents, that would really prove my point. Unfortunately, I don’t get any sort of funds, and I’m forced to produce myself. I work as a freelancer during the year and I spare two weeks during the summer to shoot. In winter, in between a piece of TV news and a commercial, I work at editing, post-production and audio. I am helped by excellent and trusted collaborators, such as Daniele Trani (cinematography), Airbag Killex (soundtrack), and Edoardo Vojvoda who assists me with shooting and fx. It is by now a consolidated work team, and every time we meet after a hiatus of several months, it feels as if what happened in the middle never really existed, because we are there to shoot a new film, and we just pick up from where we left some 12 months earlier. If you want to make a film, you cannot afford to sit and wait, expecting money from the State - you just do it. That’s why as soon as I complete a new work I post it immediately online. It makes sense to make a film only if it is there for everyone to enjoy. It would be ideal if people paid to see my films – so that I could afford to live off that – but perhaps that would compel me to follow different, more commercial logics, while I want to be completely free to do what I want to. It is, of course, a freedom that costs me dearly.

In Italia ci sono molti registi e cineasti indipendenti, magari più allineati con alcuni generi. Io trascendo un pò tutto, scavalco i generi e viene fuori una cosa nuova. Credo che la vera sperimentazione sia questa. Se devo girare un film horror ci sono dei paletti e dei capisaldi che non si possono omettere, ci devono essere, sennò non è un film horror. Trovo che i lavori di Lorenzo Bianchini e di Domiziano Cristopharo siano molto belli, ben girati e ben diretti. Ma non mi appartengono, voglio girare dei film che non invecchino e che non debbano confrontarsi con il passare del tempo. Vorrei che quello che racconto nelle mie storie fatte di immagini sia attuale ora e lo sia anche fra cento anni. Ecco, se fra cento anni ci fosse ancora qualcuno che si scarica dai torrent i miei film quella sarebbe la vera cartina di tornasole. Purtroppo non ho fondi di nessun genere, sono costretto ad autoprodurmeli. Lavoro come freelance durante l'anno e mi ritaglio 2 settimane d'estate per girare; durante l'inverno tra un servizio tg e un messaggio promozionale mi dedico al montaggio, alla post e all'audio. Sono molto aiutato da collaboratori validissimi e fidatissimi, come Daniele Trani per la fotografia o Airbag Killex per il suono o ancora Edoardo Vojvoda per l'assistenza durante le riprese e gli fx. Si è creato un gruppo di lavoro che dura nel tempo, e quando ci si ritrova a distanza di molti mesi è come se quello che è successo in mezzo non sia realmente esistito, perchè dobbiamo girare un nuovo film, riprendiamo il discorso che avevamo lasciato in sospeso 12 mesi prima. Se devi girare un film non puoi certo aspettare che lo stato ti dia i soldi, lo devi girare e basta. E' per questo che appena finisco un lavoro lo metto subito in rete. Un film ha ragione di esistere se tutti lo possono vedere. Sarebbe bellissimo se la gente pagasse per vedere i miei film - mi darebbe la possibilità di fare solo quello - ma forse mi costringerebbe a delle logiche diverse, più commerciali, e quando faccio i miei lavori voglio invece essere completamente libero. Naturalmente pago profumatamente questa libertà.



 

Do the cast and crew always share your vision? It must be a challenge while working on some of your extreme subject matter where they may need to cross a particular threshold..?

The technical department is always a delight to work with. I never had any issues with them. They know me by now, they know what I like, and I think they like it too. However, I have a somewhat more conflicting relationship with actors - I am often at odds with them. In my mind everything is so clear, that I don’t understand how it can’t possibly be the same for them (LOL). They often accuse me of treating them as puppets. This happens so often, for e.g., we are all set to start shooting, and suddenly they ask me what they’re supposed to do, while it seems so obvious to me. So I try to explain and in the process mess things up even further. That’s when I give up and just let them do their thing, while I watch them on the screen. If I like what I see, we carry on, otherwise we stop. But it is very rare for me not to achieve the precise mood that I’m looking for. Usually actors know how to do their job. If you force them through extreme situations, if you catch them off guard and feed them to the camera, their skills pop out and it works, thanks to their human side. It never ceases to surprise me that they can be one thing in front of the camera and something completely different when we finish. Maybe the correct way to describe this is that they scandalize me. When I shoot, I try to lower this sort of “scandal threshold” I feel about them, and when I don’t perceive that so much, then the scene is working.

