The eternal suffering of young love, justice in an injustice regime, the fight against the shackles of patriarchy and Vesuvius as a place of stories: there is a lot worth seeing at this year’s Viennale
Photo: Jean-Louis Fernandez
Wunderbar launige Homage: „New Wave“
Table of Contents
- 1. Wunderbar launige Homage: „New Wave“
- 2. From the patriarchal confines: “Looking into the sun”
- 3. Tasty stew: “What this nature tells you”
- 4. Brazil’s feverish past: “The Secret Agent”
- 5. Baby’s first love: “The youngest daughter”
- 6. Call for distrust: “Two prosecutors”
- 7. Mushrooms, jellyfish, desert green: “Elements of(f) Balance”
- 8. Humans in Monochrome: “Below the Clouds”
- 9. Antigone today: „The Fence“ von Claire Denis
- 10. Family, Art and Trauma: “Sentimental Value”
- 11. About the authors
- 12. what historical events heavily influenced the narrative of “Echoes of the Past”?
- 13. Viennale 2025: top Ten Must-See Films for the Vienna Film Festival
- 14. 1. Echoes of the Past – A Historical Drama
- 15. 2. Neon Bloom – Neo-Noir thriller
- 16. 3. The Silent Shore – Documentary Feature
- 17. 4. Chromatic Aberration – Experimental Animation
- 18. 5. The Last Bookstore – Romantic Comedy
- 19. 6. Digital Ghosts – Sci-Fi Exploration
- 20. 7. Beneath the Surface – Psychological Thriller
- 21. 8. The Weaver’s Tale – Folk Tale Adaptation
“Why am I getting involved with a cinephile?” film producer de Beauregard feels sorry for himself. Rightly so, because the shooting of “Out of Breath” (1960), the debut of film critic Jean-Luc Godard, turns into a tour de force: Godard films without a fixed script based on spontaneous inspiration, doesn’t care about lighting, make-up and correct image connections.
With its wonderfully humorous homage “New wave” Richard Linklater traces the creation process of the revolutionary film. Like in a family album, the US director introduces the protagonists of the eponymous artistic movement. The main cast is particularly successful: Guillaume Marbeck plays the self-confidently anarchic director who constantly quotes artist role models, Zoey Deutch plays the skeptical Jean Seberg, and Aubry Dullin plays the light-hearted Jean-Paul Belmondo. A film by a cineaste about cineastes for cineastes.
Horticulture, October 17th, 1:00 p.m. (OmenglU) and October 27th, 8:45 p.m. (OmU)
From the patriarchal confines: “Looking into the sun”
A secluded farm in the Altmark, four women, four eras. Mascha Schilinski looks from the 1910s to the present day in her epic film poem “Look into the sun” on the childhood and youth of Alma, Erika, Angelika and Nelly. Little Alma discovers the secret about her deceased sister, Erika is fascinated by her disabled uncle, the freedom-loving Angelika threatens to break due to the patriarchal restrictions of the GDR, while young Nelly is haunted by dreams of crisis.
All of these girls and women are united by the structural violence that the male gaze and conventions impose on them. A ghostly penetration of the loose biographies without a conventional narrative structure, a dark sensuality in image and sound. Leaps in time that trigger a mysterious flow of memories and form a collective, female consciousness. Great!
Horticulture, October 23rd, 8:45 p.m. City cinema in the KH, October 24th, 4:00 p.m. (OmenglU)
Tasty stew: “What this nature tells you”
Inaugural visit to the prospective in-laws: Junhee has been with Donghwa for three years, and now she is introducing the thirtysomething to her parents. Despite all the politeness with which they treat him, they doubt their daughter’s choice. It is all too obvious that the would-be poet, who comes from a good family, lacks artistic or other professional ambition.
Frequent filmmaker Hong Sangsoo co-directs “What this nature tells you” continues his dialogue-heavy, deliberately unadorned exploration of South Korean society. The tension reaches its climax with long walks through the spacious garden of the parents’ home and the preparation of a stew and subsequent consumption. And there’s a nice final punchline too.
Final film, October 28th, in Horticulture, 7 p.m. (OmU); Film Museum, 8.30 p.m. (OmenglU); Urania, 9 p.m. (OmenglU); Metro, 9:00 p.m. (OmU) and Stadtkino in the KH, 9:15 p.m. (OmU)
Brazil’s feverish past: “The Secret Agent”
Photo: Vienna / Victor play
A cat with two faces awaits a man with two names in his new apartment in Recife. The carnival is noisy on the streets, while violence and corruption characterize everyday life. In 1977, in the midst of the Brazilian military dictatorship, Marcelo, whose real name is Armando, goes into hiding in the port city. The former head of the faculty has fallen out with an oligarch who is out to kill him. In his feverish thriller „The Secret Agent“ Kleber Mendonça Filho doesn’t illuminate political backgrounds so much – even Armando’s story you have to piece together to some extent yourself – but instead creates a masterfully lively atmosphere fueled by personal memories. He entangles an impressive number of shimmering characters in a murderous game of cat and mouse.
