Maria Martina Movies

A sophisticated manipulation of the auteur style of Michelangelo Antonioni characterizes this story of two people who do not seem able to fully communicate, a story told in images and frames, and unresolved at the end - if there ever were anything to resolve in the first place. The wealthy Tina (Henrietta Cejpek) and working-class Gerhard (Johannes Silberschneider) have been put into a psychiatric clinic by their well-intentioned parents because each had attempted suicide. It does not take long for an attraction to arise between them, and they have one clandestine meeting, as well as a sensuous swim in the pool - but are not interested in carrying their physical relationship any further. When Tina and Gerhard are released to go home, they join up with a group of people occupying condemned houses, and in that symbolic environment, the two are more at ease with the world and themselves than before. The theme of alienation runs throughout this film, just as in Antonioni's work, but seems to have no real source, no clear cause. That is also the case with Tina and Gerhard, as the events in their lives continue to unfold and further distance them from society. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

The relationship between four women and one man is the focus of this feminist drama. Franz (Klaus Wildbolz) is unusual for a journalist, in that he is fairly laid back and pleasant; but he does have a tendency to complain. His life is more complex than normal because of his liaisons with his wife Anna (Susanne Widl), Petra, a nurse (Christiane von Aster), Elizabeth, a barmaid (Renee Felden), and a teacher named Gertrud (Maria Martina). Two of these women are expecting a child by Franz, while all of them cater to his needs and tolerate his foibles. But Franz is heading for a wake-up call as the women slowly begin to expect more from life and from him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi