Anselm - Das Rauschen der Zeit

"Anselm" by Wim Wenders shows us Impressive images of Anselm Kiefer's work and his creativity in creating those. The shots from the studio in Barjac, France, are particularly great, even though I saw the film in the 2D version. Towards the end the documentary falls off a bit (Venice scenes).

Overall, I still was a bit disappointed. Although you see many of the artist's works, you learn practically nothing about the artist himself, what I expected. What drives him, who he is, how he became an artist. The difficulties and challenges. I now have to research about him online myself to learn more about the person as the movie was more like an artist catalogue showing off the artwork - but this was beautifully done.

What makes Anslem interesting? Is it the art he crafts? His thought-provoking nature, or the brilliance of his mind and ways? With beautiful camerawork, musical score and interesting observations, this documentary navigates an well-executed poetic documentary story about Anslem's work. Diving deep into his work, the poetic nature, and style, Filmmaker Wim Wenders crafts one of his best documentary works in quite some time with absolutely great direction and atmospheres approached throughout within the setting.

That goes without some flaws as with the documentary being more focused on the works rather then Anselm, I wished Wenders applied a little more examination about Anselm himself which would have helped crafted a more personal examination of Anselm and understanding of his works.

But overall, with Perfect Days, I am glad to see Wenders is back again.

This movie offers a poetic interpretation of Anslem Kieffer's illustrious career, steering away from the rigid confines of a hardcore informative documentary. For those already acquainted with Kieffer's artistic journey, this film may not unravel new layers of information, but it promises a captivating and immersive experience that goes beyond the boundaries of conventional biographical narratives. As we delve into the intricacies of this unique cinematic venture, we find that it transcends the traditional documentary format, inviting viewers to engage with Kieffer's world on a profoundly emotional and artistic level.

Anslem Kieffer, a renowned artist known for his thought-provoking and evocative works, becomes the central focus of this film. Rather than adopting a fact-driven approach to recounting his life, the filmmakers opt for a more creative and subjective lens, weaving together a tapestry of visual and auditory elements that mirror the essence of Kieffer's artistry. Through this poetic rendering, the film seeks to capture the spirit and emotions that fuel Kieffer's creative process, providing viewers with a visceral connection to the artist and his oeuvre.

A cupid documentary where natural beauty intermixes and is interlaced with extravagant creations, "poetic" rendering and 2.5-3D paintings combined with a horrible flow and below-average frozen entertainment.

The art is interesting, the creations and "paintings" so so and even artists would ineluctably have a hard time appreciating it.

Budget is wasted on this.

• Screenplay/storyline/plots: 2.5
• Production value/impact: 5
• Development: 6.5
• Realism: 5
• Entertainment: 2
• Acting: 4
• Filming/photography/cinematography: 7.5
• VFX: 7
• Music/score/sound: 5.5
• Depth: 5
• Logic: 2.5
• Flow: 1
• Documentary/drama: 5
• Ending: 2.

Wim Wender does a documentary on famous german artist Anselm Kiefer and like his Pina Bausch documentary in 3D. Unlike "Pina" which really benefited from the 3D, because dance is an art form where space is important, you don't need to watch "Anselm" in 3D.

The first 70 minutes are very impressive shots of Kiefers vast former studio complex at Barjac and of Kiefer artworks. Intercut with contemporary media reports and recreated scene from his childhood (played by Wenders son) and the beginning of his career (played by Kiefers son). All of this is very good, Wenders let's the images convey the connections between work and life and other inspirations. Everything is filmed and staged nicely. But in the last 20 minutes the actor playing childhood Kiefer climbs into Kiefers big 2022 Venice exhibition where the real Kiefer is also present. And what follows is 20 minutes of a visual metaphor so flat and obvious every first semester art film student would be too embarrassed to put that into his film. Do yourself a favor: once St Mark's Square in Venice shows up flee the cinema.

Ps. Last years documenta scandal looks even weirder once you get reminded that Anselm Kiefer started his career with a photo series of him traveling the world and doing Hitler salutes in his father's Wehrmacht uniform. While last year germany's biggest art exhibition was branded as a whole antisemitic because of a single motive within one huge "Where is Wally"-like work.