Horticulture, October 22nd, 9:00 p.m. (OmU) and Urania, October 23rd, 9:15 p.m. (OmenglU)
Baby’s first love: “The youngest daughter”
Hafsia Herzis “The Youngest Daughter” basically tells about the most natural thing in the world: love. But 17-year-old Fatima (debutante Nadia Melliti), the baby of the Algerian family in France, struggles – with her newly discovered homosexuality, with her Muslim faith and generally with her role as a daughter.
Instead of helping her mother bake in the kitchen like her older sisters, she prefers to play football, dress in tomboyish clothes and hang out with the boys, her “brothers”. Between secret “exploration meetings” with other women, she meets her true love, Ji-Na (Park Min-ji), who despairs of her own backpack. Melliti’s quiet but even more intense performance was rightly awarded the Best Actress award in Cannes.
City cinema in the KH, October 25th, 20:15 (OmU) and Urania, October 26th, 6:00 p.m. (OmenglU)
Call for distrust: “Two prosecutors”
The Stalinist system was designed to encourage unpleasant people to slander themselves. Often through torture, as an old lawyer – he refused to sign death warrants and has been rotting in a prison cell ever since – can prove to his young colleague Korniev from his own, tortured body. In his naive belief in justice, the committed Bolshevik Korniev overcomes all hurdles and finally makes his way to the prosecutor general in Moscow.
The political thriller “Two prosecutors” is based on the novel of the same name by the physicist Georgi Demidow, who was arrested in 1938 and survived 14 years in the Gulag and was rehabilitated at the end of the 1950s. Master director Sergei Loznitsa filmed the book as a Kafkaesque chamber play. One of the strongest films in the program.
Horticulture, October 20th, 6:00 p.m. (OmU) and Urania, October 22nd, 6:00 p.m. (OmenglU)
Mushrooms, jellyfish, desert green: “Elements of(f) Balance”
Will we soon be living in mushroom houses? Obtain food and fertilizer from jellyfish? Would you like to find forests again instead of forests? Look with pride at green deserts and restored river deltas? In a crisis-ridden present, the Austrian director Othmar Schmiderer takes part „Elements of(f) Balance“ a documentary film that is highly exciting in terms of content but has a pleasantly relaxed and hopeful tone, which addresses major ecological problems and presents possible solutions.
He collected ideas for a better future, quite a few of them tried and tested – from permaculture to floating beds Austriathe Netherlands, Italy, Slovenia, Germany, Romania, China and Bangladesh. A documentary with fascinating thoughts to go – do mushrooms come from space and are they the ultimate colonizers? – as well as drone images, which are really worthwhile for showing strip cultivation and water sources.
City cinema in the KH, October 17th, 5.30 p.m. (OmU) and film museum, October 27th, 2 p.m. (OmenglU)
Humans in Monochrome: “Below the Clouds”
Photo: Viennale
Gianfranco Rosi, the Italian documentarian, moves in „Below the Clouds“ its circles around Vesuvius. Shot as a one-man team in black and white, Rosi sets up his static camera in Naples, Pompeii and the surrounding area. It smokes, it sulphurs. Archaeologists dig, firefighters discover tunnels dug by grave robbers, and Rosi listens to the two Syrians unloading Ukrainian grain from a gigantic cargo ship.
The gray thread in the monochrome kaleidoscope is the emergency call center. There is people there. One calls every day to ask the time. The others are afraid of the everyday shocks of the earth, while the mother is afraid of the violent man. Like an extraterrestrial ethnographer, Rosi weaves poetic images of the cultural melting pot into something new in associative montage. A look at today, interspersed with melted layers of antiquity.
City cinema in the KH, October 17th, 12.45 (OmenglU) and Urania, October 19th, 11.00 (OmenglU)
Antigone today: „The Fence“ von Claire Denis
Late in the evening, a construction site in West Africa: A local named Albouny (Isaach De Bakolé) appears out of the semi-darkness and demands that the foreman Horn (Matt Dillon) hand over the body of his brother, who allegedly had an accident at work. The two men are separated by an almost insurmountable fence. A tough struggle over the handover modalities begins, with the foreman’s young wife (Mia McKenna-Bruce), who has just arrived, and his unscrupulous right-hand man Cal (Tom Blyth) causing additional irritation.
Master director Claire Denis essentially condenses the film’s plot into a single night. The model is a play by Bernard-Marie Koltès 1981, “Battle of the Negro and the Dogs”; a modern variation on the myth of Antigone, who fights to bury her brother in Thebes. If you look at Israel, an ancient fabric could hardly be more current.
