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With few, if any, trilogies passing through the film festival these days, it's no wonder there was so much buzz about the Dreileben films. Especially at a time when the high-test TV series model now casts a shadow over the traditional 1.5-hour film format, it's refreshing to see a more involved storyline amidst the 90-or-so minute vignettes standard at a film fest.
The three films occur separately but contiguously in the German city of Dreileben. Not dissimilar to Kieslowski's Three Colours trilogy, in each of the films we catch quick glimpses into the stories of each of the other films. Unlike Kieslowski (who did all three of the Three Colours trilogy) each of the Dreileben films was done by a different director. As a result the continuity of some of the stories overlay was a bit jilted but not offputting for the trilogy as a whole.
An altogether great series, and one that I would highly recommend anyone see, the three films occur at a time when a suspected murderer has escaped custody. He is believed to be living in the surrounding hills and forests. The first of the three films, Better Than Being Dead, stands out as a beautifully tense piece. A perfect staging ground for the mythology of the town and the escaped prisoner that ties the films together.
The series is not-so-neatly tied up in an eerily shot third movement, One Minute of Darkness. This portrait of the escapee has a strong semblance to Cormac McCarthy's book Child of God. It is a sometimes endearing and sometimes sinister look at the protagonist.
A definite must see before the festival ends!
Don't forget to use our discount code AKRLFE when ordering your tickets online!
