Joie de vivre (Pt. 2)

Die Passion geht in die zweite Runde. Guadagninos Elan lässt nicht nach, seine Wissbegierde bleibt manisch. Er erweitert den Blick auf Bertolucci um immer neue Perspektiven, teilt seine Bewunderung und Zweifel mit immer neuen Gesprächspartner:innen. (Aus heiterem Himmel gesellt sich Margot Robbie zu dieser illustren Galerie.) Dieses OEuvre will aber auch dringend ergründet werden, so faszinierend ist seine Spannweite, so mächtig seine Strahlkraft und so klaffend sind seine Abgründe. Guadagnino sucht stets das Bezeichnende, das über die einzelnen Filme hinausweist und Bertolucci wie auch sein Werk zum Prüfstein für den Wandel der Filmkultur werden lässt. (Gerhard Midding)

The second part of JOIE DE VIVRE extends Luca Guadagnino’s sprawling exploration of Bernardo Bertolucci’s cinematic legacy to his films from the mid-seventies onward. Much like the first half, conversational scenes are complemented by archival footage and fragments from Bertolucci’s films, which, far from functioning as mere excerpts, immerse the viewer in visually sumptuous set-pieces. Although the formal structure remains the same, Guadagnino’s approach to Bertolucci’s films feels even more grounded in personal taste and interest than any overt historiographic impulse—with NOVECENTO (1976), LA LUNA (1976), THE SHELTERING SKY (1990) and THE LAST EMPEROR (1987) taking centre stage. Joining the original cohort of interviewees are Debra Winger, Margot Robbie and the late Jeremy Thomas, yet their conversations always remain oriented toward another, more implicit audience: new generations for whom the aesthetic and moral resonance of Bertolucci’s cinema has waned over time. Given the rich constellation of references to other films and filmmakers, Guadagnino clearly assumes a pedagogical mission for young audiences, succeeding most effectively through a raw, unpolished, vlog-like documentary style that echoes contemporary modes of digital storytelling. (Öykü Sofuoğlu)

Luca Guadagnino: THE PROTAGONISTS (1999), MELISSA P. (2005), IO SONO L’AMORE (2009), A BIGGER SPLASH (2015), CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017), SUSPIRIA (2018), BONES AND ALL (2022), CHALLENGERS (2024), QUEER (2024), AFTER THE HUNT (2025), ARTIFICIAL (2026)