Featuring heartrending performances from Zimmering, Schnitzer and Elsner, this tale boasts a gentle humor that tends to seep into life's loneliest moments. In a 1960's European arthouse style, Maccarone's camera reflects alienation as it lingers on the fearless actresses, emotionally baring them, while it also hovers on Rotterdam's bleak winter landscape. Rife with metaphor, Maccarone's beautiful film illustrates that like life, film is a collaborative, collective endeavor. As the stories weave together by the film's close, so do the characters lives and the disparate women find solace and strength in one another.- Tracy E. Gilchrist, connexion
~~ With her gentle
and understated drama Vivere,
German director
Angelina Maccarone weaves the tale of Francesca, a small town woman who
embarks on a fateful trip to the port city of Rotterdam one Christmas
Eve. She is searching for younger sister, who left home in pursuit of
her musician beau. During her journey, Francesca unexpectedly
encounters Gerlinde, a down-and-out elderly woman at the end of her
tether. Maccarone cuts in-between the stories of the three characters,
achronologically, to create a
haunting portrait of three disenfranchised, displaced and isolated
women in a state of perpetual flight from their own personal histories.
--Nathan
Southern, All Movie
Guide
~~
Vivere
looks ravishing, featuring a
nocturnal road trip through a cool kaleidoscopic landscape of shifting
colors peopled by three commanding thesps of different
generations whose interlocking stories form a cohesive whole. The
indomitable Elsner, her face a
ravaged map tracing decades of emotional risk-taking, mesmerizes with every wearily
elegant gesture. Tech credits are superlative, particularly Judith Kaufmann's
usual splendid lensing, which encases the film's 24-hour timeframe in
almost palpable enchantment.
~~--Ronnie Scheib,
Variety
Three women from
Germany
unexpectedly end up in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam over the
holidays in Angelina Maccarone’s assured drama Vivere. After an
unexpected heterosexual outing with the erotic drama Verfolgt (Punish
Me), Maccarone (Fremde Haut / Unveiled) is back with a film with
lesbian overtones, though this time around sexuality in whichever shape
or form is not central to the drama, which should help break the by now
very experienced director out of the gay ghetto. Despite Vivere’s
convoluted timeline which feels very contemporary but is not really
necessary for the drama to work, the
film is simply strong and engaging, with excellent performances from
the three leading ladies.
--Boyd van
Hoeij,
European-Films.net
~~ Vivere (Regent Releasing): Three German women of differing generations travel to Rotterdam by night in this structurally artful, beautifully rendered film, their stories diverging and intersecting again and again as they lose and find one another (and themselves). Director Angelina Maccarone has trumped her last exquisite, quiet feature, Unveiled, perhaps the smartest lesbian-themed film of 2005. Vivere confirms that Maccarone may indeed be a queer, female, German Krzysztof Kieslowski; we’re tempted to buy into the auteur theory solely on her account. Her use of subjective music, the camera and time has a poetic delicacy that reverberates; scenes feel hand-sewn rather than cut. The pot slowly starting to boil to the right of a stunning older woman (Hannelore Elsner) who is miserable eating alone; the blaring rock music in the car of the frustrated 20-something dyke (Esther Zimmering) who mothers her sister; the pregnant teenager (Kim Schnitzer) who runs through turnstiles and vomits in a train station far from home—this film is all in the details, spaces, silences and carefully chosen words. (regentreleasing.com) --Candace Moore, Curve Magazine ~~
Rashomon meets Run Lola Run in writer-director Angelina Maccarone’s fascinating feminist drama about a young German cabbie (Esther Zimmering) searching for her runaway sister (Kim Schnitzer) and encountering, coincidentally (or not so coincidentally), a mysterious older woman (Hannelore Elsner), who is seemingly the victim of a violent crash-and-run accident. The story is told three times, once from each woman’s point of view, so as to methodically fill in the blanks and create a complete portrait of life’s seemingly random (or not so random) intersections. It’s easy to imagine an American company wanting to remake the picture, focusing almost exclusively on the tricky structure, which, in all likelihood, is what earned it an American release in the first place. What audiences will most remember, however, are three exceptional performances and a keenly observant script that wallows just enough in archetypal German existentialism to get its points across without veering into the pretentious. -Wade Major, L.A. City Beat ~~
The paths of three
women converge on one of the most miserable Christmas Eves that one
could imagine in director Angelina Maccarone’s Vivere. It is the tale
of Francesca (Esther Zimmering), a young woman who grew up too soon, in
pursuit of her runaway teenage sister, Antoinetta (Kim Schnitzer), who,
disenchanted with her surroundings in the suburb of Cologne, has gone
off to Rotterdam with her rock-star boyfriend.
