By Anne Brodie
Riefenstahl by Andres Veiel raises the spectre of the Third Reich and its ignominy, focussing on its première filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, Hitler’s rumoured lover and a technically and artistically skilled filmmaker. She made two extraordinary Nazi propaganda films Triumph of the Will and The Blue Light and as outstanding as they were and remain today, the enthusiastic evil seeping through it beggars belief. You may feel slightly nauseated by her feeble attempts to rewrite history to whitewash herself, in late life interviews, despite ample proof of what she did. Riefenstahl was mesmerised by Hitler and his power, but denies any sort of Nazi connection except to say that she was just like everyone else in Germany, keen to see what this charismatic demagogue would do for the country. Among his goals, wipe out Jews, Romas and others he felt didn’t belong in his Aryan country. She lavishes praise on him at every opportunity. Her propaganda films were a major part of the Reich’s glamour at home and abroad; she furthered Hitler’s dreams but denies everything, and given news clips, interviews, documentation and the release of her personal papers, its clear she lies a lot. Almost all archival interviews in the film show her angered by repeated questions about her part in Hitler’s brutal hold on millions. She berates the interviewers (one from the CBC), storms out, keen to hold onto her fantasy version of the truth and avoid arrest. The proof is in her personal papers, given after her death to a public archive. If she convinced herself she did nothing wrong, her guilt inadvertently screams out time and time again. And this from Veiel “in the last conversation Leni has on the phone in the movie, she says that it will take one or two generations for Germany to rediscover its role in terms of morality, virtue and order. That’s not too far removed from Donald Trump and what he says about immigrants spoiling American blood. It was a darkly prophetic conversation”. In limited theatres.
Honestly how much more is the world expected to take? With Trump initiating new, controlling fascist conditions almost daily, we are scared. But we want to fight back. As Canadians, we fought the totalitarian wave successfully by electing cool headed, wise Mark Carney to be our Prime Minister; he leads with common sense, empathy and tremendous skill. Connie Field’sstirring doc Democracy Noir sounds the alarm on other parts of the world have succumbed to fascism as more keep dropping; her focus is Hungary, under the thumb of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a wicked man, since 1998 to May 2002 and again from 29 May 2010 through to today. He’s won again and again, like Trump, probably by election rigging, lying, making false promises, shutting down opposition and intimidating and cutting news media. Trump’s sharing Orbán’s playbook and like Orbán he’s phenomenally popular. Orbán promotes right wing conservative values, but he does what he likes to do, like Trump. Women on the side for instance. Hungary and Orbán continue to ignore the European Court of Justice calls for a reset on Orbán’s cruel immigration and LGBTQ policies and of course, he’s close to Putin. Field focuses on three brave women – opposition politician Timea, journalist Babett, and nurse Nikoletta (Niko) – who are bravely raising awareness and educating where they can; sure, they’re playing with fire what would you do? Their incredible fortitude sends a chill down our spines, as does the doc because it looks just like America right now, full on inhumane and let’s be honest, dabbling in evil. Field took extraordinary chances making the film, but it is in theatres now for the world to see and judge Orbán accordingly. And this – “Similar trends can be seen in other parts of the world, with autocracies emerging in Brazil, Turkey, Belarus, Serbia and in the United States – where Orbán is being hailed as a political success and inspiration”.
The title The Threesome might lead you to expect something racy. Well, nope. The titular event in this film from director Chad Hartigan and writer Ethan Ogilby is about as tame as it gets. Zoey Deutch, Ruby Cruz and Jonah Hauer-King star in this modern romance that begins with a bang right off the bat. Olivia, Jenny and Connor, Connors one night stand Olivia meet when he’s on a date with Jenny. The three of them sit together; they’re immediately sympatico. Livia the brash one, suggests a three way and when there’s hesitation, dares them. They go along and afterwards meet separately. Connor tells Olivia he loves. She shuts him down, but he tells her he wants them to have a baby. OK. Then he dates Jenny – and learns both women are pregnant by him! Funny moment comes when he shows up for two consecutive appointments with an obstetrician’s office, for two different women. The respective women’s parents are delighted to hear the news then devastated to hear the women will be raising their babies without Connor. There’s not a distinctive tone to the film until the last chapters when the relationships are broken down, and its messy and lacks punch. Still, solid performances. In theatres.
The Crow Girl DCI Jeanette Kilburn (Eve Myles) and partner DI Lou Stanley (Dougray Scott) embark on an extraordinary case – a serial killer is targeting young men, stripping them and leaving them in open plastic bags in public places. The bodies are always freshly cleaned and pedicured. The detectives have never encountered anything like it; the usual markers and means of investigation are not working. Kilburn has her suspicions, based on the repeating phrase “if you run from my love, I will find you and I will love you if you like it or not”. A certain substance is in the bag, leading them to a dentist who admits he’s attracted to young people, male and female, and obsessed with incestuous progenity. “I can buy you a child”. But this horrific person cannot be the killer. DCI Mike Dilliston (Then Elliot Edusah) believes the perp is a recent immigrant; meanwhile Kilburn meets with psychotherapist Dr. Sophia Craven (Catherine Kelly) who may paint them a profile of the perp; ironically there is bad blood between them due to a forgotten elevator incident. Things barrel straight ahead, and introducing a shocking new suspect, while taking side roads and rocky rivers shall we say, at an extraordinary rate. Pay close attention to this white knuckler based on a Swedish crime novel, ‘Kråkflickan’ by Eriksson Aklander Sundquist. Why the title Crow Girl? Find out. Shot in Bristol, UK. Premieres Monday, September 8 on Acorn TV