Journeys from Berlin - 1971 (1980)

Genres - Drama  |   Run Time - 125 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Review by Craig Butler

Journeys from Berlin - 1971 is a perfect example of a worthy film that is very definitely not for everyone. Indeed, it would be a very safe guess to say that most people would not last 20 minutes with Berlin. But for the treasured few who DO connect with director/writer Yvonne Rainer's mindset, Berlin will be extremely rewarding. Told in a stream-of-consciousness manner, with many cuts to imagery that may not on first glance have any bearing on the words being spoken and with numerous tangents that come off as anywhere from odd to bewildering, Berlin requires considerable commitment on a viewer's part -- and more than a little patience. Perhaps the best way for a viewer to approach it is to let it slide over you, to let your own viewing of the film take on a stream-of-consciousness approach that mimics that of the main character. This can allow the viewer to take in the many subjects that Rainer raises and see what they mean to the viewer himself. One gets the impression that Rainer is more interested in having a viewer think about, reconsider and test his own opinions and feelings than to simply become caught up in what she is saying anyway.