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Director: Janez Burger
Starring Natasa Burger, Vesna Jevnikar, Natasa Matjasec
Duration: 100 mins Certificate: 16
The 2004 "Rusevine" won eight Vesna Awards, among them best film and best direction, and a viewers' choice award, at the 2004 Festival of Slovenian Film. The psychological drama received its first international prize in April, when the jury of the 6th Festival of the European Film in Italy's Lecce gave it a special award, the Premio Reale Mutua Assicurazioni.
Synopsis
The story is woven around Herman (Darko Rundek), a respected middle-aged stage director preparing a previously unknown work by an old Icelandic master, to be played in an open-air theater at dawn. As we soon learn, the real playwright is Herman and his discovery is a hoax. To make matters worse, the piece is opening an international theater festival where the impresario is planning a splashy reception.
In the cast are the director's old friends, including close buddy Gregor (Matjaz Tribuson) and Her-man's live-in companion Zana (Natasa Matjasec), a famous actress he's never worked with. There is also Gregor's sexy ex-mistress, much to the distress of his jealous wife Ema (Natasa Burger). Herman's clever idea seems to be to explore real-life tensions between his actors. But the real tension begins when he thinks he sees Zana and Gregor having a quickie in the bathroom. So begin rehearsals from hell.
A drama of jealousy unfolds as the problematic premiere approaches. Herman's suspicions are raised to Othello-like proportions, turning all his fine talk about love and relationship into farce. But the show must go on, and its strange, barbaric performance makes for strong dramatic closure in one of Burger's many bold directing decisions.
Well written by Ana Lasic and Burger, and beautifully paced, the film drops viewers into the emotional world of stage performers, who live in musty old hotels and never stop thrashing out the difference be-tween "true emotion" and theatrical posing. In the main role of Herman, Croatian musician and composer Rundek is an ambiguous manipulator, just this side of a spoof on pretentious intellectuals. Matjasec's intense, neurotic Zana wins sympathy despite a fit of artistic temper on stage. Tribuson delivers a multi-layered performance as the dynamically engaging Gregor, one of the few to add a welcome touch of humor.
Simon Tansek's fluid, modern widescreen lensing keeps things moving and reveals an uncommon poetry in the final scenes, where Ana Matijevic and Aleksandra Gregl's costumes also shine. Drago Ivanusa's score adds depth.
About the director: Janez Burger
Born in Kranj, Slovenia, in 1965.
He graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana.
In 1989 he transferred to FAMU (Film and TV Directing) in Prague, the Czech Republic. He graduated in 1996 and moved back to Ljubljana, Slovenia.
In 1998 he founded Burgerteater independent experimental theatrical studio (he directed two performances, Piki and Roni in1999 and Miss Margaret in 2000). He is also co-founder of the production company Staragara (he produced feature film From Grave to Grave (directed by Jan Cvitković, 2005).
He directed a numerous short films during his studies at Famu, many of them were awarded.
The low-budget film Idle Running (V leru; 35 mm, b/w, 90 minutes, 1999) is his feature film debut, internationally premiered in the competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1999.
Film has been shown at most than 50 international film festivals, among others in Montreal, Toronto, Pusan, Thessaloniki, Mar del Plata, Sarajevo, Montpellier, Cottbus, Kiev, Trieste, Moscow, Palm Springs, New York, Minneapollis, Sydney, Jerusalem, Goteborg, Belgrade...
Film also received 20 international awards including
Grand Prix Awards for the Best Feature Film at the film festivals in Cottbus (Germany), Alpe Adria Cinema Trieste (Italy), Faces of Love Film Festival in Moscow (Russia) and the Slovene Film Festival in Portorož
Different awards for film or actors and special jury mentions at the film festivals in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Kiev (Ukraine), Montpellier (France), Brussels (Belgium) and Milan (Italy).
His second feature film, Ruins (Ruševine; 35 mm, in colour, 100 minutes, 2004) received different awards at the Slovene Film Festival in Ljubljana, including Vesna for Best Film, Vesna for Director, Audience Award and numerous awards for individual achievements: Vesna for Main Actor (Darko Rundek), Main Actress (Nataša Matjašec), Supporting Actor (Matjaž Tribušon), Supporting Actress (Nataša Burger), Camera (Simon Tanšek), Music (Drago Ivanuša)...
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