EUROPE, SHE LOVES
TALLINN SEVILLA DUBLIN THESSALONIKI
EUROPE, SHE LOVES
TALLINN SEVILLA DUBLIN THESSALONIKI
Europe on the verge of social and economic change. A close up into the shaken vision of 4 couples, daily struggles, fights, kids, sex and passion. A movie about the politics of love.
SYNOPSIS
Four couples struggle on the edge of mother Europe. In countries troubled by economic and social crises they stumble through life with charme, sex and plenty of passion. A movie about the politics of love. In Sevilla JUAN, 21, and CARO, 23, experience the wonder of a young love. However, Juan is without a plan for the life that lies ahead of him and she desperately needs one. SIOBHAN, aged 28, and TERRY, 23, live in Dublin. When they first met they have fallen for love and heroin like other young habitants of this cold weathered town. But now sober for some time, on their way to lead a common life, their passion seems to disappear. In Tallinn, close to the northeastern border of Europe, VERONIKA, a 29 year old go-go dancer, and her partner HARRI, 31, find themselves caught up in the toil of a patchwork family. Her oldest son proves to be a challenge for Veronikas confidence in Harri. She wants him to accept Artur as his own. Meanwhile in Thessaloniki, Greece, PENNY, 23, is about to leave her longtime lover NIKO, 33, to go to work in Italy. But how do you leave someone who loves you too much?
Music
Music
MUSIC
Library Tapes - that’s pianist David Wenngren from Sweden. Director Jan Gassmann used to write on Europe, she loves while listening to his music. One day he reached out to him, asking him to compose the Original Score for the film. David happily agreed. In that process, which took almost a year, they worked on at least seventy pieces, ranging from abstract sounds to classic piano pieces.
In the middle of this process David involved canadian-born cellist Julia Kent, member of Antony and the Johnsons and known for her solorecords, who arranged and performed the cello on several tracks.
At the end of the editing process Jan and David asked the electronical artist KWEST to remix the score, some of those tracks found their way into the final movie. Jan Gassmann and David Wenngren never met in person, Jan was working from Argentina and David from Sweden. They might meet the first time on the premier of this movie.
Library Tapes will release the Original Score of Europe, she loves as his first non-piano record in his ten years of band history.
You can buy the album and the remixes on Bandcamp.
The album is also available on Spotify. The remixes of KWEST are here.
Making Of
Making Of
MAKING OF
CASTING
SHOOTING
Press
Press
PRess
REVIEWS
"SEX UND DROGEN SPIELEN BEI ALLEN EINE GROSSE ROLLE, JE NACH SITUATION SIND SIE TRANQUILIZER ODER AUFPUTSCHMITTEL, TROST ODER SEGEN. IHRE FUNKTION IST DIE DES VERLOCKENDEN GEGENGIFTS, DAS DIE VOLLKOMMENE AUSLIEFERUNG DIESER GENERATION AN DEN GLOBALEN RAUBTIERKAPITALISMUS, VON DEM SIE ZUGLEICH ABHÄNGIG IST, FÜR EIN PAAR MINUTEN ZUR SEITE SCHIEBT. GASSMANNS ANLIEGEN IST EIN POLITISCHES. SEINE FIGUREN SUCHEN DEN WEG INS LEBEN, DOCH DIE UMSTÄNDE SCHEINEN SIE DARAN ZU HINDERN. DIES BILDET ER METAPHORISCH IMMER WIEDER AB." ROLLING STONE
