Let's be honest here. We are not exactly witnessing a golden age these days when it comes to award shows. Music award shows are basically turning into concerts with awards as unwanted additional tasks and the film award shows find other ways to mess up for the most part. Unfortunately, this really long award show at slightly under 2.5 hours does not make a difference either. If we take the continental approach, this can be considered the European equivalent to the Oscars, even if basically every European country has their own awards show too. Then again the American federal states also have their critics bodies. But now let's look at this one here: The one somewhat positive thing is that it felt like an awards show again. The 2020 version, also because of the virus, was basically a few honorary guests sitting there with the host and announcing winners every once in a while. Here in 2021, we had a real stage again, real live reactions and just most of the stuff you'd expect to see in an award show. Still it is fairly telling that I have to list something as the only pro of a show basically and this something is an aspect that normally should be taken for granted. The cons were way more frequent and dominant two nights ago. This especially applies to the host. I am not sure why they picked her. Maybe because she was co-hosting in 2020, maybe because she is a woman of color. Then they should have taken a woman with color (if that matters too them) that had the talent and charisma to pull this off. She is not a famous actress, not even here in Germany where she is from, and she got it all wrong. Mispronouncing Susanne Bier's name early on, not knowing who these people are that were shown via webcam also early on, asking awards recipients if they belong together (as colleagues). The way she was talking in general seemed stuck-up like especially when she mentioned Binoche, Rampling and Huppert in one sentence. You could feel she so badly wanted to be one of those. Her intonation was just unbearable. How she was trying to laugh away her shortcomings. The noise of that especially. Luckily, she was featured less frequently in the second half, but there her stepping-in when technology did not work was just as unwatchable. Her name is Annabella Mandeng by the way.
There were other aspects from the show that also felt simply false. Agnieszka Holland was also around last year and again this year and gave a honorary award to another female filmmaker, a really old one from Hungary. Watching Holland try everything she could to boost herself pretty much talking about her own approach in the process and also about her discussions with the award recipient were unwatchable. Almost disrespectful to said recipient. The biggest problem from this show was maybe that it was taking itself all so seriously from beginning to end. But the people you see here are not the ones you should worship. Especially not outside of their movies. Fitting inclusion with Katja Riemann there too. Another pretty pretentious actress and UNICEF, such an important organisation (or once were) should have interfered and refused to be represented like this. Nothing else to say about Riemann. Steve McQueen was around too, a filmmaker you would not really consider British right away, but he received another honorary award. When the host approached him early on, he put him basically in one category with Milos Forman and Michael Ballhaus. Yeah, debatable. Gently-speaking. McQueen took the praise though with open arms. He would have gotten my respect if he had objected immediately in the face of the host. But he did not and the two I just mentioned must be turning over in their graves if this is how they are remembered. The biggest question of the night was maybe what Joy Denalane was doing there. I mean Tricky did not belong there either, but at least he has been a successful musician for a long, long time. Denalane is such a non-factor in both music and film nowadays and never was particularly relevant actually and still keeps on rambling about her own past as if anybody should care. She got in the topics of women there, race as well, so only LBGT was kinda missing. Just what they wanted I assume. Who cares about contents.
Women were a big issue this night. There was major focus on how women contribute nicely to the film industry these days and I surely agree. The problem is just that while praising women it happens so often that they enter into the territory of misandry. And this also happened so many times that night that it was unwatchable almost. The low-point was really Claudia Roth stepping out and joking around with Mandeng as if they were friends or something. Incredibly sexist stuff to watch and literally had these comments happened the other way around, then they probably would have stopped the show right away and Roth would have lost her position as a minister too. Which actually would have been an amazing thing, but that's another story. I also like to watch the German Film Awards when I have the chance to and thinking of the fact that Roth will probably show up there for the next four editions at the very end with the key category makes me feel physically sick almost. Monika Grütters was also not a revelation, but Roth really has the potential to sink such a show with her presence only and she is a key reason why I deduced another two stars from my original rating of 4/10 eventually. Yes, she may have been only briefly in it, but her presence and what she had to say were really the sour icing on the rotten cake. There was a lot wrong with this entire thing really. I already mentioned Mandeng's clumsy attempt to give a voice to a winner at the end. I think it was the documentary category. You could really see how those around her were also a bit embarrassed by what she did, even if they tried to grin it away. Let alone the aspect that the biggest European film ceremony is not capable of coming up with stable internet connections to the nominees. Then again, it fits the all-around amateurish picture of what happened that night. I congratulate Emerald Fennell for attending her friend's wedding instead and I must still laugh at what she said then in the pre-recorded acceptance speech about the importance of the award. Well, the priorities were clear with her absence. Same movie, Carey Mulligan was not around either. Another great decision from a really talented actress. She did not belong there. Good she wasn't a part of this mess.