Along the way, Francesca encounters the scene of a car accident and rescues Gerlinde (Hannelore Elsner) from the wreckage, transporting her to the hospital. Gerlinde, not the type to take particularly good care of herself, checks herself out of the hospital almost immediately to join Francesca on her journey. Told from each intergenerational woman’s point of view, Vivere offers up an interesting concept of how every person views events differently, and with each re-telling, significant plot gaps are filled in, which keeps the audience guessing ’til the end. Dealing with love, loss, rejection and family dynamics gone awry, the three heroines seek to find solace in each other under highly unlikely circumstances. Maccarone’s characters are gritty, real and well cast. While the coincidences involved are a little contrived, Vivere is a thoroughly likeable movie with excellent performances all around. Grade: B+ - Natasha Desianto, Campus Circle ~~
The lives of three
German women—twentysomething taxi driver Francesca (Esther Zimmering),
her teenage sister Antonietta (Kim Schnitzer) and lovelorn stranger
Gerlinde (Hannelore Elsner)—intersect in unexpected ways on Christmas
Eve.
Big question: How is a small scale foreign flick featuring lesbian romance, teen pregnancy and German rockers supposed to find an audience in the unforgiving marketplace? Catch it: Told in three successive stories, with each centered on one of the three women, the film borrows elements from the "Babel"-icious playbook of Alejandro González Iñárritu. But the sharp focus that writer-director Angelina Maccarone brings to these women's lives helps her film stand out from the interlocking narrative pack. Skip it: If you're just sick of car crashes bringing people together in movies. We understand. Bottom line: There's nothing startlingly original about the narrative—although Francesca and Gerlinde do get frisky despite their considerable age difference—"Vivere" simply succeeds thanks to Maccarone's confident visual style and the strong emotionally resonant performances of all three leading ladies. Bonus: Several of the film's key crew members, including the cinematographer and editor, are also women, adding to the film's unique feminine perspective. - Geoff Berkshire, Metromix Los Angeles ~~ Three women converge on the road to self-awareness in "Vivere," a moody drama from the German director Angelina Maccarone. Francesca (Esther Zimmering), a cynical cab driver, longs to be free of the responsibility of caring for her Italian father and wayward younger sister, Antonietta (Kim Schnitzer). Antonietta, for her part, dreams of escaping the boredom and confinement of their suburban German home in Cologne, while the middle-aged stranger Gerlinde (Hannelore Elsner) is fleeing an unsatisfying relationship with her married lesbian lover. All three are bitter, lonely and primed for catharsis, so, on Christmas Eve, when Antonietta runs off to join her boyfriend in another city, the stage is set for reinvention. Told from three perspectives,"Vivere" is a slight story freighted with serious emotional baggage, its raw undercurrents constantly at odds with its fairy-tale sensibility. Stunningly photographed by Judith Kaufmann, the glowing urban nightscapes service a narrative packed with unlikely coincidences, inconvenient attractions and improbable behavior. Almost holding things together is the marvelous Ms. Elsner: there's more depth in her weary gaze and disappointed mouth than in any line of dialogue. Not since Bette Davis lit and flicked has smoking been so evocative, or so heartbreaking. --Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times ~~
One of the more common clichés in modern
indie film is the multiple story line featuring "strangers whose lives
come together." Out writer-director Angelina Maccarone has somehow
managed to avoid all of the pitfalls usually associated with this
format with Vivere, a new film opening in limited release today.
Maccarone has delivered an honest, genuinely interesting film about
three women at their own personal crossroads, and makes a few
statements about sexuality, culture and age along the way.The story line follows the three women as their lives literally and figuratively collide one night. There's the shy, sexually frustrated Francesca (Esther Zimmering); her rebellious 17-year-old sister, Antonietta (Kim Schnitzer); and a heartbroken older woman, Gerlinde (Hannelore Elsner). The events of the film are portrayed three times (each from the perspective of one of the characters), with story details falling into place piece by piece. Unique before-and-after scenes for each character reveal the layers of connections between incidents, and some events are played out very differently from each point of view. The approach recalls films such as Memento and Crash, but with genuinely compelling, predominantly queer characters. Set on Christmas Eve in Cologne, Germany, the film opens on Francesca, a 27-year-old taxi driver tasked with tracking down her younger sister when the teen tries to run away with her rocker boyfriend. On her way to extricate Antonietta from a Rotterdam punk club, she picks up a woman who was left in a car accident (Gerlinde) and takes her to a hospital. Gerlinde finds her way back to the cab, and the two misfits journey to Rotterdam to find Antonietta. After the initial setup, we follow each character's story in turn. The cinematography in each segment subtly reflects the changes in narrative tone and complements the characters' personalities. Thankfully, the effect is unobtrusive and adds a subtle layer of detail to the story. It also makes for a fascinating exercise in character study. Francesca is complicated, cynical and serious, a misfit who would rather