'Seilbahn' was filmed in Germany, with a German cast, and the credits and dialogue are in German ... but this film is listed in IMDb as 'Cable Car', which is a good translation of its title. This is a short film, about children and told from their viewpoint.
SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD. Very little actually happens in this film. There are some interesting camera compositions, and the two children who are the main characters are interestingly depicted (and well acted), but there's not much of a story. The director (Claudia Rorarius, previously unknown to me) seems to have made this movie as a 'demo' film which might get her bigger film assignments (and larger production budgets) in future. There's nothing wrong with that, especially as she shows considerable talent in this short film.
The opening sequence is filmed at a funfair (amusement park) somewhere in Germany. We see the brightly-coloured attractions, the whirling rides. This is a local amusement park, not Eurodisney, but even allowing for this the director fails to take full advantage of the visual possibilities and the narrative potential. This sequence ought to set the mood for the rest of the picture, but doesn't prepare us.
A boy, about ten years old, leaves the funfair and boards a funicular railway (a cable car) bound for a higher location. A girl, slightly older, boards the same railway. They don't know each other, but the girl starts a conversation with the boy. His name is Sven, she is Julia. Both are played by young performers who appear to be amateur actors, yet who give easy and natural performances. It also helps that both children are natural and believable in their appearance, instead of the unnervingly good-looking children who usually appear in Hollywood films. The girl who plays Julia is quietly pretty, without having the sort of looks which call attention to her prettiness.
Sven's right hand is in an elastic cast. He also appears to have some sort of visual handicap, although he doesn't use a blind person's cane or a guide dog. The film isn't very clear about his situation. Julia offers him some gummy bears, and she puts one into his mouth for him. I found this patronising: a blind person with one hand in a cast is perfectly capable of feeding himself. But perhaps a 10-year-old boy finds it thrilling to be fed sweets by an 11-year-old girl. I found this film to be quite innocent; neither child has touched puberty yet ... but perhaps, from Sven's viewpoint, this is his first erotic experience.
While they chat on the ascending cable car, the camera shows some interesting backgrounds of the nearby mountains. There are also a couple of shots straight down to the ground below, with lawn umbrellas pointing directly up towards the camera. We never get a sense of danger (the cable ride is uneventful) but I was distressed at the thought of these children suspended directly above the sharp points of those umbrellas.
Eventually, the Seilbahn reaches the top of the cable. The two children step out and go their separate ways. We don't expect them ever to meet again ... but perhaps this brief meeting has changed both of them.
'Seilbahn' is a pleasant film that doesn't really much seem to matter. Children might like it but wonder why nothing happens. Sven's physical handicaps, which aren't clearly defined, may confuse young viewers. Based on this brief movie, Claudia Rorarius shows a great deal of talent and promise, and I look forward to more films from her. I'll rate 'Seilbahn' 6 points out of 10.
SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD. Very little actually happens in this film. There are some interesting camera compositions, and the two children who are the main characters are interestingly depicted (and well acted), but there's not much of a story. The director (Claudia Rorarius, previously unknown to me) seems to have made this movie as a 'demo' film which might get her bigger film assignments (and larger production budgets) in future. There's nothing wrong with that, especially as she shows considerable talent in this short film.
The opening sequence is filmed at a funfair (amusement park) somewhere in Germany. We see the brightly-coloured attractions, the whirling rides. This is a local amusement park, not Eurodisney, but even allowing for this the director fails to take full advantage of the visual possibilities and the narrative potential. This sequence ought to set the mood for the rest of the picture, but doesn't prepare us.
A boy, about ten years old, leaves the funfair and boards a funicular railway (a cable car) bound for a higher location. A girl, slightly older, boards the same railway. They don't know each other, but the girl starts a conversation with the boy. His name is Sven, she is Julia. Both are played by young performers who appear to be amateur actors, yet who give easy and natural performances. It also helps that both children are natural and believable in their appearance, instead of the unnervingly good-looking children who usually appear in Hollywood films. The girl who plays Julia is quietly pretty, without having the sort of looks which call attention to her prettiness.
Sven's right hand is in an elastic cast. He also appears to have some sort of visual handicap, although he doesn't use a blind person's cane or a guide dog. The film isn't very clear about his situation. Julia offers him some gummy bears, and she puts one into his mouth for him. I found this patronising: a blind person with one hand in a cast is perfectly capable of feeding himself. But perhaps a 10-year-old boy finds it thrilling to be fed sweets by an 11-year-old girl. I found this film to be quite innocent; neither child has touched puberty yet ... but perhaps, from Sven's viewpoint, this is his first erotic experience.
While they chat on the ascending cable car, the camera shows some interesting backgrounds of the nearby mountains. There are also a couple of shots straight down to the ground below, with lawn umbrellas pointing directly up towards the camera. We never get a sense of danger (the cable ride is uneventful) but I was distressed at the thought of these children suspended directly above the sharp points of those umbrellas.
Eventually, the Seilbahn reaches the top of the cable. The two children step out and go their separate ways. We don't expect them ever to meet again ... but perhaps this brief meeting has changed both of them.
'Seilbahn' is a pleasant film that doesn't really much seem to matter. Children might like it but wonder why nothing happens. Sven's physical handicaps, which aren't clearly defined, may confuse young viewers. Based on this brief movie, Claudia Rorarius shows a great deal of talent and promise, and I look forward to more films from her. I'll rate 'Seilbahn' 6 points out of 10.