Also, let's talk a bit more about the winners and nominees: "Quo Vadis, Aida?" was very triumphant winning three key categories of the night. I saw this Bosnian movie a while ago at the theater and I think there is nothing to it at all that deserves such awards recognition. It got basically awarded because it was dealing with such a serious and devastating subject. I find this especially despicable because the subject deserved so much better. The direction was nothing special. The writing was shallow (luckily it did not win) and the lead actress performance is probably the worst. Jasna Duricic felt fake and ham from beginning to end, overacting constantly. It must have been a long time (or maybe never before) that they awarded such an undeserving performance and movie also for the big prize. The exact opposite of Druk the year before, which was really, really good. I guess them wanting to make a statement again by picking this really female-heavy film went all kinds of wrong. No words on this winning direction over The Father. Anthony Hopkins at least took the win and he was also not there to accept. Would have been stupid anyway had he been after his absence from the Oscars. Another pretty successful film that night was Flee that won for documentary (luckily over the Bachmann film) and animated movie and another one even, the animation category over Ari Folman, which is interesting in the light of Folman being the one in charge of "Waltz with Bashir" over a decade ago and the director of Flee also credited the Israeli as a major inspiration. We'll see now if Flee can also get into the Oscar race and stand up to Summer of Soul. I kinda hope so.
The ceremony was in Berlin, my city and it makes me a bit sad that terrible awards shows like this are produced here and they still act as if everything is fine and glorious. Originally, this was supposed to be held in Iceland or I think actually the one last year already, but got moved to Berlin for 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic and Iceland will get the show in 2022. Hopefully an improved version then, even if my hopes are not too high. So overall some of the films that are featured in here, especially Promising Young Woman and The Father, are superior to this award show. Way superior. Even the big winner is better, not by a lot though. Here and there, we had an okay moment like seeing Vincent Lindon, but these truly rare occasions were overshadowed ruthlessly by the overall mediocrity. Actually, overall failure would be a better way to put it. Even if you like award shows, even if you like the nominated movies, there is only one piece of advice I can give here and that is definitely to skip the watch. With the European Film Awards it is always a bit difficult to watch these after the upload vanishes from the original website, but in this case it is a good thing. Still think about how absurd this is! Such a really big event and you cannot find it anywhere anymore a few weeks after the live broadcast. Even Oscar ceremonies from decades ago are easier to find. I guess you understand what I mean. But yeah, if they want this mess to be forgotten quickly, i.e, their shame to be erased, maybe they are taking the right route in fact. At least future generations won't be exposed to it this way. Wim Wenders must be secretly happy he is not a part of this travesty anymore, stepped back last year. Absolutely not recommended.
There were other aspects from the show that also felt simply false. Agnieszka Holland was also around last year and again this year and gave a honorary award to another female filmmaker, a really old one from Hungary. Watching Holland try everything she could to boost herself pretty much talking about her own approach in the process and also about her discussions with the award recipient were unwatchable. Almost disrespectful to said recipient. The biggest problem from this show was maybe that it was taking itself all so seriously from beginning to end. But the people you see here are not the ones you should worship. Especially not outside of their movies. Fitting inclusion with Katja Riemann there too. Another pretty pretentious actress and UNICEF, such an important organisation (or once were) should have interfered and refused to be represented like this. Nothing else to say about Riemann. Steve McQueen was around too, a filmmaker you would not really consider British right away, but he received another honorary award. When the host approached him early on, he put him basically in one category with Milos Forman and Michael Ballhaus. Yeah, debatable. Gently-speaking. McQueen took the praise though with open arms. He would have gotten my respect if he had objected immediately in the face of the host. But he did not and the two I just mentioned must be turning over in their graves if this is how they are remembered. The biggest question of the night was maybe what Joy Denalane was doing there. I mean Tricky did not belong there either, but at least he has been a successful musician for a long, long time. Denalane is such a non-factor in both music and film nowadays and never was particularly relevant actually and still keeps on rambling about her own past as if anybody should care. She got in the topics of women there, race as well, so only LBGT was kinda missing. Just what they wanted I assume. Who cares about contents.
