Christopher und Heinz – Eine Liebe in Berlin (TV Movie 2011)

Christopher und Heinz – Eine Liebe in Berlin: Directed by Geoffrey Sax. With Matt Smith, Imogen Poots, Lindsay Duncan, Perry Millward. How real-life British-American author Christopher Isherwood and his German boyfriend Heinz met and fell in love during the 1930s and the rise of Nazism.

“If we have to look at BBCu0026#39;s u0026quot;Christopher and His Kindu0026quot; only as an informative piece about the Germany during the Nazi regime told by the perspective of a known writer, the movie works perfectly fine; but as an adaptation of Christopher Isherwoodu0026#39;s autobiography it doesnu0026#39;t go quite right. I havenu0026#39;t read the book (and perhaps will never do since this is still unavailable here) but I can surely guess that inside of it thereu0026#39;s much more than show an hedonistic type who went to Berlin because of the boys and his fascination for them, more liberated there than in his repressive England. Something tells me that in the printed material thereu0026#39;s way more than what weu0026#39;re told on the screen.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs a biographic film the story provides some good insights into Isherwoodu0026#39;s life and his time, his writing and his passions. Played by Matt Smith (u0026quot;Doctor Whou0026quot;) in a quite reliable way, the writer of u0026quot;Mr Norris Changes Trainsu0026quot; has his fun, good and bad moments just like anyone else, falls in love and has to fight for it; and deals with the advance of the Nazism. In other words, itu0026#39;s an usual biography film that shows a small period of life of a personality. But compared to, letu0026#39;s say, Bennett Milleru0026#39;s u0026quot;Capoteu0026quot;, this TV movie doesnu0026#39;t go very far in almost anything (except for some good sexual scenes).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGetting into it itu0026#39;s not that easy, the whole u0026quot;Cabaretu0026quot; segments are irritating and repetitive; most of the time itu0026#39;s fun and a little adventure here and there, the problems never are presented as something dreadful, dramatic, everything seems to be easily solved for these characters when in fact during the days of WWII things werenu0026#39;t so simple. But what makes the movie not hold much of its audience attention is to give a deep look to its main character, I mean, what did he learn from this experience and what can we learn from his experience? Heu0026#39;s just a vain figure who wants to share his adventures and thatu0026#39;s it?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor a TV movie is quite okay, totally watchable, and itu0026#39;s not a total waste of time. More was needed for all involved, cast, crew, writer and direction. 7/10”