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Charlie (Dasha Nekrasova) doesn't know how lucky she is, she's a young
American poet on an artist visa in Berlin, has ties to the local poetry
scene, a boyfriend, Fritz (Moritz Vierboom), who cares for her, a
roommate, Remo (Johannes Frick), who's also her best friend, lots of
friends, a job to pay the bills that leaves her much spare time, and she's
on the shortlist for an artist's grant. And yet, Charlie's also her own
biggest enemy, as she can't keep herself from shoplifting, and is
eventually caught even and now needs money for legal fees, Fritz is
actually in another relationship, and his girlfriend Marianne (Lena
Reinhold) eventually gives Charlie a sound beating that leaves her face
all bruised, and Charlie makes enemies with Sylvie (Nadine Dubois), a poet
like her moving in the same circles. And eventually, Charlie starts to
struggle, and the more she struggles, the less she's likely to ever finish
her poetry for the grant. And the more obvious that becomes, the more she
tries to evade the truth by drinking, doing drugs, and partying the night
away. One night, she's mugged, but saved of all people by Marianne, who
takes her home with her, in an effort to make up, but the situation soon
escalates, and ... the next day, Fritz gets a message that Marianne's
dead, and he's soon arrested as prime suspect in her murder. And Charlie's
less certain than ever what to do ... Softness of Bodies
sure is an interesting film, inasmuch as it doesn't so much follow your
usual narrative structure but instead resembles more the stream of
consciousness of the (sometimes harsh and gritty) poetry of its
protagonist - so this is less about character growth and questions of
right and wrong, but more takes us on a journey of a struggling character
who makes questionable decisions to the very end. And me saying so
probably makes the film sound very brainy and even alienating, but
actually it isn't, as the Softness of Bodies tells its story in a
very quirky fashion, and Dasha Nekrasova makes her character relatable
despite all her flaws, thus really carrying the film and leading a strong
ensemble. And a result is a very entertaining movie that's well worth a
watch!
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