Monthly Archives: April 2013

“Don’t Go Mistakin’ Paradise…”*

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Mark Stern

Austrian auteur/provocateur Ulrich Seidl’s new films, his “Paradise” trilogy, reveal how Teresa (Margarethe Tiesel–in a fearless performance, really), her Catholic missionary sister, Anna Maria (Maria Hofstätter), and her overweight 13-year-old daughter, Melanie (Melanie Lenz), spent their (separate) summer vacations.  And … Continue reading →

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My Obsession

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Mark Stern

The first filmmaker I photographed was Douglas Sirk.  The second, Alain Resnais.  And a few hundred later (including actors, producers, writers, cinematographers, programmers and critics), the most recent, Shane Carruth. I’d been writing brief pieces for “Voice Choices,” the weekly … Continue reading →

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The Nature of Things

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Mark Stern

I don’t know what happens in Shane Carruth’s ethereally beautiful new film, “Upstream Color.”  Well, that’s not exactly accurate–I know what I think happens in this story of pigs, worms, starlings and a new couple. Early in the viewing I … Continue reading →

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Into Africa

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Mark Stern

The great Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène’s 1992 serio-comic, “Guelwaar” examines the divisions within and pressures from without that plague his country. “Guelwaar” opens with the report of the suspicious death of Christian leader, political activist (and less than faithful husband) … Continue reading →

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