Set in Berlin during the Romantic Era, Jessica Hausner’s accomplished costume drama is based on the life and death of the 19th-century author Heinrich von Kleist.
Young poet Heinrich wishes to conquer the inevitability of death through love, yet is unable to convince his skeptical cousin Marie to join him in a suicide pact. It is whilst coming to terms with this refusal, ineffably distressed by his cousin's insensitivity to the depth of his feelings, that Heinrich meets Henriette, the wife of a business acquaintance. Heinrich's subsequent offer to the beguiling young woman at first holds scant appeal, that is until Henriette discovers she is suffering from a terminal illness.
Austria, 2014, 95min, German with English subtitles, directed by Jessica Hausner
In 2019 CineClub investigates the relationship of Austrian cinema and genre. We continue in the spring with a closer look at Austrian historical period dramas from the silent era to current festival highlights.
Full Season:
CineConcert: Sodom and Gomorrah: The Legend of Sin and Punishment
Tuesday 2 April, 7pm, ACF London
Angelo
Thursday 11 April, 7pm, ACF London
The White Ribbon
Tuesday 23 April, 7pm, ACF London
Licht (Mademoiselle Paradis)
Thursday 16 May, 7pm, ACF London
Mozart (The life and loves of Mozart)
Thursday 23 May, 7pm, ACF London
