Compiled by Marinell Haegelin
Being accredited for a film festival might sound exotic, but it is hard work. Most journalists and industry professionals see four-plus films a day. Oftentimes someone must leave a film early or walk in a little late moving between films; also, cinemas are located in different areas of Hamburg. Just as sometimes, the professional will walk out of a film, because the film is—in that person’s opinion—just that bad.
Following is a list of films the team covering Filmfest Hamburg walked out of in 2018. It includes the film title, section, at what point in the film the journalist walked out, and a short explanation why.
SHÉHÉRAZADE, Voilà!, 11 of 109 minutes | Set in coastal Marseille in southern France, white subtitles without a dark thin-lined border were unbearable to read against sun-drenched backgrounds. Already I was confused about the storyline. Knowing “McQueen” was beginning in an alternative Abaton cinema gave me 3-minutes to switch. Glad I did. (MH)
THOSE WHO WORK, Voilà!, 2 of 101 minutes | The subtitles were in German, not English as listed in the program. (CR)
MONROVIA, INDIANA, Transatlantic, 60 of 143 minutes | It was a mind-numbing look into boring meetings. (CR)
BAIXO CENTRO, Vitrina, 30 of 80 minutes | By that point there were no characters introduced and the highlight was a man and a woman wrestling on the floor naked for no apparent reason. I didn't have anything else to watch, but life is short and I am tired of “artistic” films which really don't do anything new stylistically or evoke any feeling at all. (RF)
DANY, Eurovisuell, 30 of 89 minutes | It was painfully unfunny. I walked out after a long joke involving a man having shoved rolls of euro bills and a cell phone up his butt. Did I mention it wasn't funny? (RF)
M, Kaleidoskop, 15 of 105 minutes | Dark, obtuse, and grainy. The opening didn't make much sense and certainly didn't hook the audience. I thought “Monrovia, Indiana” might be better so I switched screenings. Apparently, “M” improved... I might have made the wrong choice. (RF)
MONROVIA, INDIANA, Transatlantik, 60 of 143 minutes | At first I was able to go with the flow with the snapshots of this town. But boy were those snapshots boring. It is as if Wiseman decided to highlight only the mind-numbing aspects of small town life. Maybe this idea could have worked as a much shorter film, but the idea of staying there for another hour and twenty minutes seemed like torture. (RF)
DER TRAFIKANT, Freihafen, 60 of 113 minutes | A bizarre mix of bizarre comedy, awkward teenage angst, and overdone historical drama. Tonally it was all over the place and the story and acting were sub-par. It was late at night and I preferred going to bed than remaining another hour. (RF)
BAIXO CENTRO, Vitrina, 33 of 80-minutes | Boring, silly, and visually not appealing. The man and woman wrestling around on the floor were certainly no reason to stay longer! (PF)
MONROVIA, INDIANA, Transatlantik, 50-60 of 143 minutes | I left after about an hour. It was like watching a boring home movie of someone you don’t know very well, where that person films every insignificant minute of the day. (MW)
DAS SCHÖNSTE PAAR, Grosse Freiheit, ?? of 97 minutes. I (sic) walked out of it but not because it was a bad film, I could not handle the topic. (SRS)