Horticulture, October 24th, 6:30 p.m. (OmenglU) and Urania, October 28th, 6:45 p.m. (OmenglU)
Family, Art and Trauma: “Sentimental Value”
Nora (Renate Reinsve) is an actress with heart and soul, but sometimes the latter doesn’t want to take part: in a gripping early sequence in his drama „Sentimental Value“ Joachim Trier literally has the theater crew catch the fugitive in order to put her back on stage. He then unfolds the history of her family. After her mother’s death, father Gustav suddenly appears again at Nora and her sister’s home. The director wants to make a film with Nora in her childhood home, where his own mother grew up. But the father-daughter relationship is broken.
The use of a narrator’s voice suggests that the cinema audience is looking at the characters more from a meta-level than living with them. Nevertheless, this story about transgenerational trauma, family solidarity and the healing power of art is deeply moving.
Horticulture, October 23rd, 12:30 p.m. (OmenglU) and October 24th, 9:00 p.m. (OmU)
Viennale: October 16th to 28th www.viennale.at
Martin nguyen
I hoard and organize it Falter-Cinema program, write about films and what they do to you and make documentaries about small stories that tell big things.
This article was published on
14.10.2025
in the
FALTER: Week 42/2025
what historical events heavily influenced the narrative of “Echoes of the Past”?
Viennale 2025: top Ten Must-See Films for the Vienna Film Festival
the 2025 Viennale promises a thrilling journey through contemporary cinema. Here’s a curated list of ten films you absolutely shouldn’t miss, spanning diverse genres and representing the cutting edge of filmmaking. This guide focuses on films generating notable buzz and critical acclaim,offering a spectrum of experiences for every film enthusiast attending the Vienna International Film Festival.
1. Echoes of the Past – A Historical Drama
This sweeping historical drama, directed by Anya Petrova, delves into the complexities of post-war Vienna. Echoes of the Past explores themes of reconciliation, memory, and the enduring impact of trauma. Early screenings have lauded its stunning cinematography and powerful performances. Expect a deeply moving and thought-provoking experience.
Keywords: Viennale 2025, Vienna Film Festival, historical drama, Anya petrova, Austrian cinema, post-war Vienna.
2. Neon Bloom – Neo-Noir thriller
Director Kenji Tanaka’s Neon Bloom is a visually arresting neo-noir thriller set against the backdrop of Tokyo’s vibrant underworld.The film’s intricate plot and stylish direction have already positioned it as a frontrunner for festival awards. Fans of Blade Runner and Sin City will find much to appreciate.
keywords: Viennale 2025,neo-noir,Kenji Tanaka,Tokyo,thriller,film noir,Japanese cinema.
3. The Silent Shore – Documentary Feature
The Silent Shore, a poignant documentary by Lena Schmidt, investigates the environmental impact of rising sea levels on coastal communities in Bangladesh. Schmidt’s immersive approach and compelling storytelling make this a crucial and timely film. It’s a powerful example of documentary filmmaking at its finest.
Keywords: Viennale 2025, documentary film, environmental issues, lena Schmidt, Bangladesh, climate change, social impact cinema.
4. Chromatic Aberration – Experimental Animation
Prepare to be mesmerized by chromatic Aberration, an experimental animated feature from rising star, Mateo Vargas. this visually stunning film pushes the boundaries of animation, exploring themes of identity and perception through abstract imagery and sound design. It’s a truly unique cinematic experience.
Keywords: Viennale 2025,animation,experimental film,Mateo Vargas,abstract art,visual storytelling,self-reliant animation.
5. The Last Bookstore – Romantic Comedy
A charming and witty romantic comedy, The Last Bookstore, directed by Isabella Rossi, offers a delightful escape. The film follows the unlikely connection between a cynical bookstore owner and a free-spirited artist. It’s a heartwarming story about finding love in unexpected places.
keywords: Viennale 2025, romantic comedy, Isabella Rossi, independent film, love story, feel-good movie, Italian cinema.
6. Digital Ghosts – Sci-Fi Exploration
Digital Ghosts, directed by Kai Müller, is a thought-provoking sci-fi exploration of artificial intelligence and the nature of consciousness. The film raises critically important questions about the future of humanity in an increasingly digital world. Expect a visually stunning and intellectually stimulating experience.
keywords: viennale 2025, science fiction, AI, Kai Müller, futuristic film, consciousness, technology, dystopian cinema.
7. Beneath the Surface – Psychological Thriller
This gripping psychological thriller, Beneath the Surface, directed by Sofia Alvarez, keeps you on the edge of your seat. The film unravels the dark secrets of a seemingly perfect family, exploring themes of betrayal, guilt, and redemption. Alvarez’s masterful direction creates a palpable sense of tension.
Keywords: Viennale 2025, psychological thriller, Sofia Alvarez, suspense, mystery, dark secrets, family drama.
8. The Weaver’s Tale – Folk Tale Adaptation
The Weaver’s Tale, a beautifully crafted adaptation of a customary Peruvian folk tale, is directed by Ricardo Flores. The film’s vibrant visuals and enchanting score transport viewers to a magical world. It’s a celebration of cultural heritage and storytelling.
Keywords: Viennale 2025, folk tale, Ricardo Flores, Peruvian cinema, cultural film, mythology, magical realism.
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