Absent

After watching "The Blond One" (EXCELLENT) and "Hawaii" (VERY GOOD) ...this movie is just "so so." I feel giving it a higher rating would be an insult to Marco's other films.

Hey, boys and girls! Your new word for the day is "auteur".

An auteur is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded and personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, thus manifesting the director's unique style or thematic focus.

You can look at a minute of film and know instantaneously if it was made by Alfred Hitchcock. Or Federico Fellini. Or Fritz Lang. Or Agnes Varda. Or Stanley Kubrick. Or Jean-Luc Godard (yowza!).

Marco Berger is an auteur. At the age of 47 (as of August 2025) he has written and directed nine feature films, collaborated on two more, and has just finished his 10th solo feature for release this year.

Yes: I own them all. My personal favourite (so far) is the gloriously lyrical "Hawaii", which may be the single most romantic film ever made.

He established his style and trademarks early on: he takes his time, but there is something to see in every shot no matter the duration; he concentrates on the relationship of two leading characters, or two at a time when there are many more; his screenplays are rich and hilarious when called for, or quiet (sometimes disturbingly so) and introspective, but he only lets you hear what is necessary to hear; he uses colours wisely; his use of music is superb (and has, to date, worked with the same composer on all of his films). He finds utter beauty in the most ordinary-looking men (yes, he is an openly queer director, and his sexual identity finds its way into most - but not all - of his films).

"Ausente", his second feature film, has taken quite a beating here. Why is that? Did you want to see Sebastián fall for Martín's advances? Did you not see or feel the tension between these two characters? Did you not feel Sebastián's grief, not only over Martín's fate but also over how he treated him?

So shut off your Smartphone, chill out, and screen it again and listen and watch closely: is the unexpected death an accident or suicide? And those last shots: fantasies? Memories?

I find it to be a film of almost overwhelming suspense, and, ultimately, profoundly moving.

P. S. It won the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film at the Berlin International Film Festival.

This is not a review for this particular film, rather a guide for those who would like to watch it. Marco Berger (the director) is notorious for his slow-paced films with very simple and thin plots, and "Absent" is not an exception. Before trying this one, please get familiar with his cinematic style by watching his other works such as Hawaii (his best and easiest one to watch), Taekwondo and The Blonde One. After that you may appreciate this film more. I didn't rate it high but I think it's worth a try if you want something refreshing.

Infatuation and lust may have bad consequences, particularly if involving an adult and a minor, and it certainly involves misapprehensions and rumors, particularly if involving teacher-student of the same sex. Thus, a good basis for an intriguing film for relatively wide audience? But, alas, the result is a protracted depiction of facial expressions and trivial dialogues, with the main topic in the background, and otherwise spirited Latin Americans behave as those from the Nordic countries... The plot remains indistinct; I usually like to ponder on and over during or after a film, but here, it was no mind-twisting at all. Leaving things open and not explaining things are two different approaches for me.

Ausente could be a play for small niche theatres, but a film for a big festival? I was surprised when I read that the film won "Best feature film" during Berlin International Film Festival.

Really sad and really lovely. Beautifully made.. it's a dreamlike movie.

The story goes slow but the growing tension didn't let it be boring for a second.

It's been made very simple, short, yet absolutely complete.