Part thinly-veiled Gerhard Richter biopic, part historical thriller, Henckel von Donnersmarck’s ambitious third feature is a return to form after 2010’s best forgotten The Tourist. Never Look Away follows the life of Kurt Barnert (Tom Schilling), an artist haunted by loss, who channels his demons into his work. It’s a handsomely crafted story that recounts three decades of Germany’s complex modern history whilst also contemplating the notion of art as a revelatory form. The filmmaker smoothly charts the seismic social changes that occurred between 1937 and 1966, while his elegant screenplay avoids conforming to the template established by more conventional awards-bait dramas. Only the disappointingly underwritten female characters hold this back from reaching the heights of his Oscar-winning debut The Lives of Others.
Never Look Away (Werk ohne Autor) | Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Germany 2018) with Tom Schilling, Sebastian Koch. Starts October 3.
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