"DIE EINZELNEN EPISODEN IN EUROPE, SHE LOVES VERBINDET JAN GASSMANN DURCH MEDIALES RAUSCHEN. DAS IST GANZ WÖRTLICH GEMEINT: IMMER WIEDER ZERSCHNEIDEN KURZE AUFNAHMEN VON LANDSCHAFTEN, INDUSTRIEGEBIETEN, VÖGELSCHWÄRMEN AM HIMMEL DIE EINZELNEN EPISODEN, WIRKUNGSVOLL UNTERLEGT VON ÜBERTRAGUNGS- UND ABHÖRGERÄUSCHEN. DAS POLITISCHE UND DAS ALLTÄGLICHE, PRIVATE FLIESST IN DEM FILM UNENTWEGT INEINANDER." FILMSOPHIE.COM
“FORTUNATELY THIS YOUNG SWISS DIRECTOR IS NOT SHORT ON BRAVERY, AND SUCCEEDS IN GETTING UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH HIS PROTAGONISTS WITHOUT BEING AFRAID OF PORTRAYING AN AT TIMES UNCOMFORTABLE REALITY. THE RESULT IS A SURPRISINGLY HETEROGENEOUS PATCHWORK OF FEELINGS THAT SEEM TO SURVIVE DESPITE THE PRECARITY AND COUNTLESS WORRIES PLAGUING EUROPE.” CINEUROPA
“ES IST EINE RADIKALE IDEE, EUROPA ÜBER VIER PAARE ZU VERMESSEN. ABER DIE VERMESSENHEIT ZAHLT SICH AUS. GASSMANN SETZT AUF DIE INTIMITÄT. ER HÖRT SEINEN PAAREN BEIM STREITEN ZU, DIE KAMERA IST BEIM SEX DABEI, UND DIE FORCIERTE NÄHE ERZEUGT SCHLIESSLICH TATSÄCHLICH MOMENTE FATALISTISCHER EHRLICHKEIT.” SRF.CH
“...ER ZEIGT AUF EINDRÜCKLICHE WEISE DIE LEBENSREALITÄT EINES KONTINENTS, DIE UNTERSCHIEDE ZWISCHEN DEN INDIVIDUELLEN KONTEXTEN SCHEINEN DABEI NICHT ALLZU GROSS...” CRITIC.DE
"THE UNABASHED SEX SCENES — MADE WITH SUCH A LIGHTNESS, AS IF THE BAN ON FRONTAL-MALE-NUDITY HAD NEVER EXISTED — ARE LABOURED BUT ALSO INEVITABLE AND ALMOST OBSESSIVE. IN ONE SUCH SCENE, IN THE THICK OF IT, SO TO SPEAK, VERONIKA COMPLAINS THAT SEX SEEMS TO HER A REPLACEMENT FOR SOMETHING ELSE. HOWEVER, THE SEXUALITY IN EUROPE, SHE LOVES IS NOT ENTIRELY ESCAPIST." KATAIKOS.EU
“GASSMANN GELINGT ES, EIN BILD ZU ZEICHNEN, DAS WEDER DER VERKITSCHTEN IDEE EINES PREKÄREN YDASEINS FOLGT NOCH ALLZU SEHR SCHWARZMALT, SONDERN VOR ALLEM EINS IST: NAH DRAN, VERQUALMT UND MATT.” CRITIC.DE
“JAN GASSMANN UND KAMERAMANN RAMON GIGER SPINNEN EIN BEEINDRUCKENDES NETZ AUS GESCHICHTEN UND BEFINDLICHKEITEN DER GENERATION ZWISCHEN 20 UND 30 IN EUROPA.” ID.VICE.COM
“EIN CHFILM AUF WELCHEN MAN SICH BEREITS JETZT FREUEN KANN, DIE ERSTEN REVIEWS AUS BERLIN SIND DURCHWEGS POSITIV.” SPLATTERWELT.CH
“MAN HIELT AUCH DIESEN DOKUMENTARFILM DES 32JÄHRIGEN ZÜRCHERS FÜR POLITISCHES KINO – ALLERDINGS WAR ERS AUCH: NICHT WEGEN DER NEWSFETZEN ÜBERS KRISENEUROPA, DIE SICH IMMER WIEDER AUS DEM TONRAUSCHEN LÖSTEN. NEIN, VIELMEHR WEGEN DER INTIMITÄTSPRAXIS VON VIER JUNGEN PAAREN AUF DEM GEBEUTELTEN KONTINENT.” TAGESANZEIGER
“THE EUROPEAN FILM DOCUMENTARY #EUROPESHELOVES WAS AMAZING! A REAL LIFE STORY ABOUT EUROPE.” TWITTER
“BERLINALE IS ALMOST OVER AND #EUROPESHELOVES STILL MY FAVOURITE” TWITTER
“WE HAVE THE UNITED NATIONS OF EUROPE BUT NOT ENOUGH EUROPEANS TO FILL IT – AMAZING #EUROPESHELOVES ON THE #EU AT#PANORAMA #BERLINALE2016” TWITTER
“INTERESSANTE! E NON PEDERTI #EUROPESHELOVES DI #JANGASSMANN, RITRATTO STUPENDO DI UNA GENERAZIONE EUROPEA.” TWITTER
"IT EXAMINES THE STATES OF MIND OF HETEROSEXUAL COUPLES FROM SEVILLE, TALLINN AND DUBLIN TO THESSALONIKI. IN PASSING, IT ALSO - LACONICALLY, HUMOROUSLY, PENSIVELY, SEXILY – MEASURES THE TEMPERATURE OF A PATIENT CALLED EUROPE."
