Attenberg (2010)

What in the holy hell was this garbage?!?!? This Greek film is so completely devoid of meaning it's just a ball of junk. Perhaps that's not entirely true. Within the 90 minutes there is a bit of story that could have been nicely packaged into a 15 minute short film. That means 75 minutes of NOTHING have been added in between what actually means something. I am sure the director had a vision and the symbolism would be apparent but NO, it's NOT apparent. What we're subjected to is scenes of no meaning and essentially zero emotion. None. I will say this -- it is an interesting view of Greece, quite unreminiscent of the postcard-pretty, beautifully sunny, white washed Mediterranean scenes most people have seen a thousand times. This is a bleak Greece with bleak life wrapped up in a bleak film. I watched in a state of perplexation then at the end I wanted to run outside and scream in horror at what a terrible movie this is... but it was 4 a.m. and I'd wake up my neighbors. I'd rather watch 90 minutes of just my facial expressions while watching this film. Or I'd rather set myself on fire because that would be more entertaining than this so-called movie. In 86 movies, it's actually not the worst I've seen in 2013 but it most definitely was a total waste of time.

3.5 / 10 stars

--Zoooma, a Kat Pirate Screener

Fmovies: This is my first review (here) ever, so it's safe to say that Attenberg was an experience I won't forget. I can't recall seeing a movie that was so infuriating in its desperate desire to be quirky and original. The most valid point this movie makes is that not anyone in Greece can pull out a Dogtooth, even if they've collaborated with Lanthimos and cast him in the film. It's painfully clear that this was Tsangari's aim. Yes, Attenberg deals with same themes. Yes, the actors are almost as brilliant. But that's all these two films have in common.

This movie seems to lack any kind of rhythm. Cinematography is downright pedestrian and the editing disjointed. There are way too many - and way too long - uninteresting shots, most of which obviously underline the poor state of Greece. I stress the word "underline" as the point was already made in the first 10 minutes. The awkward kissing scene and the childish dances are really effective, but combined with the snail-paced dullness of the rest of the material, they stick out like sore thumbs. In this context, these weird elements serve absolutely no other purpose than making the watcher uncomfortable.

I really tried to like this movie, but can't escape the fact that it didn't provoke a single thought and came across only as an opportunistic slice of pretentious art cinema. Maybe that was the aim, who knows.

1/10

10 Exceptional 9 Outstanding 8 Excellent 7 Very good 6 Good 5 Enjoyable 4 Watchable 3 Bad 2 Very bad 1 Abysmal

Difficult. That's what cult stands for in this situation. Greece's highest creations come from a group of people where they recycle and create via a type of rotation. The producer of Dogtooth become a director, the director an actor and so on. Not bad at all. Follows the artistic aspect of Dogtooth, showing a story on adulthood and dealing with loss and what you are. An unconventional human being (with a touch of Asperger's syndrome), a loving and caring father, a slutty best friend and a partner almost like an alter ego, resembles to her father, and mirrors herself. Honest, familiar yet artsy, method-ish and pretentious from time to time. But still opens up to the viewers, where the twisted is welcome, no one judges and offers himself to the public effortlessly, honestly almost unconditionally. A new era, post modern, unlocks the contemporary social establishment.

Attenberg fmovies. What a film, I adored this feature. For its bravery, uniqueness and willingness to be something different, in almost every aspect.

Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari, this feature was a true experience. An arthouse film from Greece, in Greek and parts in French plus a dash of English, it had such a character, and tone which shone through the screen with such confidence and clarity. The direction is masterful, guiding the four main performances to every beat, it doesn't feel overlong or cringed, it is sublime, and pure.

The main performance by Ariane Labed was perfect, she delivered her characters fear, inexperience, crudeness, wackiness, and curiosity with such a command, that is quiet yet enthralling. This being her first film performance, and a tough one to wrestle with, it is classful and incredible that it was delivered so well, despite the characters absurdity.

