Films by Marylou Vergez

2022, 76 min
by Roman Hüben

Douglas Sirk was the master of cinematic melodrama. This fascinating, emotional portrait reveals that the ultimate melodrama was Sirk’s own life. It is the key to understanding his work. He discovered Zarah Leander and made her a star in the mid-1930s. Later, in the USA, he catapulted Rock Hudson from no-name to screen icon. And in the 1950s Douglas Sirk reinvented the melodrama. But who was the man who suddenly left Hollywood at the height of his fame and moved to Switzerland? In interviews with among others Todd Haynes and hitherto unpublished excerpts from his wife’s diaries, the film gets closer to this mysterious genius. We discover a life story marked by hope, disillusionment, love and death. [FFHH22]

2021, 82 min
by Franziska Von Stenglin

Liem belongs to the ethnic minority of the Sedang and lives in a remote region of Vietnam. The observing camera succinctly sketches a daily routine that’s marked more by surviving than by living. With his friends, he prepares for an expedition into the jungle, where the young men want to take time out, continue the tradition of their ancestors, become hunters and gatherers. The more twisting their paths, the deeper the film seems to enter into a different sphere.We get to know Liem doing everyday activities. Carrying the baby in a sling, he cooks, hangs out the laundry, goes to the field. The giant loudspeakers fixed to the streetlights fill his village with official news and advertising. In his stilt house, Liem prefers to listen to Vietnamese pop music. Soon we feel the rhythm, the unique beat of this life. When Liem and his friends set out in rubber sandals and carrying backpacks, the camera follows close behind, takes their perspective. Shot on Super 16, the film captures the green tones of the Vietnamese Central Highlands, the images develop a mesmerizing depth. The rustling of leaves, the buzzing of insects, birdsong and permanent rain come together in a melodious soundscape. Suddenly time seems to stand still, the separation between screen and auditorium is lifted. (64 DOK Leipzig, Anke Leweke)