Con il reparto tecnico mi trovo sempre molto bene. Non ci sono mai problemi. Ormai mi conoscono e sanno cosa mi piace e credo che in molti casi piaccia anche a loro. Ho invece un rapporto più conflittuale con gli attori. Mi trovo molto spesso in difficoltà. E' tutto così chiaro nella mia mente che non capisco come faccia a non esserlo anche nella loro (eh eh eh). Mi accusano spesso di venire trattati come fossero delle marionette. Spesso succede. Siamo pronti per girare e mi chiedono cosa devono fare. Mentre per me è tutto così ovvio. Allora cerco di spiegare e incasino la situazione ulteriormente. A quel punto lascio perdere tutto e chiedo di recitare come se la sentono e io guardo nel monitor. Se quello che succede mi piace si procede, sennò stoppiamo. Ma raramente capita che non venga fuori quell'intenzione che serve. Di solito gli attori sanno fare il loro mestiere. E se li si costringe in condizioni estreme, li si prende alla sprovvista e li si da in pasto alla macchina ecco che viene fuori il loro mestiere e funzionano, perchè rendono l'umanità che hanno dentro. Mi stupisce sempre il fatto che riescano ad essere in un modo davanti alla macchina e completamene diversi quando si finisce. Forse il termine corretto è che mi scandalizzano. Quando giro cerco di abbassare quanto posso il mio senso di scandalo per questa cosa, quando mi sembra di non sentirlo più allora la scena funziona.



 

So a director should exercise human psychology when dealing with actors - fair point. Do you plan to release these two films later on DVD?

Hopefully in December 2013 – in the meantime enjoy the first part, because as soon as 'Q' is released, 'K' will take on a whole new meaning and perhaps you will read it with different eyes. The same happened to me!

Spero a dicembre 2013 - ma intanto godetevi questa prima parte, perchè quando arriverà Q smette di ricordare K prenderà un senso nuovo e forse lo leggerete con occhi nuovi, un pò come è successo a me...

 

Well, I hope so too Sebastiano, I certainly look forward to watching 'Q' when it is finished. Thank you for the interview, and my best wishes for your successful completion of “Q Smette di Ricordare”. We shall touch-base soon, and bye for now.

For those interested in watching Sebastiano Montresor’s “K smette di fumare” in full, here is a torrent link for download, courtesy of Mr. Montresor himself:

Torrent Download Link for DVD

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Marina Anna Eich - a thirstyrabbit interview

For someone regarded as one of Germany's most beautiful actresses, Marina Anna Eich isn't as widely known outside her home country as she perhaps should. She works predominantly in independent films, and apart from her acting talents, she is a producer at maverick director Roland Reber's film company, WTP International, and also its PR Manager, in charge of production and marketing. In an exclusive interview with this blog, Ms. Eich shares some of her thoughts on her latest film "Die Wahrheit der Lüge" (The Truth of Lie), her work, and attitude to life.

 

An interview with Marina Anna Eich

Photograph © Catherina Hess

 

Let me congratulate you on another fine performance Marina. You had a nasty accident just before this film's production. I do hope the finger is now fully healed and well-set. It must have however been quite uncomfortable during the shoot - did this hamper you in any way?

My accident was in April 2011. The shooting began in August. The healing went very fine and while acting I almost didn’t notice that I was handicapped with a shorter finger. Fortunately there was not much pain to distract me. I was lucky as it could have been much worse.

 

"The Truth of Lie" - an intriguing title. How did you see this film as an artist?

All our films have different levels. For me, this movie can be interpreted in many ways. For example: Both of the prisoners stand for two human opposites. The publisher symbolizes destiny, who is testing all of them, intervening with advice in a tough and ruthless but supporting way, and holding the reins. The author is a mix and stands between both of them, as a kind of mediator who wants to help the two prisoners in a special way, e.g. learning to see behind words, telling the truth. But he too is being tested by destiny.
The film also is about being inconsiderate and not thinking about consequences. The women are acting without considering the consequences as they simply agree to the experiment without thinking of the outcome. The writer is inconsiderate as he neither has prepared himself, nor the experiment: he doesn't know what “reaching the top” actually means. Only the publisher isn't inconsiderate. There are some more levels but we want the viewers to find out for themselves and interpret in their way. Even I myself haven’t seen all the levels that exists in the film.

