Berlin Dispatch – My Favourite Cake / Cuckoo

The 74th Berlinale kicked off amidst quite a bit of political controversy, what with the invitation of far-right politicians to the opening ceremony and whether the festival is or should be taking a stance in the Gaza conflict. On top of all that, news broke just days ahead of their new film’s scheduled premiere in Berlin that Iranian filmmakers Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha have been banned to leave the country. It’s another instance where Iranian artists must let their work speak for itself and boy did it do that loud and clear this time.

My Favourite Cake, which screened in competition, tells the story of Mahin (Lili Farhadpour), a 70-year-old retired nurse who, after losing her husband to an early death and her children to a life abroad, has been living alone for years. Mahin’s not plagued by serious illness or financial troubles but a chronic state of loneliness makes her wonder if this is all that’s left for her. In an attempt to find companion for the last stretch of her life, she meets Faramarz (Esmaeel Mehrabi), a taxi driver who’s more or less succumbed to the solitude of old age, and the two end up spending a fateful evening together where they dare to be reckless, vulnerable, happy for once.

Like me, you might wonder why a film about two harmless elderlies would trigger such wrath from the authorities. But as the film unfolds, you realize the personal is the most political. Depicting a woman who is finally ready to ask what she wants after living a life by the rules, who openly challenges the morality police, actively courts retired single men and tests even more boundaries with her unlikely beau, it pushes all the hot buttons while being about nothing more than the basic human need to feel fulfilled. Written by Moghadam and Sanaeeha, the film is a celebration of our fundamental right to happiness and seeing a badass Iranian grandma bust out the dance moves for her new crush, you can’t help but cheer.

Both principal actors are superb. Mehrabi plays the tough guy whose defenses start to fall at the reminder of tenderness. It’s a compelling, deeply endearing portrayal of someone who has long given up on love. Commanding every frame of the film, Farhadpour is electrifying, landing both the comedic and surprisingly dramatic beats of the story with effotless charm. There’s a scene where, in a throwaway manner, Mahin professes her love for Faramarz over the table, someone she’s literally just met hours ago. Instead of coming across as forced or saccharine, the way she delivers that line carries a sincerity so fragile it feels almost childlike, shooting those simple words straight through your heart.

We don’t see tipsy, horny, rule-breaking 70-year-old’s much in Iranian films – or any film for that matter. In this sense My Favourite Cake definitely feels defiant. But when a perceptively, truthfully observed piece of cinema about universal themes of human connection can be reduced to a mere political statement, it’s time to rethink the politics.

Taking a quick break from competition to check out the Berlinale Special sidebar, we have German director Tilman Singer’s second feature Cuckoo. Now I may very well be in the minority here because none of the people I saw it with shares my view, but to me this nightmarishly stylish if admittedly convoluted horror mindf*ck has what it takes to achieve cult status. It’s hard to follow on a first viewing for sure, but I for one am ready to give it a second go.

Set at an old-fashioned mountain resort in the Bavarian Alps, the film centers around teenaged Gretchen (Hunter Schafer), whose father is working on new projects for the hotel owner Mr. König (Dan Stevens). Weird things start happening almost immediately as Gretchen gets stalked by a caped, unhuman-looking lady who emits these high-pitched screeching sounds that seem to distort time/perception. Eventually, following a series of bizarre, bloody incidents involving the hotel staff and the police, truth about Mr. König, Gretchen and her dead mother will be revealed.

I wouldn’t be able to tell you what that truth is even if I wanted to because this is one of those movies that justify the 1,000 YouTube videos explaining what happened in them. But the fact that it’s not just about the scares but has an actual plot – one you’ll be able to decipher only if you pay attention throughout – is very appealing to me. It’s possible those tiny clues strewn across the movie ultimately don’t add up to anything coherent, but those who like their horror a bit more cerebral would appreciate the tease.

Both Schafer and Stevens deliver 100% committed performances. The former brings grit and a youthful alertness to inject some much needed sense of reality into this mad story. The latter goes all in playing the gleefully over-the-top villain that’s a delight to watch. But the star of the show is Singer, whose command of style wows. Like his breakout debut Luz, Cuckoo looks and sounds deliciously creepy. Shot on film, it has that grindhouse feel which can be so cool and unsettling. Big props also to the makeup department for the caped lady, a truly nasty creation with styling details that keep revealing themselves the closer we get to see it.

At the end of day 2 of the Berlinale, it’s telling that Cuckoo has impressed me more than a few of the competition entries. Here’s hoping things pick up significantly in the coming days.