CINEUROPA
"THERE IS A RARE INTIMACY IN THE FOOTAGE. THE COUPLES SEEM SO AT EASE WITH THE PRESENCE OF THE CAMERA THAT, RATHER THAN TREAT IT AS A CONFIDANTE, THEY SEEM ALMOST OBLIVIOUS TO ITS PRESENCE. GASSMANN’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL DECISION – TO INCLUDE EXPLICIT SEXUAL SCENES – EXPOSES HIS SUBJECTS AT THEIR MOST VULNERABLE MOMENTS. BUT THE MOST REVEALING SCENES ARE NOT THOSE IN WHICH THE CHARACTERS ARE PHYSICALLY NAKED BUT THE ONES IN WHICH THEY ARE EMOTIONALLY BARE. THE ALMOST IMPERCEPTIBLE FLINCH FROM PENNY WHEN NIKO, THE LOVER SHE HAS RECONCILED HERSELF TO LEAVING, KISSES HER SHOULDER. THE DULL RESIGNATION IN THE VOICE OF SIOBHAN WHEN HER RECOVERING ADDICT BOYFRIEND TERRY ANNOUNCES THAT HE’S GOING VISIT HIS DEALER: “THERE’S NO WAY YOU ARE NOT GOING?” SCREEN
“... THROUGH A COLLAGE OF DOMESTIC DETAILS, DIRECTOR JAN GASSMANN PIECES TOGETHER A BIGGER PICTURE.” SCREEN
“SMALL MOMENTS OF DAILY DRAMA ADMITTEDLY, BUT THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT IS UNDENIABLY POWERFUL.” SCREEN
“WE’RE GOING NOWHERE, FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET,” SINGS SIOBHAN AND STRUMS DECISIVELY A MINOR CHORD. IN THESE INTERESTING TIMES, NEW HOPES WILL PROBABLY BE CONCEIVED IN THE DARK." KATAIKOS.EU
“DIE KAMERA VON RAMON GIGER IST ZWAR IMMER MITTENDRIN, WIRD ABER NIE VOYEURISTISCH. SO SCHAFFT DER FILM EINE BETÖRENDE INTIMITÄT ZU IHREN PROTAGONISTEN. DAZWISCHEN SCHIEBEN SICH ATMOSPHÄRISCHE LANDSCHAFTSBILDER UND NACHRICHTENSPRENKEL AUS DEM OFF, DIE EUROPÄISCHE ZEITGESCHICHTE KONTRASTIERT DABEI MIT DEM MIKROKOSMOS DER VIER PAARE. GROSSE FILMKUNST!”
ART-TV.CH
“ES FÄLLT NICHT SCHWER, UNS SELBST IN DEN RATLOSEN GESICHTERN WIEDERZUERKENNEN, IN DIE UNS JAN GASSMANN MIT SEINEM DOKUMENTARFILM EUROPE, SHE LOVES BLICKEN LÄSST.” CAFÉ BABEL
“ES GIBT BILDER IN EUROPE, SHE LOVES, WELCHE IN IHRER SCHÖNHEIT ÜBERWÄLTIGEND SIND. ES GIBT MOMENTE, DIE SIND ES IN IHRER VERZWEIFLUNG UND ANDERE IN IHRER PUREN, INTIMEN VERLORENHEIT.” SRF.CH
“«EUROPE, SHE LOVES» IST BEEINDRUCKEND, NUR SCHON ALS VERSUCH, DIE REALITÄT HINTER DER EUROPÄISCHEN IDEE AUFZUSPÜREN. FÜR EINMAL SIND ES NICHT DIE IMMER WIEDER NEU AUSGEHANDELTEN SOZIALEN UND POLITISCHEN REGELN, DIE BRÜSSELER POLITIK. SONDERN IHR SPIEGEL IM PRIVATEN, DIE VERHANDLUNGEN, ZWÄNGE, HOFFNUNGEN UND ENTTÄUSCHUNGEN UNTER DEN MENSCHEN, DER KLEINSTEN POLITISCHEN EINHEIT IM GANZEN.
