theviewmasters - Tumblr blog

[theviewmasters]

Hi, Love your awesome reviews of Berger's movies. I just watched Hawaii again today. I am enthralled. One thing I don't get is why when Eugenio rejects Martin and he is walking away. Martin gets angry when Eugenio asks "What? Is it because of the drawings?". Is he angry because Eugenio thinks Martin is just fooling around and doesn't realize that he likes Eugenio?

Hi! If you look at the disqus comments on the posts about Hawaii on my other blog talkaboutpreciousthings, you’ll find endless discussions on this very issue and many, many others. We dug really, really deep, so there’s lots to read.

However, this is a question to ponder indeed. My take on why Eugenio rejects Martín is because E thinks M might feel obliged to ‘service’ E now that E thinks M has found out that E is gay. That M might feel he’ll lose his job otherwise. I think E has convinced himself - for several reasons - that M is straight. As a way to protect himself, I guess, because he’s too scared to get involved with M. That’s part of it, in my view, at least. But it’s such a beautifully complex film which can be interpreted in many ways. 

[theviewmasters]

Director Marco Berger has revealed that while his other film, Dos Elefantes, has been delayed for some reason, he’s managed to shoot a completely different film called Taekwondo. There are no clues as to what it’s about, except for the cast and these photos. But yay! I love that he’s so productive.

Although, I am still waiting to see Mariposa. Why aren’t they releasing a dvd? 

[theviewmasters]

A proper trailer for Marco Berger’s new film Mariposa. No subtitles, unfortunately. But still, it looks lovely and intriguing. 

[theviewmasters]

Good news! Seems Marco Berger will start filming his fifth feature film this summer. It’s called Dos Elefantes (Two Elephants).

The synopis is this:

The complexities of a ‘Bromance’ leads two friends to confuse friendship for love in an experience that leads them to accept their own heterosexuality.

Sound brilliant, no? Marco’s such a unique filmmaker, I feel. 

Here’s Marco statement on why he wants to do this film:

I think this new genre called “bromance” has not been explored indepth. Sexual desire between heterosexual men, it’s not socially accepted.In general terms, people think that if a man feels attracted to another man, for whatever reason, he must be gay.There is also this widespread idea, that if a man has intercourse with another man he “turns” gay…and if he doesn’t repeat the experience it’s because he is repressing it, you know, in fact, this idea is very present even in the homosexual community. I want this movie to question this idea. I believe that a man can desire another man, he can look at him, have a relationship with him and even sexual intercourse without meaning that he is homosexual. It simplymeans that he had this experience. He may have even enjoyed it, but it doesn’t make him gay, he is still heterosexual. A man can feel this kind of attraction, but this doesn’t mean that his desire is homosexual. I consider that the recurrent desire for both men and women can be considered bisexuality, but not an occasional relationship, which can be just that. It simply means fulfilling a desire and breaking the social repression that doesn’t allow such contact and questions the sexuality of the individual. Because of my previous films, many viewers will assume that the main characters are both repressed gay men and that they will end up together. I believe this bias will help gay people to accept at the same time as the main characters, that there is no repressed homosexuality in this story but only two heterosexual men allowing themselves to fulfill a desire and break the barrier of hysteria, which frequently floats around any relationship.I have never seen this statement in any film, I believe it will be a very interesting story to tell.

[theviewmasters]

A trailer for Mariposa (Butterfly) by Marco Berger. Yay!

It’s not really a trailer, as much as it’s a five minute long scene from the film. I’m not complaining, though, it looks great. It is in keeping with Marco’s very particular style of filmmaking; slow, long silences, yet very tense. I love it.

[theviewmasters]

An interview about Mariposa/Butterfly with Marco Berger, Javier de Pietro and Pablo Ingercher (producer) - from the Berlin film festival.

It sounds like a great film! I love that they say it’s a film to watch many, many times, because you discover new things. Something which I think we are many to agree are true of his other films as well. 

What’s more, in another interview he said this about future films (which makes me very happy! Maybe he can make another film - like Hawaii - very soon.)

Unlike their previous titles, which occurred in a short time, with the record of “Hawaii”, completed in eight weeks, “Butterfly” had a more traditional development since the budget was more ambitious. This does not mean that the director is abandoning independence, as he explains, among a catalog of upcoming projects has a smaller work in the line of “Hawaii”.

[theviewmasters]

Manuel Vignau in El Vestido Brillaba.

