Hangover ­ ein Spielfilm von science&fiction*

Asked what inspired five young women ­ known as the ’science&fiction*’ film collective ­ to make a sexy, vexing, innovative, 72-minute, DV-feature-film called Hangover, the answer came back with a show of impertinent pride. »Put the blame on John Cassavetes,« laughed Tatjana Turanskyj, the spokeswoman for the group. »In fact, Hangover is a »remake« of scenes we all know almost by heart from Faces (1968) and A Woman under the Influence (1974)!« Another conceded source of thematic inspiration ­ »the scene of the party with the kids« ­ came from Margarethe von Trotta’s Die bleierne Zeit (The German Sisters) (1981). For the collective, however, »remake« is just another word for »improvisation«. In other words, said Turanskyj, their filmmaking elan is very much »like Andy Warhol’s trash movies, the early films of Praunheim and Fassbinder, the dogma mini-productions, Rivette and Godard nonsequiturs.« Whatever its inspirational source, Hangover scores as the latest hit in the ever-lively and crazy-creative Berlin Underground.

        What’s Hangover all about? We follow four pretty young women in their search for what’s missing in their lives while at the same time running away from who they really are. Put this in the context of an all-night party in a Berlin apartment, spurred on by alcohol and a macho stud, and you have 24 hours of close up shooting that strips the soul bare and raises more questions than giving answers. Who are these »women under the influence«? The four before the camera are all accomplished actresses, performers, and artists: Christine Gross (actress, performer, singer) as Florence, Sophie Huber (actress, musician) as Maria, Claudia Splitt (singer, actress, performer) as Louise, and Tatjana Turanskyj (writer, performer) as Billy-Mae. The lone male actor in the team ­ Thorsten Heidel (member of the Berliner Ensemble) as Chet ­ serves as an intriguing go-between who can easily rock the boat in this communal gathering by pitting one woman against another.
       Behind the camera is Ute Schall (photographer, video-artist, film editor), who collaborated closely with each of the other four on their conceptual procedures and acting methods to find an overall stylistic format that would fit the wishes of the collective. Shot with a digital camera, the improvised scenes later became a film on the editing table under the joint direction of Gross, Huber, Schall, Splitt, and Turanskyj. They were assisted by Janina Audick, who collaborate on the sets and costumes, and by soundman Jochen Jezussek.

        The story shifts in different directions as the women leave the apartment for the daytime sequences of this 24-hour shoot. After a head-splitting night of love and vodka come moments of lesbian jealousy, splurges of anger, ballet-like dance routines, visits to a musical playback automat, and a mother’s outburst of despair when she can’t convince her girlfriend to babysit her young daughter. We gradually appreciate what a broad range of acting and performing talent each of these professional women possess and exemplify. »We firmly believe in the power of experiment« is their common credo. When Hangover was presented last May as part of the »reich und berühmt« (rich and famous) performance festival at Podewil, an art center in Berlin, it was an instant hit with the public and the critics. Not bad for a »remake« produced, with the help of Podewil, on a shoestring.

Ronald Holloway