QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM BERLIN

The acclaimed German director of Run Lola Run (1998) and Perfume: the Story of a Murderer (2006) returns to filmmaking after a hiatus of nearly 10 years, and a string of feature films that never reached the same heights as the dirty classic for which he is best remembered. As in his most famous film, the action takes place in Berlin (the city where Tykwer began his career as projectionist in the 1980s). Characters ride their bikes frantically along the suspended rail tracks adorning the German capital. But that’s where the similarities stop. The Light lacks the aesthetic cohesion and the narrative sophistication of Run Lola Run. Oh, and Franka Potente’s red hair. In fact, there’s nothing fiery, potent and luminous to see here. Expect a damp squib instead. A film honouring the dubious tradition of opening the Berlinale with anodyne, boring and sanitised dramas, such as this one.

Tim Engels (Eidinger) lives with his dysfunctional family of four in a large and modern flat overlooking the bustling streets of Berlin. He is a prominent publicist, working for a greedy corporation operating under the disguise of “tree-huggers”. His wife Milena (Nicolette Krebitz) also has a successful career: she is a project manager delivering educational and audiovisual projects to marginalised communities. Their 17-year-old twins Frieda (Elke Biesendorfer) and Jon (Julius Gause) spend most of their time playing games, consuming alcohol and getting pregnant – just like any average adolescent. Expletive-laden rants and soliloquies are part of their routine. Despite their demanding jobs with abundant personal interaction opportunities, Tim and Milena barely communicate with one other. The four family members remain hermetically sealed inside the fragile bubble of their own existence, mostly indifferent to each other’s presence.

All of that is about to change with the arrival of Syrian housekeeper Farrah (Tala Al Deen), a highly intelligent and sensible woman in her 40s. She is determined to provoke change into the heart of the emotionally precarious household. She decides in favour of the low-skilled job despite having much higher qualifications, and speaking three languages fluently. She two has a husband and twins of the same age as her employers. It becomes increasingly clear that she has a vested interest in the family. Farrah is highly likeable, and engages with the four people in ways they never anticipated. She plays VR games with Jon, talks to Frieda, and provides the parents with comfort and a safety net. Her eyes are bursting with love and compassion. Whatever her agenda, Farrah is not a nefarious human being. Maybe she could even inject some joy into the depressing existence of these for people (indeed “farrah” means “happiness” in Arabic),.

Dio (Elyas Eldridge) completes the family picture. His father drops the talkative little boy off to spend a few days with the Engels because he has to travel back to his native Kenya. At first, the connection between Dio and the others isn’t revealed. Gradually, viewers realise that he is an integral part of the household. Perhaps he’s also their most solid foundation. Dio is obsessed with Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, a song he repeatedly chants from the most he’s first introduced: “is this the real life? Or is this just fantasy”. He’s imploring for an answer about his own affiliation, while also hinting at the nature of the film. The fantasy elements of The Light are abundant (if barely cogent). The line between straightforward storytelling, imagination and allegory is very thin.

It would take you some time to work to work out this relatively simple plot outline on your own. The first half an hour of this interminable 162-minute drama is extremely confusing. First, we are introduced to Farrah and the titular light. She has her eyes closed and ostensibly entranced facing a blinking spotlight on her table. Later, we learn that this light releases ecstasy-inducing hormones, thereby triggering a near-death experience. We then meet Farah’s fellow Syrians, and learn of a strange plane crash that barely fits in with the rest of the story. We are gradually introduced to the Engels. It’s only when Farrah takes up the housekeeper job that the narrative arc becomes a little more discernible. This doesn’t mean the movie becomes interesting, with a recognisable takeaway. It’s just that incoherence morphs into irrelevance.

The Light is both visually and narratively ambitious. And it fails tremendously on both fronts. This is a movie intoxicated by its own narrative wizardry and lame symbolisms (starting with the titluar light),.The multiple image textures attempt to create a postmodern kaleidoscope. VR is blended with extensive drone footage of Berlin, supernatural devices, animation, video art and video clip languages to extremely confusing results, a real patchwork of optic references. The music numbers are absolutely ludicrous. They include the worst Queen tribute you may ever see, and an impromptu dance number during a funeral, as Milena breaks into dancing after being asked “who are you?”.

The topics of the film are equally muddled. What started out as a fatuous criticism of individualism and corporatism, and the inevitable toll that such values take on the nuclear German family, suddenly becomes a comment on colonialism and the refugee experience. The movie neither returns to its original theme, nor comes full circle in its hastily introduced new ambitions. A bizarre obsession with Eidinger’s naked, well-endowed body does little to rescue the movie from utter banality. After all, one pecker doesn’t make a summer.

Don’t stick around for joy. The ending is tacky and silly. The only light worth waiting for is the movie theatre’s. That’s when viewers are finally released from nearly three hours of sheer darkness and boredom.

The Light just opened the 75th edition of the Berlin International Film Festival.