 

I could find similarities - at least in the usage of BDSM elements, between this film and Reber's earlier "The Dark Side of Our Inner Space", one in which you again were closely involved. Not many films delve into the world of BDSM - at least not since the 1970's in any case. Is this a key area of interest for WTP, or perhaps a prudent approach to fill an existing void?

I wouldn’t say it is our key area. All our films tell different stories, but surely deal with the big questions of humanity. It depends on the story and subjects we want to tell. Yes, Sexuality is one of the fields which we showed in “24/7 the Passion of Life” and “Angels with dirty wings”. As for me I don’t think about BDSM elements in “The Truth of Lie”. Especially the torture scenes - they're more an attempt of the author to bring the two women over their limits, to make them feel helpless, to disrobe them mentally and physically. It is not a mutual agreement (really dealing with the person and action they do together, as you can find in the BDSM-scene).

 

This film also depicts practices like water-boarding, a taboo after Guantanamo. Do these scenes have a political subtext?

All WTP films are team work. Roland considers all involved as artists who define their role themselves. He leaves a lot of space for us to bring in our own ideas. Not just the actors, all other aspects like camera, light, set-design, etc., as well. This creates a great atmosphere during the whole film process and everyone see themselves as a big part of the film.
As for the torture scenes it was up to the actors to make ideas and to develop them. Lots of them are archetypal symbols, they show primal fears. Especially the water-boarding scene, which was my personal borderline experience. Because of the gag reflex one psychologically gets the impression of drowning immediately, in no more than a few seconds. I wouldn’t have thought that the fear of death would come so quickly. Now I can understand why this kind of torture leads to the desired result in less than a minute.

 

Unlike WTP's earlier projects, this film is centred around a male protagonist, even if it is to offer a critique. Was the characterisation and screenplay preconceived or did it evolve during the film's production?

The first idea was to take the story of an earlier theatre play by Roland. Roland, Mira, Antje, Christoph and I sat down together and made some brainstorming. Everyone added their ideas which Roland wrote afterwards into the final script. So only the basic storyline of the play - a man holding two women hostage, remained. During the shoot, additional ideas came (some spontaneous) which we incorporated into the film.

 

I couldn't help noticing the unusually long scenes of nudity in the final cut, particularly from yourself. Is it because you are now more comfortable acting with your body than before, was it because you were more at ease with the crew, or was it all purely Ms. Gittner's editorial decision?

As far as nudity is concerned I have always been comfortable with nude scenes. For me nudity is something very natural. It all depends on the reason for a nude scene. Both of the imprisoned women live through different tortures, naked, so that the author, he feels, could lead them to the top. But nudity is not related to sexuality here. In “The Truth of Lie” for me it is a symbol of purity, an expression of clarity. Being tortured naked is more mortifying, one feels even more helpless.
As far as the cutting is concerned it is the creativity of Mira. She is completely free in the editing process. From time to time the inner circle of WTP (Roland, Mira, Antje and me) sit together to watch the film's development, making proposals here and there, but the composition of music (which is an important element in our films), the rhythm of the film and the length of the scenes is Mira's creation.

 

Playing a victim and the protagonist's subject, this is also your most serious and least glamorous role to date. Do you see yourself as an actress ready to take on even more challenging character-roles?

Every role has something special within. And I am very happy that in each of our films I have played different characters. This role was indeed my most challenging one. The character is very calm and steady and tries to act in a considered way, in a very difficult situation, of which the outcome is uncertain and which could end up in death at any time. A character which isn’t at all corresponding to mine. In such a life threatening situation I would rather slip into hysteria. I am very curious as to which character I will perform in our next film.

 

Tell us a bit about audience reactions to the film during the recent festivals.

After having premiered at the renowned “International Hof Film Festival”, we accompanied “The Truth of Lie” through Germany on our Cinema Tour. The reactions were differing and we had very interesting discussions.
For some it was very cruel (one lady even said why it had to be necessary that the film only consists of torture scenes – but if you count those scenes you’ll be surprised how few they were compared to the whole film). Some said the film is quite tame and they would have liked it crueler. Many people thanked us for giving them something to think about their life. Another spectator compared the cellar to his head, the two women and the author inside, the chains symbolising the chains of society, family…

 

Are you currently working on any new projects? What can we next expect from the WTP stable?

