Reviews

"Deed Poll" is one of my favourite films of the past few years. A quiet tip of a movie, with some touching performances (André Schneider as Nathaniel, Gianni Meurer as his brother, and Martina Schaak in her portrayal of a lawyer with a chequered past are very convincing) and a great script with fabulous lines (Ivy: "I don't smoke!" - Nathaniel: "Because you consider it a weakness?" - Ivy: "Maybe." - Nathaniel: "Am I allowed to be weak, then?").

Ivy Poll (played hysterically by Barbara Kowa) has an incestuous relationship with her brother, Sean (sex on legs: Rainer Maria Wittenauer). After her rich father finds out about the sexual relationship of his children, Ivy kills him. That's where the movie starts.

The Poll siblings inherit a great mansion, a yacht, and A LOT of money. They are aimless, purposeless; they only seem to live for drugs (ecstasy, dope, cocaine, speed), card games and bizarre sex fantasies. Ivy hires a call-boy, Nathaniel (André Schneider in his best performance so far), in order to break more and more rules. The hustler has a mysterious understanding for his client - he can literally read her mind. To fulfil her kinky sex dreams, he even brings his handicapped brother, Thor (stunning: Gianni Meurer), for a foursome.

Throughout the movie, Ivy expresses repeatedly her wish to have a "hand-made set of cards: smooth, good-smelling, thick, sensual and sexual". While on drugs, Nathaniel makes a strange offer: He wants the Polls to skin him in order to make cards out of his skin.

With the words, "That's the hottest thing I've ever experienced!", Ivy takes a scalpel and cuts 32 cards out of Nathaniel...

Although I prefer Biermann's shorter films, like "Coda" or "Zwischen Flieder wandern und singen", I must say that "Deed Poll" is a high art product. A thoughtful, atmospheric picture with sexy moments, some good camera angles, and an ending that certainly leaves no-one untouched.

Thriller fans will rejoice!

"Zwischen Flieder wandern und singen" is one of the five short films by IJ.Biermann that are available on DVD, and it's pretty much the best one. His other films, "Coda" (with Sebastian Suba), "Scherzo", "Prélude", and the cult film "Deed Poll" (with Andre Schneider and Barbara Kowa) are also very good and deserve a second (and third) look.

In "Zwischen Flieder wandern und singen", a sort of surreal musical, Biermann once more explores the decline of human relationships: A young man (beautifully played by Maxim Mehmet) has to confront himself after the break-up with his girlfriend. It's a painful journey into his mind, a journey into the dark night...

A high art film that can be compared to Ingmar Bergmann's early films, or even to the ones Hal Hartley did in the mid-1980s. Entertaining and deep - and maybe the most personal film of the director so far.

As usual, this Biermann film is extraordinarily good photographed and edited. The music is dark and moody, and the performances (including the one of the late Ovo Maltine) are intriguing. Watch this twice!

IJ.Biermann is certainly one of the best young German directors. He's proved that with his deeply touching drama "Zwischen Flieder singen und wandern" (starring Maxim Mehmet) and with the suspenseful sex thriller "Deed Poll" (co-starring Barbara Kowa and André Schneider).

This short shocker, "Coda", is one of his best movies. It deals with the subject of love, sex, and violence: Two men (Sebastian Suba and André Schneider) spend a night together. Their affair starts off tenderly, but then culminates in a violent rape. "Coda" is beautifully photographed and edited, and both actors give electrifying performances.

The firely little film premiered at the Turin International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in 2004 where it was received quite well. Biermann released the movie later on DVD, along with his other movies.

Highly recommended.

"Berlin Bohème" was first aired in 2000 when was not at all that normal to have a gay/lesbian TV series available. It came out about the same time they released "Queer as Folk" in the UK.

Where "Queer as Folk" has its beautiful actors and great stories, "Berlin Bohème" unfortunately hasn't got very much. At least it didn't in the first season. The show got some improvements in the following seasons, i.e. more likable characters and some really funny jokes thrown in.

The greatest thing about it, though, is its campy atmosphere, the trashy kind of humour, and some great performances by Rainer Hillebrecht, Tima die Göttliche, and Yvonne Hass. The other parts are way too small, and rather forgettable, unfortunately.

All in all, "Berlin Bohème" is average entertainment, a little ahead of its time (at least in Germany), with a tiny little touch of wisdom and insight. Fun, but certainly not for everyone.