skipping this part cause of a personal emergency i don't want to talk about happening after i finished seeing Leibniz, that also includes me not writing about the queer short film block because i couldn't really focus on it given the circumstances.
a stunningly edited essay film somewhere between a documentary on the Encyclopedia Africana and W.E.B. du Bois, an afrofuturist narrative about the reclamation of stolen art, a work about black journalism interspersed with interviews, memes, hip-hop and techno, a chaotic yet intellectual audiovisual experience that makes for the single most exciting film of the festival if not the entire year.
10/10
at the age of 92 years, you don't have much to prove anymore. one of the figureheads of new german cinema, Edgar Reitz, still wants to go for one more round, which in itself is commendable. however, this period drama about the lost portrait of the titular famed philosopher is, unfortunately, not a film living up to its precedent. clunky dialogue that seems to serve no purpose but to stress what a genius Leibniz was, performed by stiff actors in very few and very small sets with uninspiring camera work, a shame given it's a film about the visual arts, at least the film's framing device would like to make you believe. being unintentionally camp at points (especially in its first act thanks to a very silly performance by Lars Eidinger) is hardly a saving grace here.
3/10
