MLFF 2016 : HELMUT BERGER, ACTOR – Review

For most of us in the United States, Helmut Berger is not someone who we are very familiar with. In Europe, however, most people know if his work, and his reputation for being unpredictable. Director Andreas Horvath submerges himself into Berger’s world in order to show us an intimate, uncensored look at the present life of a wounded man who once seemed to have it all in HELMUT BERGER, ACTOR.

WARNING: Trailer is NSFW, and shouldn’t be viewed by children.

A little backstory to get you in the proper head space: Berger had it made in the 70’s and 80’s. He was given his first film role by director Luchino Visconti in 1967, and things took off from there. He was leading a luxurious lifestyle with his, now lover, Visconti. Berger became a man about town, enjoying the finer things in life. When his partner died in 1976, Berger spiraled out of control. He had attempted suicide, and his abuse of drugs and alcohol began to overshadow his acting career. Still, he continued to work. Relationships continued with both men and women (he is an open bisexual), but the substance abuse never really stopped.

That brings us to the documentary. The filmmaker catches up with Berger, who is now in his early seventies and living on the outskirts of his hometown (Salzburg, Austria) in a small, cluttered apartment. The apartment itself is adorned with a combination of worn, expensive furniture, photographs, pornography, and trash.

He has a cleaning lady, Viola, basically looks after him. She does his laundry, brings him food, and even set up a small kitchen for him when he ripped his out and could no longer afford the re-model. A lot of what she does for him seems to come out of her own pocket. Over the course of the film, they interview her while she is cleaning up after all of his clutter, and she tells stories of his relationship with his mother, and how withdrawn from society he has become. Unless he is working, or on a trip, he rarely leaves his home. She paints a picture of the friends that he lost when his money dried up, and just how lonely and isolating celebrity can be. Honestly, this was a brilliant way to navigate the story, and add a stable element. You really could tell just how much she adored him, and how protective she was of him. She almost takes on a motherly role. Unfortunately, at the Q&A following the film we were informed that she passed away before seeing the film. She was on her way to Berger’s apartment with his laundry when she suffered a heart attack.

Warning (Again): This film is not suitable for young audiences due to crude language and sexual acts performed on-screen without being censored. John Waters called this “Maybe the best motion picture of the year is also the worst?” of 2015, if that gives you any clues…

Horvath endured a lot while capturing the film. Berger’s mood swings are unpredictable, and he would often lash out suddenly, even hitting Horvath at one point, and then trying to have him arrested on the street by spinning the tale. Instead, the police just put Berger in the backseat, and either gave him a ride back to his hotel, or arrested him. That part wasn’t entirely clear. The two fight quite a bit as well. Horvath is not afraid to yell back at Berger, and Berger seems to respond well to this. There are points where it’s unclear if Berger is acting for the camera, or being his true self. I guess you’ll have to figure that one out for yourselves.

The music and weird nature cut away scenes are used to guide the viewer through the film, and aid to the odd directions that the narrative takes. I don’t think all of them are incredibly necessary because the viewer has enough substance to form their own opinions, and feel the chaos going on without having the added intense, strange musical inserts as a guide. At the same time, it doesn’t hurt the film. I just found a few of the cutaways a bit too long. Often, when we are listening to he voice messages that Berger left for Horvath, they do closeups on various objects in his house, from tiger paintings to empty vodka bottles. That seems to fit a lot better.

As the film goes on, it’s clear that Berger is desperate for attention and intimacy. He leaves ridiculous messages to Horvath, taunting him, and calling him names. He treats him as if he is a peasant beneath him, often referring to his own celebrity. In the same conversation Berger often then flips, asking to give Horvath a blow job, and announcing that he has fallen in love with him. Then, he watches tv as if nothing has happened. Remember those sex acts that I referred to earlier? Throughout the film, Berger, on several occasions, pulls out his penis and begins masturbating in front of the camera and filmmaker.

SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t want to know how the film ends, stop reading.

The final scene will most likely make you uncomfortable, as will certain other parts of this film. In the final scene, Horvath captures Berger in a dim room masturbating, as he begs for Horvath to join him, or to just let him “hold it.” This last scene is incredibly long, and after constant begging for Horvath to at least pull down his pants so that he can “see it,” the lights come one, comments that Burt Lancaster has a “similar one” before reaching orgasm. Yes, you see the entire thing. The only thing we done see is if Horvath actually took his pants down or not, though judging by Berger’s comment, and the lights being turned on, I would assume that he did.

You may be asking yourselves “Why would he do that?” Well, the only reason that I can think of is that Berger had finally let his guard down, and was in a vulnerable state, and Horvath decided to give him something in return… a piece of his vulnerability. It really was a natural way for the film to end. It’s the very first time you look into his eyes and know that he is being himself.

HELMUT BERGER, ACTOR is both interesting and uncomfortable to watch at the same time. Still, it’s worth checking out… if you are of age.

For More Info (these seem to be the only two sites I can find for the film): http://www.austrianfilms.com/film/helmut_berger_actor or http://www.andreas-horvath.com/helmut-berger-actor/