When two German art students fall in love, the girl's father, who has a devastating secret, vows to end their relationship.
For such a short synopsis, this film does not rush itself by any means. I was completely unaware of the runtime of the film beforehand until I checked the time after leaving the theatre to learn that over 3 hours had passed. Clocking in at 189 minutes long, Never Look Away is longer than Avengers: Endgame but it certainly doesn't feel that long. I should have gotten an idea by how often I had to change position because my posterior kept falling asleep, and yet the film was so engaging that the thought never crossed my mind.
Having such an extensive runtime works in the film's favour as it allows so much time for character development. Nothing is rushed, in fact, a period of 40 years is covered in the film. While it certainly raised a few eyebrows during the viewing--the amount of time setting up the characters initially seemed excessive--in hindsight, the proportions of the film were still around the same.
There do seem to be a few questionable decisions with regards to what plot points and events have been included in the film. There are several moments that appear pivotal, but end up being discarded, having no effect on the main storyline. It certainly helps with the world-building and develops the characters further, but it is also something that could have easily been cut out to trim that runtime down. That does seem to be the point of the film though, it is all about trying to display the truth in all its beauty, and that includes all of the little minor details.
There is so much to like about the film. The acting is superb, and it is all heightened by some absolutely gorgeous moments of cinematography and a well-balanced score. The score is a tad repetitive though, with characters or actions having their own unique score that you hear each time. A great example of that is in the romance of the two protagonists, where their scenes of passion are forewarned by it's repeated score.
When I say repeated score, I mean repeated score. The film could earn its M rating by the graphic nudity and the sheer number of sex scenes alone. One could estimate that you can expect at least 10 scenes, and 6-10 minutes of combined ecstasy on screen. Protagonists Tom Schilling and Paula Beer do a great job portraying the youthful couple and create some gorgeously organic scenes of passion. The lighting, the curves, the soft caress, there is a fragility and loving infatuation that draws your gaze.
The film is split into several different sections of time and carries a wide variety of tones. The shifts do become apparent after a while, but you don't necessarily notice the transition until it has happened. And that is one of the strengths of the film. It can put forward some incredibly dark themes and then switch to a jovial setting, eliciting laughs from the audience before becoming serious again and bringing in a sense of tension and suspense. The film ebbs and flows from one emotion to another in a surprisingly cohesive fashion.
Never Look Away is a foreign language film (expect subtitles for the German and Russian), but more importantly Never Look Away is an epic exploration of art and politics throughout Germany's modern history; more specifically during the formative years of German artist Gerhard Richter, of whom the movie is loosely based on.
The film is so understated that everything catches you by surprise. The more you think about it, the more enraptured you become with what you have experienced. Never Look Away is the combination of ideology, sex, and art, that you didn't know you needed to see. Absolutely captivating, and totally unexpected.
Never Look Away is in cinemas 6th June 2019