Although both Elle Fanning and Riley Keough have canceled their participation in this year’s Berlin Festival, the ensemble cast in “Rosebush Pruning” is the most star-studded film of the year. On Saturday, Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz arrived at Potsdamer Platz with his entourage in tow; Pamela Anderson, Callum Turner, Tracy Letts, Jamie Bell and rising star Lukas Gage, who got his big break in The White Lotus.
In the sharp satire “Rosebush Pruning,” everyone belongs to the same cult-like rich American family, isolated in an opulent luxury villa in Catalonia. The family lives in collective apathy, trapped in cyclical abuse and with no real ambitions – apart from collecting expensive designer clothes as status symbols.
Everything is put on hold When eldest son Jack (Jamie Bell) desperately tries to break the family’s corrupt pattern by moving in with his girlfriend (Elle Fanning). At the same time, the truth about the mother’s death comes to light, causing family bonds to dissolve into lies, taboos and absurdities.
– “This film speaks for itself,” says Tracy Letts, who plays the perverted patriarch who oppresses his entire family.
– It’s difficult to discuss such things in today’s political climate in the United States, but the film clearly shows how extreme inequality breeds destructive behavior and can ultimately give rise to fascism. As artists, we come together to create something together, regardless of what is happening politically in our respective countries, says the actor and screenwriter, who starred in films such as “Lady Bird”, “Young Women” and “Le Mans 66”.
In the film, the mysterious mother is played by Pamela Anderson.
– Being a mother is always complex, with all the shame and guilt it can bring – and just thinking about the generations of mothers in my own life has been an interesting journey. “My character is also a lesbian, and there’s a lot of exciting rebellion in her,” says Pamela Anderson, known from “Baywatch” to “The Last Showgirl” and most recently “The Naked Gun” with Liam Neeson.
It was obvious that Pamela Anderson didn’t come to the festival to play life coach. When asked what advice she would like to give to younger women, she smiled.
-Giving others advice always makes me smile because I’m hardly an expert – we all go our own way. But I think you should be yourself and follow your dreams – it’s never too late. That was a very funny chapter in my life, and life is made up of chapters like that. Hard work creates happiness. That’s all, says Pamela Anderson.
“Rosebush Pruning” is inspired by Marco Bellocchio’s groundbreaking and satirical feature debut “Fists in the Pocket” (“I pugni in tasca”) from 1965. The screenplay is by Efthimis Filippou, known for his collaboration with Yorgos Lanthimos in films such as “Dogtooth”, “The Lobster”, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and “Kinds of Kindness”.
Director Karim Ainouzwho has already made films such as “The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão”, “Futuro Beach” and “Motel Destino”, does not shy away from violence and provocative scenes in his films.
– Yes, in my scripts there is a lot of violence and perhaps provocative scenes, but they are not there to shock. “When I try to describe people and life, you can’t get past it,” says Aïnouz, who also directed “Firebrand” with Alicia Vikander and Jude Law.
“Rosebush Pruning” was supported by both the German Film Fund (FFA) and the British Global Screen Fund.
– I come from a country where there would be no film without public funding. We live in a time where censorship and political judgment of our actions is really, really dangerous, especially in some countries. Therefore, public support is crucial, not only to reach the audience, but also to enable the creation itself, says Karim Aïnouz.
During the press conference A journalist also wanted to address the “elephant in the room” and asked Callum Turner about the persistent rumors that he was being traded as the next James Bond. Turner messed up and smiled coldly:
– It’s still very early for this question. “I’m not going to comment on that,” Callum Turner said, when Tracy Letts suddenly came to the rescue by interrupting:
– Hey, I’m sorry… but I’m the next James Bond! Letts said, chuckling.
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