ES IST ERSTAUNLICH, WIE VIELE HARTE UND WEICHE FAKTEN IN DEN 100 MINUTEN ZUSAMMENKOMMEN. ABER NOCH VIEL ERSTAUNLICHER IST DAS GEFÜHL AM ENDE: DIESES EUROPA, DAS EXISTIERT. DIESE MENSCHEN, DIE KENNEN WIR. DAS SIND WIR.” SRF.CH
“EVEN THE DRUGS HAVE GOT BORING. WELL, SEX IS STILL GOOD WHEN YOU GET IT,” SINGS KATE TEMPEST IN HER SONG EUROPE IS LOST DURING THE FILM CREDITS. THE SONG COULD WELL FUNCTION AS THE HYMN OF GASSMANN’S “BOREDOFITALL GENERATION” — A GENERATION THAT IS USUALLY CALLED MILLENNIAL OR “GENERATION Y” AS A REFERENCE TO THE PREVIOUS POST-BABY-BOOM GENERATION THAT RECEIVED THE LETTER X. INSTEAD, I WOULD CALL IT “GENERATION XXX”.
THE TRIPLE X WOULD ALLUDE TO THIS GENERATION’S THREE CROSSED-OUT EXPECTATIONS: OF ECONOMIC PARTICIPATION, OF EUROPEAN DEMOCRATISATION AND OF EUROPEAN UNITY. IT WOULD ALSO REFER TO THE FACT THAT THIS GENERATION GREW UP WITH “LIVE PORN STREAMED TO THEIR PRE-TEENS BEDROOMS.” THE FILM’S VISUAL LANGUAGE IS THE FRUIT OF PORN’S SELF-EVIDENT UBIQUITOUSNESS, AND THIS FRUIT IS NOT AT ALL ROTTEN. KATAIKOS.EU
About
About
ABOUT
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
Autumn comes along in Europe and the streets are boiling. The whole is reflected in its parts - and vice versa. Just as decisions have to be made in Brussels, be it out of rational, emotional or economic reasons, we can observe the same structures in the smallest of groups; a relationship. This documentary about four couples on the edge of Europe becomes a parable of a continent. I‘m portraying my generation, the forgotten, the lost, the dissatisfied. Young people between twenty and thirty. A film without much political talking, but filmed in settings and places, where the political future of Europe will be decided. Four times love. Why? The contrast of the public and private space will convey the feeling of a continent in upheaval. While my protagonists stand in line for work and food, they try to get things to work and survive together. If we go even nearer, words disappear, no one talks anymore, there are only feelings. A touch, a look. In this film I was looking for those interstitials, spaces that usually are being filled with facts. What makes life worth living, if not love? I think documentary filmmaking should not leave the field of love to fiction film and hide behind scientific theories. And also politics should not only be commented in a rational way. A documentary film should transport emotions like any other cinematic genre. The more subjective a film is filmed and edited, the more condensed and precise the look on the topic becomes. No film is neutral.
This is my movie about us, the time bombs, the forgotten with unsure future, but with a lot of love.
Filmography Jan Gassmann
Jan Gassmann (1983) is a director based in Zürich. His first feature documentary CHRIGU premiered at the 57. Berlinale and won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. The movie travelled the world and amongst others, he won the «Filmcritics Switzerland Prize». In 2011 followed his first feature fiction film OFF BEAT and premiered at the 61. Berlinale, Panorama was nominated for «Best Camera» by the swiss film academy in 2012. With his next documentary KARMA SHADUB, he won together with Ramon Giger the Grand-Prix of the international Competition at Visions du Réel, Nyon, 2013. His next fiction film HEIMATLAND, a collaborative work, premiered in the International Competition at Locarno Filmfestival 2015. and won the Zurich and Bern Filmprize and just got nominated for Best Film by the Swiss Film Academy.
2014 Heimatland, Fiction, ca. 90’ (with 10 directors); Idea, Director (Episode)
2013 Karma Shadub. Doc, 90’; Co-Director, Editor, Producer
2012 Style Wars 2, Doc, 70’; Editor
2010 Off Beat, Fiction, 95’; Author, Director, Editor
2007 Chrigu, Doc, 86’; Director, Editor
2003 With 500 Rupies tu Heaven, Doc, 1o’; Author, Director
CREDITS
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TECH SPECS
| Genre | Documentary | |
| Duration | 110 min | |
| Shooting Format | Arri Alexa HD 1:1,85 | |
| Screening format | DCP | |
| Sound | Dolby Digital |