“Sparta”, the latest film by one of the world’s most genius directors, Ulrich Seidl, is the second part of his brilliant cinematographic triptych about being, love, abysses and especially how our past is always part of our present. “Sparta” is a follow-up to Seidl’s previous film “Rimini” which was screened in this year’s Berlinale competition programme and was highly praised at the Palić Film Festival.

Ewald (the always brilliant Austrian enfant terrible Georg Friedrich) moves from Austria to Romania to do a fresh and urgent restart in his life. After separating from his girlfriend, he and a group of Romanian doys transform a deserted school-building into a Judo camp which is actually a fortress called Sparta.

While “Rimini” is hilarious in the style of Lynch's “Wild at Heart”, full of chintzy and creeps-tickling music and performances, “Sparta” is sensitive, subtle, even devout cinematic pearl. As always, an outstanding combination of Ulrich’s masterful directorial abilities and the skills of all his cinematographic departments form a dream team. Just to mention la grande dame of editing, Mona Willi.

We want to dedicate this screening to the memory of the late outstanding actor Hans-Michael Rehberg, who played his last role in this film.

Niki Nikitin