Karl Tessler Movies
Amid the bloody tumult of Communist dictator Ceausescu in 1989 Romania, a hedonistic and morally sidetracked physician, Daniel Pavenic (Michael Gambon), attempts to hold his annual dinner for 12 of his closest friends. Only three such friends are willing to brave the dangerous war-torn streets to go to Pavenic's mansion, where they find themselves investigating the shocking, debauched relationship between their host and a once-beautiful house servant. The more the guests learn about the twisted relationship, the more they find themselves re-entangled in their own dark memories. The book upon which this drama is based, The Two Deaths of Senora Puccini, by Stephen Dobyns, was set in Chile. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Gambon, Sonia Braga, (more)
- 1993
Romance is the focus of this drama as it follows the adventures of Susan, a 17-year old who accepts an au pair position in Munich Germany to escape the sleepy Welsh village in which she was raised. The film chronicles her soap-operatic love-life as she watches over the autistic daughter of TV executive Barbara and her architect husband Ivo. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clare Woodgate, Justin Chadwick, (more)
- 1991
Made for British television, Alive and Kicking is the bleak but compelling story of two druggies. Smudgen (Lenny Henry) is not only a user but a dealer; his wife Marie (Annabelle Apsion) is in what seems to be a perpetually strung-out state. When Marie has a baby, the authorities take the child away from her because neither she nor Smudgeon show any signs of straightening out. Enter social worker Liam Kane, played by the formidable Robbie Coltrane. Kane's violent, abrasive "cold turkey" technique has a positive effect on the couple, though one wonders if it is truly going to last. In contrast to Smudgeon and Marie, Jane Horrocks appears as Gail, an addict who is perfectly satisfied with her life...or what's left of it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Emerenz Meier may be living as a farmgirl in turn-of-the-century (1890s) Bavaria, but she is not about to let that keep her down. She has talent as a writer, boundless curiosity, tremendous capacity for enjoying life, and a desire to see the world. Soon enough, she abandons her country home and heads off to the nearest city, Passau. As she is nearing the city, she is accosted and nearly raped by a landowner but is saved by the timely intervention of a deaf-mute, who literally scythes the aggressor down. She soon settles in with a rich inn-keeper and works at her writing. She is unable to decide whom she loves more, the inn-keeper or her deaf-mute savior. Despite the advantages of her situation with the rich man, she craves independence more and briefly becomes a prostitute in order to earn the money to go to America. This drama is based on the early life of Emerenz Meier, who went on to become a well-respected German poet. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anica Dobra, Karl Tessler, (more)
- 1990
This dark teen drama takes place during the climate of "thawing" just before many of the socialist governments of Eastern Europe collapsed. In the story, two Hungarian boys and one girl get a serious case of wanderlust, and long to see the sea. The nearest place they can do this is in Poland, which at the time was in considerable turmoil. Though they are shocked at the extent of the local repression there, they don't take it too seriously. When the boys attempt to stow away on a boat headed for Sweden, however, they are forced to. The rest of the film explores their harrowing experiences in prison, and the girl's attempts to get them released. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Favali, Karl Tessler, (more)
