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Rimini

Competition 2022
© Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion
The death of his mother brings Richie Bravo back from his adopted home in Italy to his teenage bedroom in Lower Austria, where Charlton Heston is still flexing his biceps and Winnetou is still alive. With a schnapps in hand and velvety Wurlitzer melodies in the air, he and his “piccolo fratello” bid farewell in the cellar to the parental home. His father is in a nursing home. Pop star Richie makes his money in Rimini. Life-size posters on the walls of his villa tell of a glorious past but the present is a damp squib. Richie claims he is still “con molto amore” – a bit of a squeeze, and squeezing is what it takes to get Richie into his corset and “jacketto”, with which he rhymes “perfetto”, before ardently crooning schmaltzy German songs in staid hotel foyers. Oozing sultry charm, this Austrian gigolo inveigles his way into the minds, bodies and wallets of women of a certain age.
Seidl’s new magnum opus is deeply romantic, even sad. No matter how dirty and perverse on the surface, few films capture life’s pathos as this one does. Bookended by Hans-Michael Rehberg’s last appearance on screen, Rimini stars Michael Thomas, who shines in the role of son, father and man. His suffering is as real and as false as his love, and his singing is the lonely soliloquy of a loser.
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by Ulrich Seidl
with Michael Thomas, Tessa Göttlicher, Hans-Michael Rehberg, Inge Maux, Claudia Martini, Georg Friedrich Austria / France / Germany 2022 German, Italian 114’ Colour World premiere

With

  • Michael Thomas (Richie Bravo)
  • Tessa Göttlicher (Daughter Tessa)
  • Hans-Michael Rehberg (Father)
  • Inge Maux (Emmi Fleck)
  • Claudia Martini (Annie)
  • Georg Friedrich (Ewald)

Crew

Director Ulrich Seidl
Screenplay Ulrich Seidl, Veronika Franz
Cinematography Wolfgang Thaler
Editing Mona Willi
Music Fritz Ostermayer, Herwig Zamernik
Sound Design Matz Müller
Sound Klaus Kellermann
Production Design Andreas Donhauser, Renate Sturminger-Martin
Costumes Tanja Hausner
Make-Up Claudia Goetz
Casting Eva Roth, Henri Steinmetz, Klaus Pridnig
Assistant Director Astrid Wolfig, Klaus Pridnig
Production Managers Igor Orovac, Louis Oellerer
Producer Ulrich Seidl
Producers Philippe Bober, Michel Merkt
Executive Producers Sarah Nagel, Isabell Wiegand, Dan Wechsler, Jamal Zeinal-Zade, Andreas Roald
Co-Producer Philippe Bober
Co-Production Parisienne de Production Paris
Essential Films Berlin

World Sales

Coproduction Office

https://coproductionoffice.eu https://coproductionoffice.eu

Produced by

Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion

http://ulrichseidl.com http://ulrichseidl.com

Photos

Press Conference

Red Carpet

Ulrich Seidl

© Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion / PeterRigaud

Born in Vienna, Austria in 1952, the director, writer and producer studied directing at the Film Academy Vienna. He began his career with a number of award-winning documentaries including Good News, Tierische Liebe and Models. His debut feature film, Dog Days, won the Grand Special Jury Prize in Venice. In 2003, he and his co-writer Veronika Franz founded the production company which went on to produce his award-winning Paradies trilogy. The three films, which premiered in the Cannes, Venice and Berlin competitions, were followed by Im Keller and Safari.

Filmography

1980 Einsvierzig 1982 Der Ball 1990 Good News – Von Kolporteuren, toten Hunden und anderen Wienern; documentary 1992 Mit Verlust ist zu rechnen 1994 Die letzten Männer; TV movie 1995 Tierische Liebe 1996 Bilder einer Ausstellung; TV movie 1997 Der Busenfreund; TV movie 1998 Spaß ohne Grenzen; TV movie · Models; documentary 2001 Hundstage (Dog Days) · Zur Lage 2003 Jesus, du weißt 2004 Vater unser Aufzeichnung/Volksbühne Berlin 2006 Brüder lasst uns lustig sein 2007 Import Export 2012 Paradies: Liebe · Paradies: Glaube 2013 Paradies: Hoffnung 2014 Im Keller 2016 Safari 2022 Rimini

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2022