Women were a big issue this night. There was major focus on how women contribute nicely to the film industry these days and I surely agree. The problem is just that while praising women it happens so often that they enter into the territory of misandry. And this also happened so many times that night that it was unwatchable almost. The low-point was really Claudia Roth stepping out and joking around with Mandeng as if they were friends or something. Incredibly sexist stuff to watch and literally had these comments happened the other way around, then they probably would have stopped the show right away and Roth would have lost her position as a minister too. Which actually would have been an amazing thing, but that's another story. I also like to watch the German Film Awards when I have the chance to and thinking of the fact that Roth will probably show up there for the next four editions at the very end with the key category makes me feel physically sick almost. Monika Grütters was also not a revelation, but Roth really has the potential to sink such a show with her presence only and she is a key reason why I deduced another two stars from my original rating of 4/10 eventually. Yes, she may have been only briefly in it, but her presence and what she had to say were really the sour icing on the rotten cake. There was a lot wrong with this entire thing really. I already mentioned Mandeng's clumsy attempt to give a voice to a winner at the end. I think it was the documentary category. You could really see how those around her were also a bit embarrassed by what she did, even if they tried to grin it away. Let alone the aspect that the biggest European film ceremony is not capable of coming up with stable internet connections to the nominees. Then again, it fits the all-around amateurish picture of what happened that night. I congratulate Emerald Fennell for attending her friend's wedding instead and I must still laugh at what she said then in the pre-recorded acceptance speech about the importance of the award. Well, the priorities were clear with her absence. Same movie, Carey Mulligan was not around either. Another great decision from a really talented actress. She did not belong there. Good she wasn't a part of this mess.
Also, let's talk a bit more about the winners and nominees: "Quo Vadis, Aida?" was very triumphant winning three key categories of the night. I saw this Bosnian movie a while ago at the theater and I think there is nothing to it at all that deserves such awards recognition. It got basically awarded because it was dealing with such a serious and devastating subject. I find this especially despicable because the subject deserved so much better. The direction was nothing special. The writing was shallow (luckily it did not win) and the lead actress performance is probably the worst. Jasna Duricic felt fake and ham from beginning to end, overacting constantly. It must have been a long time (or maybe never before) that they awarded such an undeserving performance and movie also for the big prize. The exact opposite of Druk the year before, which was really, really good. I guess them wanting to make a statement again by picking this really female-heavy film went all kinds of wrong. No words on this winning direction over The Father. Anthony Hopkins at least took the win and he was also not there to accept. Would have been stupid anyway had he been after his absence from the Oscars. Another pretty successful film that night was Flee that won for documentary (luckily over the Bachmann film) and animated movie and another one even, the animation category over Ari Folman, which is interesting in the light of Folman being the one in charge of "Waltz with Bashir" over a decade ago and the director of Flee also credited the Israeli as a major inspiration. We'll see now if Flee can also get into the Oscar race and stand up to Summer of Soul. I kinda hope so.
The ceremony was in Berlin, my city and it makes me a bit sad that terrible awards shows like this are produced here and they still act as if everything is fine and glorious. Originally, this was supposed to be held in Iceland or I think actually the one last year already, but got moved to Berlin for 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic and Iceland will get the show in 2022. Hopefully an improved version then, even if my hopes are not too high. So overall some of the films that are featured in here, especially Promising Young Woman and The Father, are superior to this award show. Way superior. Even the big winner is better, not by a lot though. Here and there, we had an okay moment like seeing Vincent Lindon, but these truly rare occasions were overshadowed ruthlessly by the overall mediocrity. Actually, overall failure would be a better way to put it. Even if you like award shows, even if you like the nominated movies, there is only one piece of advice I can give here and that is definitely to skip the watch. With the European Film Awards it is always a bit difficult to watch these after the upload vanishes from the original website, but in this case it is a good thing. Still think about how absurd this is! Such a really big event and you cannot find it anywhere anymore a few weeks after the live broadcast. Even Oscar ceremonies from decades ago are easier to find. I guess you understand what I mean. But yeah, if they want this mess to be forgotten quickly, i.e, their shame to be erased, maybe they are taking the right route in fact. At least future generations won't be exposed to it this way. Wim Wenders must be secretly happy he is not a part of this travesty anymore, stepped back last year. Absolutely not recommended.