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BERLINALE 2022 Competition

Nicolette Krebitz • Director of A E I O U – A Quick Alphabet of Love

“It’s a movie about love, and I have nothing but love for everyone here”

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- BERLINALE 2022: The German director follows Wild with another unusual romance, although this time, wolves are nowhere to be seen

Nicolette Krebitz • Director of A E I O U – A Quick Alphabet of Love

Anna (Sophie Rois) is in her 60s, but she is falling in love like a teenage girl – with a teenage boy, no less (Milan Herms). Their romance will take them from police stations to speech lessons, and finally all the way to France, serenaded by Nina Simone and Robyn. Nicolette Krebitz talks to us about her Berlinale competition entry A E I O U – A Quick Alphabet of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicolette Krebitz
film profile
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Cineuropa: They’re an interesting couple, Anna and Milan. You show this attraction forming quite slowly and shyly.
Nicolette Krebitz: Well, there were some voices saying it was all happening way too fast [laughs]. We are taking our time, and why not? It’s not very likely that these two would end up together. Everything around them tells them they shouldn’t. So yes, it probably takes a bit longer than a Tinder date, where people go: “Everything is fine? Ok, let’s go.” I think that chemistry is not something you can create as a director – it’s either there or it isn’t. Between Sophie and Milan, when we invited them to screen-test together, it was just obvious. They were listening to each other; they wanted to be great in front of each other. It’s a movie about love, and I have nothing but love for everyone here. I didn’t want to show anything I hate.

For many, it’s a big deal that she is much older.
I guess it’s great that people have strong emotions about it. But the most important thing is that these scenes and this movie exist, and that we can see them. It does something when you can see images of such couples – it becomes more real, normalised. Representation matters. I think many women would like to see themselves in this way, and hopefully they will have fun doing it. For men, well, it might be quite stressful, especially if they are focusing on their past privileges. They are afraid of losing them, but if they are at peace with themselves, I think they will enjoy this film, too.

Why did you gift them with this dream French holiday? It feels almost like a fantasy, but Anna seems to need it. She finally stops being so damned self-conscious.
When you are away from home, sometimes it’s just easier – you can feel free. That’s why people go on holidays! They experience themselves in another environment. The south of France was the setting for so many movies, also at a time when women were finally leaving their houses – and kitchens – and were trying to figure out who they wanted to be. Filmmakers like Antonioni, Godard, Bunuel – they all watched them do it, doing things that were unexpected. They were fascinated by them. I think that women, especially if they are of a certain age, are not allowed to do anything except for caring for someone else. But they are adventurous, up until the day they die! I know so many of them in my private life, too, with a very active sex life and very, very interesting careers. I don’t see it reflected in movies.

Why did you want Anna to be an actress? You show that she might have jeopardised her career by speaking out against misogyny. Today, she would be celebrated for it.
It was important to say: “We have been there.” Now, we have moved on, and you can see it in the way Milan reacts to this recording – young people are in a completely different place; they know how to deal with these things. Also, as an actress, you put yourself in the market to be objectified, in a way. It’s a dramatised version of being a woman. The good thing about being an actress, though, is that you can find a solution for almost every situation. You can act yourself out of it, which is also something that women are skilled at doing, because only little boys are encouraged to openly express their opinions.

It's a bit funny that he sees that recording of her being objectified, and then, in a way, does it himself, sneaking a little peek.
But it’s nice to be objectified by the right person, isn’t it? There is this particular combination of her being an actress, of being that age and also being broke – she is on the edge of society. If she didn’t have her friend, Michel [played by Udo Kier], things wouldn’t look great for her. Milan is also under the radar in that sense. Nobody gives a damn about these people; they are somehow invisible, and that’s how they can meet and develop this affection.

It was lovely to see Udo Kier play a normal character for once – it has been a while.
He is such a great person. I know him privately, and I think he was also annoyed that he keeps popping up in all these strange cameos. He did a great movie called Swan Song, though, and I think he found joy in acting in a more naturalistic way. I wanted to show my appreciation and love for him, and show him as I experience him. In this film, he is the kind of friend that every woman would like to have.

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