Die Grausame Frau
Last night everything climaxed for me. Now I just cruise along in a state of happy bliss and soak up the last moments of the festival.
After returning to Moviemento last night, I was treated to an unexpectedly brilliant retro pick: 1985’s brilliant Seduction: The Cruel Woman by Monika Troit, who was also in attendance. Shot in brilliant dark 1980s hues and featuring a young Udo Kier in the lead role, it was the first film to deal with lesbian subjects and sado-masochism at once. Based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s Venus in Furs (his surname is lent to the term “masochism” itself), Troit removed the male fantasy behind our “Venus” and concerned herself purely with women and power play. Power play over men as well. Brilliant dialogue is coupled with stunning imagery leaving its lash mark on the viewer.
Still reeling but trying to stuff a bit more cock into my experience, I headed to “Gay Shorts”. I'd seen surprisingly less cock thus far than in the past (at least on screen), so this was my chance. Honourable mentions from the selection: “Norwegian Salmon”, “Gingers” and “How to Be a Porn Star”.
The party at Monster Ronson’s was the other star of the evening. Due to the screening, I arrived too late for the performances, but Berlin was in full swing celebrating its porny inclinations. The line to get in stretched almost back to Warschauer Brücke. But with all the regulars in a good mood, the limited movement capabilities were nothing to worry about. People found room to love each other, that’s for sure. Sex in the karaoke cabins alongside screened porn made the party fully appropriate for the festival. There was some onstage sex on top of broken glass as well (how punk rock!) but funnily enough the participating parties were lifted off the danger zone by some concerned attendees before damage could happen. The action continued a metre away.
All the unadulterated Spaß needed some consideration, so I opted for Oswalt Kolle’s Was ist eigentlich Pornographie? this morning. If you’re not aware of Oswalt Kolle, you’re probably not German, but you should be (aware, not German). Kind of like a West German formulation of Dr. Ruth, but without the funny accent, he clarified sex for Germans in the 1970s with a refreshing openness and radical attitude. And he does it with humour too, often acknowledging the censorship rules of Germany in that time that he had to impose on his own films with wit that makes you forget this educational. Also, The Archies' “Sugar, Sugar” was used as the theme music and throughout the film. How can you go wrong with that?
Well, there’s only a few more films, the awards and the wind-down drinks. I’m headed back to the fest for the wipe-up.