This year’s German Film Week presented by the Goethe Institut Philippines featured 13 films in different genres, and presented the audience with a wide range of themes, from coming-of-age stories to true-to-life events.
Stephan Rick’s The Dark Side of the Moon (Die dunkle Seite des Mondes) and German actress Nicolette Krebitz’s WILD, shared similar storytelling patterns and lessons: finding one’s self in the most unexpected circumstances and dealing with man’s inner-beast and wildness.
1. Everyone has both a light and dark side in them.
Both films portrayed that most of us have a base nature that prods us to search for freedom in the wilderness.
The Dark Side of the Moon:
Adapted from Martin Suter’s novel, The Dark Side of the Moon centers on the story of a notable lawyer, Dr. Urs Blank, whose life turned upside-down after he met Lucille, , along with a hallucinogenic mushroom trip that brought out his character’s dark side.
WILD:
WILD, on the other hand, tells the story of Ania, a woman first portrayed as having a shy demeanor, who later reveals her inner wildness as she finds freedom with the company of a wolf she randomly found in the woods on her way home.
2. It’s a matter of not letting your dark side eclipse your whole being.
Both films showed how the characters succumbed to their inner selves: Blank accepted the darkness inside him, while Ania found bliss and freedom in the wilderness.
The Dark Side of the Moon:
Blank turned into a monster even he couldn’t recognize, and did things he wouldn’t otherwise have done as darkness slowly swallowed him. He blamed the mushroom for the changes in himself, but Lucille told him that the “…shrooms only bring out what’s inside you.”
WILD:
Ania’s affection for the wolf transformed her into an anarchist – freeing herself from the obligatory life that society dictates and did things outside of her character.
3. Sometimes when we get lost, that’s when we find ourselves
We often look for that certain part of ourselves that will complete the missing part of the puzzle and lead us back to where we truly belong.
The Dark Side of the Moon:
Blank’s obsession in finding the kind of mushroom he took made him more drawn to nature where he found peace and calmness — where he isn’t the monster he thought he was.
WILD:
Ania’s peculiar relationship with the wolf made her realize the kind of life she wanted to live — away from the civilization and people that treated her as a woman who “…could look pretty great if she put any work into it.”
4. We sometimes hope for something to change.
To go on with our lives, we yearn for something to change that will somehow make us feel anew. We hold on to the hope that things might get better for us and we wouldn’t be stuck in a life we never actually wanted.
The Dark Side of the Moon:
When Blank met Lucille, he told her that he felt like he “…just woke up from a coma.” Meeting Lucille made him realize how stagnant his life was despite everything he had.
WILD:
Ania’s fondness of the wolf made her more carefree, wild, and different than she used to be. Thinking that she’s suffering from depression due to her grandfather’s coma, her boss, Boris, told her that things will be back to normal and she’ll go back to the way she was. She replied: “What if I don’t want to go back to the way I was?”
The Dark Side of the Moon and WILD were screened at Ayala Malls Cinemas in Glorietta 4 and Trinoma during the German Film Week’s run on September 22-27. Check out www.sureseats.com and Goethe Institut’s official website and Facebook page for more details.
