Wim Wenders and his jury have been slammed by the press these past 10 days at the Berlin Film Festival, mostly for staying apolitical on the Gaza-Israel war. Is it any wonder that they decided to steer away from the critical consensus and reward some of the least well-reviewed films?
A message was sent to critics this evening by Wenders and his jury at Berlin — “critics don’t count or influence our decisions.” How else can you interpret the fact that two of the least well-reviewed films in the competition won the top prizes?
Before this evening unfolded, the clear critical favorites from this year’s competition were Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose,” Lance Hammer’s “Queen at Sea,” Alain Gomis’ “Dao,” Tizza Covi/Rainer Frimmel‘s “The Loneliest Man in Town,” and Fernando Eimbcke’s “Flies.”
Instead, the top prize, the Golden Bear for best film, went to İlker Çatak’s “Yellow Letters,” a drama that centers on Derya (Özgü Namal) and Aziz (Tansu Biçer), two Turkish theater performers who face unemployment after being targeted by political oppression under Turkey’s authoritarian regime. The film, which is Çatak’s follow-up to his Oscar-nominated “The Teacher’s Lounge,” received a divisive reception from critics and was not on anyone’s bingo card to win the Golden Bear — a surprising victor.
The Grand Jury Prize (second place or runner-up) went to another Turkish filmmaker, Emin Alper’s “Salvation,” a drama that explores how tensions rise and violence unfold in a remote mountain village in Turkey after the return of a previously exiled clan. The film was also met with a chilly reception at Berlin, but again, Wenders and his jury defied critical consensus and went by the beat of their own drum.
Grant Gee won the best director award for “Everyone Digs Bill Evans,” a non-linear biographical drama that examines the life of the legendary jazz pianist, deeply affected by the sudden death of his bassist in a car crash. Norwegian actor Anders Danielsen Lie (Sentimental Value) portrays Evans, while Laurie Metcalf and Bill Pullman appear as his parents.
Hammer’s “Queen at Sea” won two awards: the Silver Bear Jury Prize (third place) and Best Supporting Performance for Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay, who play an aging couple in the drama — Calder-Marshall as a woman with severe dementia and Courtenay as her loving husband and caregiver.
German actress Sandra Hüller received the Silver Bear for Best Performance for her transformative role in “Rose,” directed by Austrian filmmaker Markus Schleinzer. Set in 17th-century rural Germany, Hüller portrays a woman living as a man in a striking black-and-white film inspired by numerous historical cases of gender disguise.
Beth de Araújo’s “Josephine,” which dominated Sundance awards and competed in Berlin, did not win any prizes.
Full list of winner below.
GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST FILM
Yellow Letters, dir. Ilker ÇatakSILVER BEAR GRAND JURY PRIZE
Salvation, dir. Emin AlperSILVER BEAR JURY PRIZE
Queen at Sea, dir. Lance HammerSILVER BEAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR
Grant Gee, Everyone Digs Bill EvansSILVER BEAR FOR BEST LEADING PERFORMANCE
Sandra Hüller, RoseSILVER BEAR FOR BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay, Queen at SeaSILVER BEAR FOR BEST SCREENPLAY
Nina Roza, dir. Geneviève Dulude-de CellesSILVER BEAR FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION
Yo (Love Is a Rebellious Bird), dir. Anna Fitch