We have many subjects we would like to make a film about, but which of these will be the next is not clear yet. This much is certain - next year there will be a new WTP film.

 

Is there a message you'd like to convey to your adoring fans in this blog (trust me - there are a few)?

I am happy to hear that our films get attention through your blog.

People see several messages through our films, so if you enjoy them please recommend them. I would also like to quote from our film “24/7 the Passion of Life”: “Society likes to have standardised people. They obey more easily. But can emotions be standardised? Who puts forward these norms? Who standardises us? Who is living our life? Most people just exist, but they are not the living. Live YOUR life!”
I also like the following sentence: "If you want to change something in your life don’t just talk about it, do something about it."

 



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Exclusive Interview with Marina Anna Eich

Excerpts from my interview with Marina Anna Eich, the star of "24/7, The Passion of Life", made exclusively for this blog.



Q. Some extensive research seem to have gone into exploring the world of BDSM. Are any in the production team active or former BDSM practitioners?
A. No, we had the same prejudice as many other people. But knowing we are entering a foreign world, and making a film with elements of it, we did some research for months before shooting the first scene. We talked to people who practice BDSM or swinging, we had a close look and observed.

Q. How challenging was it for you to perform in these sex scenes. And how much input was yours in the manner in which it was depicted. Looking back, do you still think they are essential to the narrative?
A. I think when making a film about double morals, hidden sexuality and society, it is necessary to also show some of the sexual situations. It would be prudish not to show what it is about. I made a lot of input to my role. Before each scene I made the proposal of what I wanted to do and show... That is the great thing about working with WTP, every actor can give their input and form her/his role the way she/he likes. It was challenging in a good way, as also for me (as Marina) it was a new area, and I immersed like Eva into the new world.

Q. Would you consider making such scenes in future?
A. Sure, why not? Sexuality and nudity is an essential element in life, so why not show its naturalness.

Q. Apart from being an integral part of the WTP production team, are you currently doing any other work, either as an actress or in some other profession?
A. In the last 3 years I have done one more feature film apart from WTP (Horror genre; Title: Break) which my cousin (Matthias Olof Eich) directed. I wanted to support him with his first feature film.
In 2009 and 2010, I was also the spokesperson (and did all the press work and public relations) for the upcoming "Five Lake Film Festival" which is held yearly in July/August in the south of Munich.

Q. What do you prefer to do in your spare time?
A. I am a passionate biker and ride about 25000 Km a year with my two bikes (cruising with my Street Bob-Harley Davidson and speeding with my Honda Hornet). Apart from that I like hiking, reading books, learning languages, relaxing and taking a sauna. In my spare time I look for calmness and peace because at work, there are always so many people surrounding you.

*** STOP PRESS * STOP PRESS * STOP PRESS ***

WTP Film News Extra

WTP International has almost completed shooting its latest film, "The Truth of Lie" due for release later this year. The film bears some similarities to "The Dark Side of our Inner Space".

Synopsis:
A man (Christoph Baumann), 35, studies psychology and works additionally as motivational coach, but wants to do more. He decides to become an author. The subject which fascinates him is emotional borderline experience. He seeks volunteers willing to get into an extreme experiment for money for a period of 5 days, and hires an abandoned factory.
Two young women agree to volunteer. One (Marina Anna Eich) is a daredevil that likes adventures. She seeks excitement and thrill. The other one (Julia Jascke) is more circumspect and submissive. However, apart from the money, it is the possibility of self-awareness that is of more interest to her.
After arriving at the dungeon Christoph plays some psychological games with them which unfortunately doesn't reach true borderline. He takes notes and carries on his presentations, but is aware the five days will be over soon. He decides together with his publisher (Antje Nikola Mönning) to extend the five days without letting the volunteers know and tries to drive them to the extreme. What begins as a game soon turns serious, and the frontiers get blurred - one doesn’t know anymore who is victim and who is offender.
What is reality?

With such a storyline and cast, this sure promises to be another one of Roland Reber's envelope-pushing films one can't wait to see. And I've been reliably informed that there are some nude scenes in it as well, including Marina Anna Eich. I will keep you guys updated on further developments on this exciting project.

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