Saturn Returns (Film)
Encyclopedia
Saturn Returns is a 2009 film directed by Lior Shamriz
, starring Chloe Griffin, Tal Meiri and Joshua Bogle. It was written and produced by Lior Shamriz and Imri Kahn.
The cast also includes Namosh
, Susanne Sachsse, Imri Kahn and Lior Shamriz.
that occurs at the ages of 27-30, 58-60, and finally from 86-88, coinciding with the time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun.
Lucy, a privileged North American expat
in contemporary Berlin
, living a life of post punk
hedonism
, roams the streets with her best friend, Derek. Together they use the city like a playground, a stage, and a never ending party. Into their lives enters Galia, a young Israeli woman who is presumably carrying the promise of a better, cleaner way of living.
A tribute to punk underground films turns into a melodrama, mirroring Lucy and Galia’s modulating states of mind. Their look into each other’s life and culture
becomes an investigation of empty facades.
neighboorhood in Berlin, where Chloe Griffin (Lucy), Joshua Bogle (Derek) and most of the cast live. The film was constructed by both improvised and pre-scripted scenes
, as required by the nature of each scene. In an interview to Spanish press, Shamriz said: "I consider myself an anti-auteur. I find it important that the cast and the crew contribute their ideas to the film".
It premiered at the Turin Film Festival as the opening film of its "Waves" section. The festival presented the film as a "a 'nouvelle vague' drama that takes place in the distracted heart of Europe by the stateless
Israeli director Lior Shamriz". It was later nominated to the German Max Ophüls Prize and won the Best Motion Picture prize at the Achtung Berlin Film Festival ("New Berlin Film Award").
The filmmakers wrote about their film: "One of the objectives of the film was to create a modulating film language that adapts to the states of mind of the characters. The production adjusted itself to every part of the film, sometimes imitating documentary approaches and sometimes setting a framework where scripted dialogue was enacted within a pre-planned shooting."
In early 2010, the director of the film published three experimental films referencing "Saturn Returns" and nicknamed "Saturn Returns Three Satellite Films". Return Return, the first of the three, premiered at the 60th Berlin Film Festival.
Lior Shamriz
Lior Shamriz is a writer, producer, and film director. He currently resides in Berlin. A prolific filmmaker, churning out experimental shorts and two features, Lior Shamriz channels the trickster spirit of the 60's auteurs in his cinema of humorous/political deconstruction...
, starring Chloe Griffin, Tal Meiri and Joshua Bogle. It was written and produced by Lior Shamriz and Imri Kahn.
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Chloe Griffin | Lucy |
| Tal Meiri | Galia |
| Joshua Bogle | Derek |
| Heinz Emigholz Heinz Emigholz Heinz Emigholz is a filmmaker, actor, artist, writer and producer. He is a Professor for Experimental film at Berlin University of the Arts and at European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland. He worked as an illustrator and a retoucher, and studied philosophy and literary studies in Hamburg... |
Edgar Schmidt |
| Julien Binet | Jeremy |
| Martin Deckert | Linda |
The cast also includes Namosh
Namosh
Namosh or Namosh E. Arslan is a German singer, musician and performance-artist.- Life and work :...
, Susanne Sachsse, Imri Kahn and Lior Shamriz.
Plot
The film title references to the astrological phenomenon Saturn ReturnSaturn return
In astrology, the Saturn return is an alleged phenomenon which is described as influencing a person's life development at 27 to 29 or 30-year intervals. These intervals or "returns" coincide with the approximate time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun, i.e. 29.4 years...
that occurs at the ages of 27-30, 58-60, and finally from 86-88, coinciding with the time it takes the planet Saturn to make one orbit around the sun.
Lucy, a privileged North American expat
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
in contemporary Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, living a life of post punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
hedonism
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
, roams the streets with her best friend, Derek. Together they use the city like a playground, a stage, and a never ending party. Into their lives enters Galia, a young Israeli woman who is presumably carrying the promise of a better, cleaner way of living.
A tribute to punk underground films turns into a melodrama, mirroring Lucy and Galia’s modulating states of mind. Their look into each other’s life and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
becomes an investigation of empty facades.
Production
According to the filmmakers, the shooting of the film took place in two days during December 2007 in Israel and twelve days in February 2008 in Berlin, with professional and non-professional actors and a budget of about €2,000. The film was shot and edited by the director, with only one more crew member on set, usually the script co-author, Imri Kahn. All public spaces (including streets, museums, shops, bars) were shot “as is”, with no interventions and no extras. The film is set within a social scene of the KreuzbergKreuzberg
Kreuzberg, a part of the combined Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte since 2001, is one of the best-known areas of Berlin...
neighboorhood in Berlin, where Chloe Griffin (Lucy), Joshua Bogle (Derek) and most of the cast live. The film was constructed by both improvised and pre-scripted scenes
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
, as required by the nature of each scene. In an interview to Spanish press, Shamriz said: "I consider myself an anti-auteur. I find it important that the cast and the crew contribute their ideas to the film".
It premiered at the Turin Film Festival as the opening film of its "Waves" section. The festival presented the film as a "a 'nouvelle vague' drama that takes place in the distracted heart of Europe by the stateless
Stateless communism
Stateless communism, also known as pure communism, is the post-capitalist stage of society which Karl Marx predicted would inevitably result from the development of the productive forces...
Israeli director Lior Shamriz". It was later nominated to the German Max Ophüls Prize and won the Best Motion Picture prize at the Achtung Berlin Film Festival ("New Berlin Film Award").
The filmmakers wrote about their film: "One of the objectives of the film was to create a modulating film language that adapts to the states of mind of the characters. The production adjusted itself to every part of the film, sometimes imitating documentary approaches and sometimes setting a framework where scripted dialogue was enacted within a pre-planned shooting."
In early 2010, the director of the film published three experimental films referencing "Saturn Returns" and nicknamed "Saturn Returns Three Satellite Films". Return Return, the first of the three, premiered at the 60th Berlin Film Festival.