Because he’s such a handsome fella. And I’m telling you, shirtlessness IS in his contract. *g*

[theviewmasters]

El Vestido Brillaba (The Dress Was Shining) - a short film starring Manuel Vignau.  Who is shirtless, of course. :)

With subtitles in English!

Here’s how it’s described:

In an enveloping space that embraces and gives refuge, where two kindred spirits dwell, reality does not appear in the conventional manner: dreams that suggest an escape, caresses that provide solace. Ariel and Franco, live their present moments together, cocooned in their inner sanctum, refuting any possibility of an ‘outside’. This ‘outside’ does not disturb, does not destroy the couple’s warmth and tenderness, but it is just.. there. And this ‘outside’ suggests, ever so precariously, the couple’s barely perceptible boundaries.

[theviewmasters]

Mariposa (or Butterfly) will have its world premiere at the Berlin film festival next week. And here’s how the film is described on the festival’s site (sounds splendid! And quite complicated. I can’t wait!):

A butterfly, a creature symbolising rebirth and a new beginning, epitomises Romina’s and Germán’s world, a world that consists of two parallel realities. In one of them they grow up as siblings who desire each other and try to give shape to their love without sexual fulfilment; in the other they are a young man and woman who form an awkward friendship instead of succumbing to their feelings for each other. Germán finds himself in a discordant relationship with Mariela. Mariela’s brother is interested in Bruno. Bruno is with Romina, but wants to be with Germán. Playfully alternating between these two realities, the lovers find themselves drawn into ever new couplings in order to explore their intuitive feelings – cautiously, but at the same time prepared to lose everything. Marco Berger, who won the 2011 Teddy Award, takes a fascinating film idea and turns it into an impressive universe of endlessly diverse approaches to friendship and love. This is an unusually dynamic space in which emotional insecurity, sexual confusion, incest, self-deception, intuition and spiritual bonding all find their place.

[theviewmasters]

talkaboutpreciousthings:

Thinking about Hawaii and what the film means continues around the world, and I’ve recieved one very interesting comment on how the use of the colours red and black could be seen as symbolic;  where black represents power and red submission. Also, on imdb there is a comment (from anyone here?) which seemed very enlightening to me, concerning the pineapple. I didn’t know this about pineapples, so for me this made the symbolism of the fruit that much clearer.

Pineapple tree’s will only produce one pineapple, then will die, the pineapple in the picture shows a tree growing two which is very special. I believe Martin was just talking about the slides, and happens to mention the two pineapples.  Eugenio then remembers Martins comment on the two pineapples, Symbolic in the fact that it is rare to see two pineapples growing on the same tree, a couple, growing together side by side.  These two guys grew together when they were younger, both remembering parts of their youth, while spending more and more time with each other, e.g Cat Stoning, Shooting, Swimming etc. They then happen to be reunited, By the death of Martins Grandmother, and the fact he had nowhere to stay, and Eugenio, although not owning the house, was there at the same time as Martin house sitting. A reunion by chance, a rare event. So i think Eugenio realizes that, like the pineapples, this is a special pairing.

[theviewmasters]

Marco Berger’s new film Mariposa/Butterfly will be shown at the Berlin Film Festival in February, in the Panorama Ficton Films category. 

Great news! Last time he had a film in Berlin, was with Ausente, where he won the Teddy award in 2011. So yay!

News source

Photo source

[theviewmasters]

There has been an addition to the small, but ever so darling, Plan B fanfiction collection (which I also take as a perfect excuse to post a bunch of Plan B gifs!):

It’s called If I Were A Feeling by withoutwords and it’s a lovely little vignette about the trials of Pablo and Bruno’s relationship after the film ends. It’s sweet and warm and romantic. Go read it!

[theviewmasters]

A trailer for a short film called The Labyrinth, starring Manuel Vignau. With subtitles in English!

Here’s how it’s described:

Luis is lost in the deepest of his fears. He will have to start a vertiginous journey and find a way out of it.

[theviewmasters]

Manuel Vignau being cute and eating a cake. What other reason for posting do I need? *g*

From this video.

[theviewmasters]

Lucas Ferraro singing! And quite well too. Brilliant.

From here.

[theviewmasters]

A new radio interview with Marco Berger - where he talks about Plan B, Ausente and Hawaii. In Spanish - so I only understand a little. But for those of you who do understand, enjoy! :)

[theviewmasters]

An interview with Marco Berger, Manuel Vignau and Lucas Ferraro about Plan B - from 2009.

I’d so love to know what they’re saying here (but I don’t know Spanish). For example, are there any interesting anecdotes we haven’t heard from other interviews? Stories from the set? I’d love to hear them all.