BERLINALE 2013: Thomas Arslan’s GOLD
Another title scheduled to premiere in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival is Thomas Arslan western movie simply Gold.
The title may sound simple but as you’re going to see from two video clips that we have for you today, it looks that we’re dealing with one quite powerful story.
Set in 1890′s, Arslan’s movie follows a young woman in a group of Germans who make a strenuous journey in search of gold.
Written and directed by Thomas Arslan, Gold centers on a determined independent woman named Emily Meyer who joins a group of German immigrants to make the long journey to the gold fields that have just been discovered at dawson City in the north.
Here’s the full synopsis:
The group has staked everything in a bid to turn around their harsh lives in the new World. Full of confidence, the seven gold-seekers set off from Ashcroft, Canada’s northernmost rail terminus, with little idea of the hardships that await them. Their journey leads them deeper and deeper into the endless, harsh wilderness of the Canadian hinterland.
Maps turn out to be unreliable, wagons loaded with provisions are more of a hindrance than an aid, and their pack-horses are hardly in any condition for the long trek. Uncertainty and exhaustion threaten the group. Conflicts amidst this band of unequals come to a head.
Driven by their dreams and hopes for a better life, Emily and her group trudge through the wilderness toward a goal that with every step seems to recede in the distance.
As director Arslan revealed, the idea for the film started with material he found in a book about the Klondike Gold Rush, with photos and excerpts from dairies of that time:
“For many people the Gold Rush was a shimmer of hope on the horizon. I thought it was really moving, that here were people who could risk leaving everything behind a second time with the hope that this gamble might finally bring the change in their lives that they so yearned for.”
Beside Nina Hoss who plays the female lead, Gold cast also includes Marko Mandic, Uwe Bohm, Lars Rudolph, Peter Kurth, Rosa Enskat and Wolfgang Packhauser.
We wish Thomas Arslan and his team a good luck at Berlinale!
Let us know what you think about the movie so far, and stay tuned for more updates!
