From Absurdistan to the Berlin Wall - German Films in NZ

From Absurdistan to the Berlin Wall - Film Society screenings of German cinema.

As in the previous years, in 2010 the New Zealand Film Society, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut, will show a variety of outstanding German films. From Absurdistan to East Berlin, from comedy to drama, this year's selection has something to offer for everyone.

Here are just two out of seven as a little appetizer.

• Absurdistan, Germany 2008 / 87 min.
Director: Veit Helmer

Somewhere between Asia and Europe lies the God-forsaken desert village of Absurdistan, which a grand total of 14 families somehow manage to call home. For the village, the biggest problem is water... but for the village women, the biggest problem is their lazy men, who won’t lift a finger to remedy the situation. The women decide to take a drastic measure: they go on a sex strike, refusing to make love until their husbands overcome their indifference.

• Cherry Blossoms - Hanami (Kirschblüten - Hanami), Germany 2008 / 121 min.
Director: Doris Dörrie

A story of selfless love that is also a poetic journey into the meaning of life itself. Trudi is the only one who knows that her husband is terminally ill with cancer. When his doctor suggests that the couple undertake one last trip together, Trudi persuades her husband to accompany her to visit her children and grandchildren in Berlin. However, the members of their family are far too wrapped up in their own lives to be able to take care of the couple. After a theatre trip to see a Butoh dance performance, Trudi and Rudi decide to go and stay at a hotel on the Baltic coast. And then, out of the blue, Trudi dies. Rudi is completely at a loss. He has no idea what to do with his life, until he decides to go to Japan to visit their youngest son, Karl.

Event listed by Goethe

View their other events or contact promoter