chat with women online than go out and meet someone. Her insecurity is matched only by her sense of guilt and responsibility for her sister; she has a sort of loner pride that complicates her relationships. Her sequences are filmed in longer shots, with a distance between the character and the camera, indicating a sense of alienation. In contrast, Gerlinde's story is told more intimately, with a close-up camera and an eye for her own point of view. Gerlinde is suffering from the worst kind of heartbreak: Her closeted lover has refused to see her on Christmas, despite promises otherwise. She initially finds solace in wine and wistful anecdotes about love, and though her path is easily the darkest and most dramatic of the trio, she eventually becomes a guiding light for the other women. Antonietta is a classic rebellious teenager, but she has a great deal of heart and strength to balance her naïveté. When her boyfriend's stoned bandmates get into a car accident and leave the victim, Antonietta tries to get them to contact the authorities, and runs away (again) on principle when they fail to take action. She also adds a bit of youthful optimism and buoyancy to the film, in comparison to her sister's cynicism and Gerlinde's heavy emotional journey. Maccarone said in her director's statement that the characters could represent the same woman at different stages of life. Seen in this light, Vivere becomes a commentary on the fluid nature of sexuality across a lifetime, with characters that literally span the range of the spectrum from gay to straight. A character piece like Vivere would fall squarely on its face without strong performances, and thankfully, the film's leads deliver. Francesca is a character still finding herself in her late 20s, and Esther Zimmering brings a very down-to-earth quality to the character, making her confusion and frustration quite real. Hannelore Elsner does an expert job with Gerlinde, turning out a performance that is alternatively wistful and wounded. Kim Schnitzer does well with Antonietta, though the role is admittedly simpler than the others. One of Vivere's most charming features is its depiction of the cultural crossroads of modern Europe. Francesca and Antonietta are half Italian, half German, living in two different worlds and speaking three languages. Most of the action takes place in the famed village-meets-metropolis of Rotterdam. Francesca's bisexuality can be seen as an extension of this two-worlds philosophy as she (unsuccessfully) tries to make a sexual connection with both a young man in the punk club and Gerlinde. This isn't bisexuality as uncertainty, but more a statement on sexual fluidity and identity, concepts that Francesca is clearly struggling with. It is this openness about one's place in the world that makes the film so appealing. Vivere offers no judgments, covering everything from teen pregnancy, life in the closet and growing up between two cultures to sexual confusion, without ever getting bogged down or losing its pace. A few elements do keep the film from achieving cinematic nirvana. Some of the music choices seem a bit odd, and the movie unfortunately dips into pretentious dialogue and pseudo-philosophical posturing at points. There are moments when the drama and coincidences begin to feel a bit staged, and there is an odd scene or two that feels contrived, but overall, the film doesn't suffer for its rough spots. In fact, for a movie to successfully pull off the frequently abused multiple story line device is something of a coup. It's become quite fashionable in recent years, especially in independent films, to make use of the technique in order to highlight a sort of Zen, "everything is connected" philosophy that frequently degenerates into a sloppy attempt at depth. It's incredibly refreshing to see a film that actually makes use of the technique to reveal story and character details, instead of retreading on the same old territory. Vivere succeeds where so many films have failed with its earnestness, strong performances and indie charm. It's not necessarily a groundbreaking film, but it's certainly worthwhile — and a haunting, charming meditation on the nature of life's uncertainties. -Danielle Riendeau, AfterEllen ~~
"Vivere, a quirky romance by writer/director Angelina Maccarone, tells the coincidental, multi-viewpoint story of 3 women whose lives continually intersect, then finally come together one strangely eventful Xmas Eve. Esther Zimmering plays Francesca, a hard-working German cabbie, who's helped raise her younger sister, Antonietta, played by Kim Schnitzer, after their mother abandoned the family years ago. When Antonietta unaccountably runs off to Rotterdam on Xmas Eve with her boyfriend & his rock band, Francesca's ineffectual father pesters her into bringing her back home immediately. On her long, lonely cab journey from her home outside Cologne, Francesca encounters an unconscious auto accident victim, Gerlinde, played by German film grande dame Hannelore Elsner, & takes her to hospital. But Gerlinde, who's just left her job & been unceremoniously dumped by her married girlfriend, leaves hospital without treatment, & heads to a hoped for reproachment rendezvous with her estranged lover, while Francesca has developed a strong crush on her. In Rotterdam, the tangles of the plot & lives of these 3 are all completely combed out & neatly displayed in a satisfying resolution that resolves any lingering ambiguities in this complex storyline. Vivere is an intriguing, challenging non-traditional view of modern women's lives & loves. With excellent acting, settings & direction, Vivere is recommended viewing, & is in theaters now." -Bill Handelsman, KPFK |
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