Evangelia Randou as Bella was great, she played the promiscuous character well. In particular I found for the random cuts to where Marina and Bella would walk down the pathway in the strangest ways, dancing or pouncing about, they were hilarious and truly something which lightened the somewhat heavy theme of the picture. Vangelis Mourikis as Spyros was surprisingly funny, I had though that his character would be boring, but in the end, I sympathised with him greatly and his final fate is sad, yet it is what would always of happened. Yorgos Lanthimos also appears in this film, his character is a vehicle for Marina to explore the new world which she enters, and he plays the part very well, without an ounce of amateurism as an actor, while many of his scenes are highly sexual, the narrative focuses deeply on the characters, and how much they speak during their interactions, which is funny since these are the only scenes with great deal of dialogue, which was deeply ironic and funny.

The screenplay and narrative of this film are on paper rather thin, however when played on screen; they become so full of life and so rich. The characters may seem catatonic on the facade, but if one pays attention, they become so layered. Though little is spoken throughout this feature, very much is said through body language, though sound, these are highly visual performances. And that is how the character development is delivered, and is driven by bad circumstances and poor decisions, that deliver such strong characterisation. The screenplay can'y have been very long, yet it delivers so much.

The narrative is further aided by the masterful cinematography. It is in a 1.85:1 which immediately is different and gives a larger, more juvenile looking frame, on my screen it was very engaging. In addition to this, the camera acts as as if it were a person, but always either slowly moving or sat down, it feels very natural. No shot if forced, nor extreme, it is a visceral experience. It is beautifully filmed. It was done on 35mm film, this gives it something of a timeless look, for it has nether the sharpness of 64mm film, nor the grainy and retro look of 16mm film. It is my personal favourite type of film, and seeing it used to its greatest effect, in mostly natural lighting, with natural angles, it was a sight to behold. A welcome gift for weary eyes.

On the negative side, in sone small segment towards the end of the second act, the film loses a little steam, and slows down a tad but then picks up again very quickly. Also I felt that Yorgos Lanthimos' character could have been explored a little more than what was given.

The uni

Born and raised in an abandoned mill town, uniformly built around a single high-rise apartment building , Marina has fallen in love with a failed architectural experiment and forgotten all about the people who were supposed to live in it.

Built sometime in the sixties, Attenberg was never meant to harbour human warmth in the first place. Its sole purpose was to procure obedient workers for the nearby aluminum factory, offering a colorless life to go with the regulation outfit. Hardly the stuff dreams are made of. The only romance that ever blossoms amidst the white-washed walls of this ghost town is of the fleeting variety, here now and gone tomorrow, as Marina's promiscuous friend Bella would readily attest to.

The only long-standing engagement is the one between Marina's father - one of the project's leading architects - and the city. Eternally bound to his concrete mistress, he now follow s her down ward spiral , as his cancerous innards are decaying in synch with the building's ancient plumbing. No wonder his daughter never learned how to love. And the only man who could ever teach her - a handsome stranger in town for business - might have entered her life a little too late. Will Marina follow her father down the path of destruction, or will she break free of the asphalt and concrete jungle that is her home? Conjuring magic from graceless slabs of stone, Athina Rachel Tsangari turns the remains of this industrial community into her own private Stonehenge - a cross between ancient burial ground s and an enchanted monument. Or perhaps the town is just the breeding ground for an endangered species, like the ones Marina loves to watch on the wildlife channel. The only difference is these ones are plagued by post-industrial loneliness. And it appears to be fatal.

Some kinda artful, theatrically but then again verisimilar movie. A Lot Nudity. The main character got this Asexuality orientations (abstention from sexual activity) + shes got this strange shoulder condition.

Dark, unpleasant movie about contemporary Greece, set by a dying father and a lost-soul daughter. Strange how you can fall in love with an actress you haven't seen before, as I did with Ariane Labed playing Marina. I guess she reminded me both physically and spiritually of an ex-girlfriend. Attractive, somehow boyish, always making the other move, both at a distance and now and then unexpectedly intimate. All the talking in other reviews about Marina being emotionally 'dead' is total nonsense. You have to (try to) understand this character, but not many men are willing or able to. To me she was the shining light in this portrayal of a depressed, bankrupt and humiliated country. This movie worked like a magnet to me. After I finished watching it, I was almost certain the director had to be a woman of about my age. I was right. I suppose Ariane has a great filming future ahead of her, but I hope she will perform in movies like this one. But it could just as well be her best role already.